Sharon's Potato Rolls

My mother-in-law, Sharon Wright, cut this recipe out of the Salt Lake Tribune when she was a newlywed. The scalded milk makes these rolls very tender. The potato flakes give them a slightly hearty texture. They are heavenly with butter and jam, or great as little sandwiches with meat and cheese. Makes 24 rolls.

1 c. warm water
1 package (2 ½ tsp.) yeast
2 T. sugar
1 c. milk
½ stick margarine (or butter)
2 t. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 c. potato flakes
4 ½ to 5 ½ c. flour

1. Pour water into a large bowl. Dissolve yeast and sugar into water. Stir gently.
2. Pour milk into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk bubbles up. Remove from heat. Add margarine and stir gently to melt. Add salt and stir gently. Place saucepan in a couple inches of water to help the milk mixture cool.
3. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Once the milk mixture has cooled to lukewarm, add the eggs to the milk and stir. Add all to the yeast mixture and stir.
4. Add the potato flakes and stir quickly for a few seconds, then immediately add 2 cups flour. (The potato flakes will soak up the liquid if you don’t get flour in there quickly.) Keep stirring and adding flour a little at a time until the dough is gooey.
5. Turn dough out onto a floured board or counter and knead. Add small amounts of flour to keep the dough from sticking. As you knead, roll the dough against the counter to smooth out all the lumps. Keep kneading and adding flour until the dough is tender and smooth.
6. Place the dough in a generously greased bowl. Cover and let raise for 2-3 hours or until doubled in bulk. At this point, you can’t really let it rise too much.
7. Grease two pie pans generously.
8. Punch the air out of the dough. Place dough on a cutting board and add enough flour so that you can work with it. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a roll in the palm of your hand. Add enough flour so that it doesn’t stick to your hand.
9. Place 12 rolls in each pie pan—3 in the center in a little triangle, 9 around the edge. Cover and let them raise a little bit more—but not too much, or they will get airy. You can put the pans into a cold oven, or you can preheat the oven. The rolls will raise more if placed into a cold oven, less if the oven is preheated.
10. Bake at about 390° (we set our oven right between 375° and 400°) for 17-20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes in the pans, then carefully slide the rolls out onto a rack to cool. Wait until the rolls are completely cool before you put them in a plastic bag.
11. To serve the rolls warm, remove from plastic bag and cover with aluminum foil. Place in a 300°-325° oven for about 10 minutes. They can also be frozen if double-bagged.