A vintage recipe from the Buffalo Evening News. This recipe comes from Eckl’s restaurant and features potato water and baking at two different temperatures
Ingredients
1 package dry yeast
¾ cup 110-degree potato water (save water when you boil potatoes)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup mashed potatoes
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
3½ to 4 cups flour
1 egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Coarse salt to taste
Caraway seeds to taste
Instructions
Mix yeast with ¼ cup of potato water and sugar. In a large bowl, combine the remaining potato water, mashed potatoes, milk, butter, salt, and caraway seeds.
When the yeast mixture is foamy, stir it in. Add 3 1/2 cups of flour, cup by cup, stirring until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Turn out on a floured board and let rest while you clean and butter bowl. Knead dough for 8 to 10 minutes, adding flour if necessary to create a smooth dough.
Return to bowl, cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 2 hours,
Punch down dough, knead again 2 minutes. Roll out and divide into 6 to 8 pieces (depending on how large you want the rolls).
Roll each piece into a ball, then press it gently into a bun shape on a lightly greased cookie sheet, keeping rolls 2 inches apart. Cover loosely and let rise for 1 hour. P
reheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush rolls with egg-white mixture and sprinkle with caraway seeds and salt to taste. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until the rolls are medium brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Makes 6 to 8 rolls.