These Soft and Fluffy Potato Buns are super delicious, easy to make, and versatile to boot! They can be used for burgers and sandwiches, or they can even be shaped into dinner rolls.
The potato adds moisture, which makes these buns super soft and squishy, and the bread flour adds just enough structure to make them sturdy enough to handle any kind of protein or topping your heart desires. This recipe is the perfect way to take any burger night or cookout to the next level, so let's dig in!
Ingredients
There are typically two different methods used for making potato buns or rolls: (1) using whole potatoes that are boiled, then mashed, and then (2) using boxed, dehydrated potato flakes. This recipe goes the "whole potato" route instead of using dried potato flakes simply because that's what I normally have on hand. The rest of the list is what you would expect to find in traditional bread and burger bun recipes:
- Whole Milk
- Granulated Sugar
- Active Dry Yeast
- Bread Flour
- Mashed Potato
- Fine Sea Salt
- Eggs
- Unsalted Butter
Potato Bun Proofing and Shaping Methods
These potato buns go through two proofing stages (or rises): the bulk proof, then the second proof after they are shaped into buns. I have outlined the whole shaping process in the pictures below. The most important step is to make sure that you get the outer dough layer fairly tight when shaping the individual buns. This tension on the outer layer actually helps your dough rise in the oven and keeps your buns from spreading out too wide.
These buns will be very soft after the second proof, so handle them with care. I prefer to use a thin, damp kitchen towel to cover the buns during the second proof. The moisture in the towel does two things: it prevents the towel from sticking to the tops of the buns, and it keeps the dough from drying out and "skinning" over. You can use lightly greased plastic wrap, but I find that it can sometimes stick even though you have applied grease.
1. Potato bun dough after bulk proofing. 
2. Portion into 75g dough balls - pinching the bottom seam together. -
3. Use a cupping motion to shape the buns, and to pull the outer surface taught. (This is an important step for the final shape.) -
4. Dough balls ready for the second proof. -
5. After the second, 1-hour proof. -
6. Applying egg white egg wash.
Place your proofed buns in a 400°F oven and bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Transfer them to a wire cooling rack and allow them to completely cool before slicing and using. It can be tempting to use them when they're still warm, but if you slice them too early, they can collapse slightly and become dense. I don't recommend it!
Serving Suggestions
My recipe for Ultimate Smash Burgers is already delicious - take them up to the stratosphere with the addition of these potato buns! The same goes for these recipes for my Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich or Quick and Easy Sloppy Joes. Making your own buns is never a bad idea, in my opinion!
Did you make this this recipe for Soft and Fluffy Potato Buns?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don't forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Soft and Fluffy Potato Buns
Equipment
- Small Sauce Pan
- 2 Baking Sheet(s)
- Parchment Paper
- Damp Kitchen Towel, or Greased Plastic Wrap To cover buns during second proof
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Whole Milk 90-100℉
- 2 ½ Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons or Active Dry Yeast 1 Packet
- 3 Cups Bread Flour
- 1 Cup Cooked Mashed Potato
- 2 Teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
- 2 Large Eggs Beaten
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter Softened
- 1 Egg White For Egg Wash
- 1 Tablespoon Water For Egg Wash
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, add the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let bloom for 5 to 10-minutes until frothy.
- As the yeast mixture blooms, combine the bread flour, mashed potato, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and knead on low speed for 2 to 3-minutes until a shaggy dough forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add the eggs, and continue to mix for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Increase the speed to medium low, add in the softened butter. Knead for an additional 5 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough starts to smooth out.
- Turn the mixer off and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Knead the dough on medium-low speed for an additional 3 minutes until soft.
- Using floured hands (the dough will be quite sticky) turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and form into a tight ball. (Process pictures are provided in the blog post above.)
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl and cover. Let rest for 1-hour, or until doubled in sized.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and punch the dough down. Divide into 12 equal pieces (approximately 75g each) and roll into individual dough balls.
- Place the dough balls onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Cover with damp kitchen towels, or lightly greased plastic wrap and allow to proof for an additional hour.
- Towards the end of the second proof, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Mix the egg white and water in a small bowl and gently brush over buns.
- Bake for 15 to 17-minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Harry K says
Made these with All Purpose flour since I didn't have bread flour on hand, and they still came out great! Soft and squishy, yet sturdy enough to hold up to my smashburgers! I increased the individual bun size to around .95g-1g in order to get sligbtly wider buns too. I ended up with 10 buns instead of 12 but it worked out very well! Really tasty buns, especially after slicing and toasting in beef tallow!
Spencer Klickman says
Thanks Harry! So glad to hear that these worked out for you!
Lorie says
These look delicious. I’m looking forward to making and sharing them with my grandkids!