Vegan Dinner Rolls inspired by a traditional Amish recipe made with mashed potatoes. Soft, fluffy, lightly sweet, and perfect for holiday dinners. Dairy-free and egg-free.
2 ¼cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 292 grams
Instructions
Make the dough
Place ½ cup water, 3 TB vegan honey , and 3 TB raw cashews in a high-powered blender. Blend on high for 2 minutes or until lukewarm and the cashews are liquefied.
Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle with 1 ¼ tsp. active dry bread yeast. Allow yeast 10 minutes to bloom.
Add 3 TB avocado oil, ½ cup unseasoned mashed potatoes and 1 tsp. salt to the yeast and honey mixture. Attach a whisk attachment to a stand mixer and mix briefly on low speed. Remove whisk.
Measure 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour by spooning it into a cup and leveling it with a flat knife or use a scale to weigh the grams.
Add all the flour and stir with a large spoon to moisten. Attach a dough hook to the mixer. Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. I use the number 4 setting on my KitchenAid mixer.
The dough will be very soft. If an excess sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl, you can sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of flour while mixing to bring the dough together.
Coat the inside of a large bowl or dough-rising bucket with one teaspoon of oil. The dough will be very sticky. Scrape the dough off the mixer hook and use a spatula to transfer the dough to an oiled bowl.
First rise
Cover the bowl or rising container and let the dough rise until more than doubled. A finger poke should leave a clear indent. Rise time can vary a lot depending on the temperature of the room. It can take anywhere from 75 minutes to an hour and 45 minutes.
Shape the rolls
Grease an 8 or 9-inch square glass baking dish.
Dust your hands with a small amount of flour. Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a floured countertop. Working lightly, shape the dough into a disc. Cut the dough into 12 equal pie-shaped pieces.
Shape each piece of dough into a round ball by tucking the top part of the dough to the underside and pinching. The idea is to tighten the top of the dough and have a smooth round ball.
Arrange shaped rolls in the oiled baking dish. Cover the dish with a dome lid that fits to seal out the air, or use a shower cap. Rolls will rise a lot. Leave them for 75 - 90 minutes until they are very puffy. They should more than double in size. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees before the rolls finish rising.
Bake the rolls
Bake rolls on the lower rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Then move to the middle rack for another 15-20 minutes. Finished rolls will be deep golden brown. They will remain moist and soft inside at this color. If desired, brush warm rolls with a little vegan butter and vegan honey.
Serve
Cool the dish of rolls on a rack and remove from the pan when cool enough to handle.
Store and use leftovers
Rolls stay fresh for 2 days covered at room temperature. Leftovers are great toasted whole and split in half.
Rolls also freeze, thaw, and reheat well for future meals. Keep rolls in the freezer wrapped individually, and in a covered container, for up to 3 months.
Notes
RECIPE TIPSMashed potatoes - use cool or room temperature, preferably unseasoned, mashed potatoes. Reduce the salt in the recipe if using seasoned potatoes. Russet potatoes have the right amount of moisture and are preferred.Shape the dough into smooth round balls with a tight top before placing the rolls in the baking pan to rise.Baking dish - an 8 to 9-inch glass baking dish is ideal. Make sure the baking dish has sides that are 2 inches or higher.Rising - a large shower cap is helpful for covering rolls while they rise.Bake - rolls on the lower rack of the oven and finish them on the middle rack for even browning.Brown rolls by baking them to a deep golden color. They will still be soft and moist inside.Glossy tops - brush hot rolls with vegan butter and vegan honey if desired.