So Good Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Peel and quarter about 2-3 medium potatoes. Boil the potatoes in a pot of water until soft. Remove from heat. Reserve 1/3 cup of the potato water and set aside. Drain the remaining water but leave a few tablespoons to mash with the potatoes. Mash the potatoes until smooth, then cover and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/3 cup of potato water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar; set aside to foam for about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1/2 cup of the warm mashed potato, 2/3 cups sugar, sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and salt. Add the flour and the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook of your mixer, mix the dough on speed 2, for 2 minutes.

Add additional flour if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough just pulls away from and cleans the bowl, but is very soft. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place, until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down and let rise again (about another 2 hours.)

In the meantime, combine the ingredients for the filling/smear: butter, sugars, egg whites, and cinnamon. Set aside

When dough is ready: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle (about 10×20 inches) and spread with the smear. (The size of the rectangle will depend on how large you want the finished rolls.) Roll dough into a cylinder, and use a serrated knife to cut into 1 1/2 inch slices. Place slices in a greased 9×13 oblong pan.

If baking immediately: Allow the rolls to rise again until doubled. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven when done and brush with melted butter. Drizzle with glaze (instructions below) while still hot.

Overnight method: Once rolls are assembled in the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and put them in the refrigerator to rise overnight. When ready to bake in the morning, remove rolls from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Then bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Drizzle with glaze while still hot.

While the rolls are baking, combine the powdered sugar, butter, and enough milk (or orange juice) to make a thick pouring glaze. Use a spoon or the tines of a fork to drizzle the glaze over the hot rolls. Use as much or as little as you like.

Tip: I like to let my rolls rise in the oven (turned OFF). I turn it on for a few seconds to warm up slightly, then turn it off, put my bowl of dough in there, and close the door. This provides a nice warm place for the dough to rise.

Make sure you don’t let your oven get too hot, or it will the kill the yeast and your dough won’t rise properly.

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar; set aside to foam for about 5 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the warm mashed potato (just plain mashed potato, nothing added to it), sugar, sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and salt. Add the flour and yeast mixture. Using the dough hook, mix the dough on speed 2, for 2 minutes.

Add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough just cleans the bowl, but is very soft. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to raise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down and let rise again (about another 2 hours.) In a small bowl combine the filling sugars, egg white and cinnamon. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle and spread with the softened butter, then the sugar mixture. The size of the rectangle will depend on how large you want the finished rolls. Roll dough into a cylinder. Cut into 1 1/2 inch slices. Place in a greased 9 x 13 oblong pan.

If baking immediately: Cover with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise again until doubled. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes at 350, until rolls are golden brown. Remove from oven when done and brush with melted butter. Drizzle with glaze while still hot.

Overnight method: Place sliced rolls in the baking pan, cover the rolls with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to raise overnight. When ready to bake in the morning, remove rolls from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Then bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Drizzle with glaze while still hot.

While the rolls are baking, combine the powdered sugar, butter, and enough milk to make a thick pouring glaze. Use a spoon or fork to drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Use as much or as little as you like.

When adding the additional tablespoons of flour to get the right consistency, you may need to add quite a few tablespoons of flour, depending on how you measure. The goal is to have the dough just clear the bowl but still be soft.