Cinnamon roll recipe--potatoes?

[debbiel]

I'm considering making cinnamon rolls this week. I haven't made them since I was in high school and just started looking for a recipe in my books. The Bread Bible includes a recipe that surprised me a bit...it includes potatoes. Is this common for sweet bread goods? Has anyone tried the Bread Bible recipe?

I'm also up for others yeast cinnamon roll recipes. Thanks!

[Candy]

I made the caramel cinnamon sticky bun recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours a couple of weeks ago. The dough was a brioche and it was delicate, buttery and delicious.

[bethelaine]

I make a cinnamon roll recipe which includes one cup of mashed potatoes (mashed w/ milk and butter - I use leftover) per 6-7 cups of flour. They turn out yummy!

[browniebaker]

Oh, do add a potato! A baking potato (such as a russet) makes the rolls very fluffy and moist. My favorite potato to add is a sweet potato, which imparts a delicate flavor, moistness, and beautiful golden color to the rolls.

[amyzan]

The cooked potato makes the dough more moist, and it will keep better and longer once baked. Be sure to drain it well if it's boiled, or you may throw off amont of flour needed.

[debbiel]

Thanks for your replies everyone! I'll give them a try this weekend, but here's another question for you. The recipe will take several hours, (mix, knead, rise, deflate, rise, shape, rise, bake). Is there a point at which I can stall the process and restart in the morning, or do I need to get up at 4:30 in the morning?

Thanks!

[amyzan]

Definitely you can refrigerate the dough at a few different points, depending when you plan to serve. You could do all steps through shape, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. You'd have to keep in mind the dough may need time to come to room temperature before it will rise, and that can take time with some recipes. You can also mix and knead, put the dough ball in a greased bowl and refrigerate at that point, leaving the first rise, shaping, and second rise for the morning. That might be more appropriate for a late brunch, if you're an early riser.

It also helps to either warm an oven very low and turn it off before putting the refrigerated dough in to rise. (Of course, if you have a gas range, it will likely be warm without heating.) I've also found that if you boil 2 cups of water in the microwave, and can fit the cold dough in with the hot water, without letting much steam escape, that's a good place, too. (Handy if the oven's occupied!)

[JasmineG]

I've definitely put them in the fridge after the shape, then taken them out right when I got up and when I turn on the oven, and put them in the oven after about thirty minutes-an hour (depending on the recipe), and it works perfectly.

[amyzan]

Wow, does your recipe have a good amount of yeast and rise a lot in the fridge? or maybe you make the style that's lean dough with a sweet filling?

[JasmineG]

All bread recipes will rise in the fridge, they'll just rise a lot slower. So if you have something that calls for a 45 minute to an hour long rise (which is most of the final rise that I've seen for cinnamon rolls), if you do that for 8 hours in the fridge, it will be about equivalent. Often, the long slow rise develops better flavor. After that rise, it needs to be out of the fridge for a while to come closer to room temp, but it doesn't really need to rise that much more. I've done this with a few different cinnamon roll recipes, and it works for all of them.

[debbiel]

Thanks for the help!

[amyzan]

Hmmm, that's not been my experience, and I want to figure out why. It would sure be convenient is mine rose in the fridge overnight.