Potato bun dough calculator
Rolls with cooked potato in the dough: extra soft, and they stay fresh longer.
Total hydration counts the water inside the eggs, milk and butter.
Potato rolls the American classic way — King Arthur’s Amish Dinner Rolls, the formula behind the softest bun family in the deli case: real mashed potato at 42% of the flour weight, plus butter, sugar and eggs. Potato starch holds water, so these stay fresh remarkably long.
How it works
Real potato, not flakes
The dough carries 42% cooked, mashed potato alongside 33% water, 17% butter, 13% sugar and 20% egg. Boil and rice the potato (unseasoned) and let it cool to warm; its starch is the moisture reservoir that defines the style.
A slow, soft dough
With 1.5% instant yeast the schedule runs about 1.5 hours of bulk and up to 2 hours of proof — enriched doughs rise slower, so judge by puffiness, not the clock. The dough is soft and slightly tacky; resist flouring it stiff.
Shaping and baking
Divide at ~75 g, shape tight rounds, and pack them close in a buttered pan for pull-apart sides. Bake moderate — about 175 °C — until golden; brush with butter as they come out for the classic tender, shiny top.
Sources & methodology
Every percentage in this calculator traces to the published sources below — nothing is invented. Where respected sources disagree, the default sits inside the documented range.
- King Arthur — Amish Dinner Rolls — The Amish Dinner Rolls — the canonical US potato roll: 42% mashed potato, 17% butter, 13% sugar, two eggs.
FAQ
Can I use leftover mashed potatoes?
Yes, if they are plain — butter and milk in them just join the enrichment, but skip anything seasoned with garlic or herbs unless you want it in the crumb. Weigh them as-is.
Burger buns or dinner rolls?
Both — this dough is the base of the American potato burger bun. Divide at ~100 g and flatten slightly for buns; leaner takes (about half the potato) exist for a springier bun, but this is the classic soft one.
Why potato at all?
Potato starch gelatinizes and holds water that plain wheat crumb would lose — softness on day one, freshness on day four. It also feeds the yeast and browns the crust beautifully.
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