Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, measured into a bowl using the fluff-and-scoop method, plus more for dusting
• 2/3 cup instant mashed potato flakes, unflavored or natural-flavored
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil, for the bowl
• About 3 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the reheated rolls

Directions

1. Set up your stand mixer with the paddle and keep it on low while you combine 2 cups of the flour with potato flakes, plus the yeast, sugar, and salt in the mixer bowl. Pour in the eggs and milk, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the butter in tablespoon-size pieces and let it work in, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop to scrape the bowl, then mix in 1 1/2 cups more flour on low speed; the dough will look smooth and substantial. Scrape the bowl again, trade the paddle for the dough hook, and on low speed add the remaining 1/2 cup more flour a little at a time.
2. Let the hook knead on low speed for 10 minutes, or until the dough releases from the bowl walls as it moves. You want it soft and just a bit tacky, but not so gluey that shaping the rolls feels impossible. If it seems very sticky, work in extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until the dough comes away from the bowl before adding more.
3. Take the dough out, shape it into a ball, and pour the oil across the bowl's bottom. Return the dough to the bowl and turn it over so the oil coats the outside. Cover with plastic wrap and set it somewhere warm for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it has doubled and feels firm, but a press with your fingertips still leaves marks.
4. Lightly flour your countertop and place the dough there. Roll it with a rolling pin into an even 12-inch square, which helps the rolls come out close in size. Use a chef's knife or pizza cutter to divide the square into 16 equal pieces. Working with each piece, bring the edges toward the middle and pinch the loose ends together, making a ball. Flip it so the seam is underneath.
5. Shift the dough to a part of the counter without flour so the surface can grip it. Cup your hands around the dough and roll it in small circles, using your palms and curved fingers to make it round and taut.
6. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Arrange the rolls on it about 1-inch apart, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rise for 1 hour, until they have lifted and look puffy. As that rise is nearing the end, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. If you want the rolls to touch as they bake, arrange a row of 4 on the baking sheet; if you want them separate, give them a little more room.
7. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, until they turn golden brown. Move them from the baking sheet to a rack so they can cool. If you are serving them right away, brush on melted butter if you want; if not, freeze them without butter and reheat whenever it suits you.
8. To freeze, group the fully cooled baked rolls into packages of 6 or 8 and wrap each bundle snugly in foil. Put the foil-wrapped packages in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month; after 1 month, frost and freezer burn can start to show up. A 1-gallon freezer bag neatly fits a 6-pack of rolls, and a 2-gallon bag fits 2 8-packs.
9. To reheat, take the foil packets out of the freezer bags and open the foil so air can move through. Set the opened packets on a baking sheet and warm them in a 300ºF oven for about 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter, if you like.