Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: So starchy and carb-y and GOOOOOD. Texture: Somehow simultaneously light yet sturdy. These will stand up to any burger! Ease: Pretty easy, though this dough is slightly sticky. Appearance: Beautifully golden. Pros: So so so much better than store-bought. Cons: None. I make this again? Mmmhmm, we used up the first batch in a snap so I need to make another batch soon!This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Recently I had a stellar breakfast sandwich. I ate the whole thing and I wasn’t even very hungry. That’s when you know something’s good.
It happened the first morning after Jared had returned from touring the U.K. with his band. We both woke up super early (is jet lag contagious?!) and decided to go out for breakfast. There’s a place here in Phoenix called Matt’s Big Breakfast that has incredibly simple yet delicious food. The strange part is that the bun on their breakfast sandwich LOOKS like it would be crusty, but it’s actually an amazingly soft potato bun.
It fully inspired me to make my own potato buns, something I hadn’t done before. It took a bit of experimenting but I think I’ve got a pretty delightful recipe here that I hope you’ll make soon!
Potato Burger Bun Recipe Tips
Here’s some behind-the-scenes info and tips so you can be sure to make beautiful potato buns. If you’d like to see more about how certain ingredients affect your buns, check out my Ultimate Dinner Roll Guide.
The Flours
This recipe calls for both all-purpose flour and bread flour. The bread flour helps create a nice chewy and well-structured bun that can stand up to the juiciest of burgers. However, if you don’t have bread flour you can get away with using only all-purpose (a total of 3 cups all-purpose flour in that case).
This dough is on the sticky side, which means our rolls will be nice and light. Too much flour can often lead to dense and tough bread, so be weary of adding too much additional flour to combat the stickiness.
The Yeast
I always use instant yeast (also called rapid-rise or quick-rise) because it’s so incredibly easy as it doesn’t require any proofing. You can literally just throw it in with the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t have it, you can always use regular active dry yeast. You’ll need to combine the active dry yeast with the warm water for 5 minutes, or until frothy, before you can add proceed with the recipe.
The Potato
When I was researching this recipe, I found most recipes called for strange potato ingredients, like potato flour or dry potato flakes. I have a difficult time locating either of those at the grocery store, and felt like using a fresh potato would not only be the simplest option (every store sells russet potatoes!) but also the freshest and most natural. So this recipe calls for 1/2 cup of mashed potato. Meaning, you simply cook a plain russet potato (or something similar) in the microwave, oven, or in boiling water, until very tender. Let the potato cool before peeling and mashing very well. Don’t add any milk or cream, or anything else.
The Sugar
This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, which give the buns a beautiful and complex hint of sweetness. If you don’t like much sweetness in your bread (especially for my non-American readers!), feel free to reduce the sugar to 1 tablespoon.
Egg & Butter
The egg and the melted butter called for in this recipe help to add flavor, richness, and a soft and tender texture. You can also brush the baked rolls with a bit of melted butter for more flavor and sheen, if you’d like.
Make Ahead
You can always let the dough rise for the first time overnight in the fridge. Simply refrigerate the dough after kneading in a container wrapped in plastic. Once you’re ready to proceed with the recipe, remove the dough from the fridge. Punch it down and allow it to rest and warm up to room temperature before shaping into buns, about 1 hour. The final rise may take a bit longer since the dough might still be cool.
Although bread is always best eaten when it’s very fresh, you can also store the fully baked buns. Store buns, well-wrapped, at room temperature for several days or in the freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost to room temperature then reheat in a 300°F oven or toast (these buns are amazing toasted on a griddle with butter).
More Bread Recipes to Try:
Potato Burger Buns
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups (255 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (128 grams) bread flour
- 1/2 cup plain mashed potato
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) nonfat dry milk
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 tablespoons (58 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (227 grams) lukewarm water
For the topping:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all the ingredients. Stir until combined. Turn the mixer on medium low speed and knead until a soft yet tacky dough forms, about 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it’s almost doubled.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly greased surface, gently deflate it, and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
- Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 to 3 inches between them and flatten gently. Cover and let rise until the buns have doubled in size 45 to 60 minutes minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the buns for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’re light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and brush them with melted butter, if desired.
- Transfer the buns to a rack to cool. Store buns, well-wrapped, at room temperature for several days or in the freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost to room temperature then reheat in a 300°F oven or toast.
Would like to make 1-1/2 the recipe..can I use 2 eggs??
I have done this with many brioche recipes with success. My rule: when in doubt round up.
I was looking for a potato bun recipe but all I was finding were recipes with potato flakes, until I found this. These are SOOOO good! Pillowy, cloud-like potato bun goodness! I made a smash burger, and the bun was just as good or better than the meat!
Should be burned at the stake for those cup measurements 😉 x
These came out delicious but larger than I intended. The texture is great. I used a quarter buckwheat flour.
Can we sub out the dry milk for regular?
The total time is incorrect? Had a late dinner!
I’ve made this many times over the years and it blows people away every time. I absolutely love it. I smoke a lot of brisket so this is the perfect bun for that. I made them long the other day and it was perfect for loading up in.
I made these tonite. Totally amazing – best buns I’ve ever made!!!
used sweet potatoes and left out the milk completely (because i had non at home… lol) and they turned out great.
These are delicious! Made them last night and they are now my “go to” burger bun. Agree with Alicia, and would make 8 next time… my dough was also more batter-like, but they turned out amazing. Love the delicate crispy crust… had misted them with water first.
I have made these buns about 5 times now. The dough is more like a batter than a dough, and the buns come out very well. They are sturdy, moist and everything that anyone could ask for in a burger bun. I made 8 this time because I was having a few extra people over and the size was much more like a traditional size (the big ones are amazing too). The only thing that I do different from the recipe is that I use whey protein instead of dried milk. Thanks for this recipe.
FYI What I have used following my Mom’s example use the left over potato water for the liquid in the bread making. sure tastes great!!