My Lime Green Kitchen

These rolls are great and the best part is you can make them ahead and keep the dough in the fridge for up to two weeks. The dough can be rolled out (like a biscuit) or shaped into a roll. They don’t rise as much as the typical yeast bread so if you want big, fluffy rolls, roll them out about 1/2″ thick. The story is that they’re called jailhouse rolls because they were rolled out thinner and passed between the bars in the jail. I can’t say from personal experience if that’s true or not.

Jailhouse Rolls

1 c. mashed potatoes
2 sticks butter or margarine
3 whole eggs
7 c. flour (maybe a little more)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 pkg. dry yeast

I make mashed potatoes and use the potato water for the liquid.  Make sure the liquid is cooled down to about 110 – 115° before adding the yeast.  If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and dead yeast is not good!    I usually use about 1 cup of the potato water and add enough cold water to get it to 115°.  Make the potatoes as usual.  I use butter and cream.

Mix yeast in the warm water and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes.

Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a large bowl.  Add the sugar, eggs and salt.  Depending on whether you added salt to the potatoes as they were cooking (I do), you may want to add less salt than suggested.

Stir in potatoes.

Stir in flour.  Near the end, it may be easier to dump it all onto a floured countertop and knead it til smooth.

To make the rolls, shape into rolls or roll out and cut.  Place in a buttered baking dish.

Place the leftover dough in a zipper type bag and keep in the fridge til needed.

Let the rolls rise for several hours.

Butter the tops.  Bake at 450° for about 10 minutes.

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