Soft, pillowy potato buns made with mashed potato and buttermilk for a tender crumb that holds up to any filling. Step-by-step recipe with tips on dough consistency and proofing.
Potato Buns
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Category
Lunch
Servings
8
Prep time
2 hours
Cook time
40 minutes
These buns are next level. The secret? Potato. It keeps them soft, gives 'em a bit of sweetness, and helps them stay fresh longer, not that they’ll last. They’re light, fluffy, and perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or just straight out of the oven with a bit of butter.
Now, you can find potato buns or potato rolls at the supermarket but I genuinely think they are so much better when you make them at home. Save it for a quiet weekend, make them on a Saturday and then serve up some pulled pork burgers on a Sunday.
Ingredient Notes
Potatoes: Use a floury variety such as Sebago, Desiree or Russet. Floury potatoes break down to a dry, fluffy mash which adds starch to the dough without too much extra liquid. Waxy potatoes like Kipfler or Dutch Cream are too wet and hold too much moisture, which can throw off the dough hydration and make it sticky and difficult to work with. After draining, return the potatoes to the hot pot and let them steam dry for a minute or two over low heat before mashing. This removes excess water and gives you a more consistent result.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds acidity to the dough which slightly tightens the gluten structure and gives extra tenderness to the finished crumb. It also contributes a very faint tang that works well in a bun meant for something savoury. If you don’t have buttermilk, make a quick substitute: add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of full-cream milk, stir, and leave for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly. Use straight away.
Bread flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content than plain flour, typically around 11 to 13 percent, which develops more gluten during kneading. More gluten means a stronger dough structure, a slightly chewier crumb and buns that hold their shape under a heavy filling without going soggy or collapsing. Plain flour will work if that’s what you have, but the texture will be softer and less structured. For burger buns specifically, bread flour gives a noticeably better result.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Potato ricer or masher
- Stand mixer with dough hook (or large bowl)
- Bench scraper
- Kitchen scales
- Baking tray lined with baking paper
- Pastry brush
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 2 brushed potatoes (Sebago, Dutch cream, Russet, Maris Piper), peeled, chopped
- 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk, warmed
- 7g packet (2½ tsp) dried yeast
- ¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
- 80g unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 3⅓ cups (500g) bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
Directions
Place the potatoes in a saucepan of salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cook for 12-15 minutes until fork tender.
- Drain potatoes and let them steam in the colander for a couple of minutes to remove excess water.
- Mash the potatoes in a medium bowl using a hand masher or potato ricer and set aside 1 cup worth.
- Mix the milk, yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for 10 minutes, until it becomes foamy.
- Add remaining sugar, butter, 1 egg, half the flour, warm mashed potato and salt and fit the dough hook attachment.
- Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, then add the remaining flour. Increase the speed to medium, and mix for 5 minutes, until the dough is pulling away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft free place for 1-1½ hours until doubled in size.
- Punch dough down and transfer to a lightly floured bench, divide into 8 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a tight ball and place on a large oven tray lined with baking paper, 5cm apart from each other.
- Cover loosely again with a clean tea towel or oiled cling wrap and place in a warm place until risen again about 50% (approximately 30 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 190°C fan forced (375°F).
- Whisk remaining egg and brush tops of rolls lightly.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until light golden. Cool on the tray for 15 minutes, before transferring to a wire to cool completely before slicing and using for your favourite sandwich.
Recipe notes
FAQs
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
You can! Let it rise once, then pop it in the fridge overnight. Bring it back to room temp before shaping and the second rise.
My dough’s not rising, what’s going on?
Check your yeast’s still alive (should foam when mixed with warm buttermilk and sugar), and make sure the dough’s in a warm, draft-free spot.
