If you’re a fan of traditional Parker House rolls but would like one without all of the butter and milk, I’ve developed a wonderful, dairy-free option. Lusciously soft and pillowy in texture and baked until golden brown, these are relatively simple to make and you don’t need anything fancy to put them together.
Whether you follow a diet where you don’t eat meat and dairy together (but want a soft dinner roll with your Thanksgiving turkey!) or you avoid dairy for other reasons, these rolls leave absolutely nothing to be desired. And the best part is that they’re fun to make!
How to Make Dinner Rolls Without Milk
To get that coveted soft, moist and pillowy texture, there is a bit of a surprise ingredient added to these rolls – mashed potatoes! It’s really amazing what the addition of potatoes can do to the rolls and it’s not complicated to incorporate them.
Don’t use leftover, seasoned mashed potatoes for this recipe as it can affect the texture and seasoning of the rolls. Also, often mash has butter and milk added, so it’s not conducive to making dairy-free rolls!
All you need to do is add some peeled, cubed potatoes to a saucepan and cover with cool water. Cover the pan and set it over high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes boil until they are very fork tender – about 10 minutes.
Drain the potatoes, add them back into the pan (or in a large, clean bowl) and mash them until smooth. Set these aside until needed.
Now, onto making the dough! Start with whisking together some bread flour, instant yeast and a bit of salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together some egg yolks, a whole egg, some olive oil and a bit of honey.
Make a well in the flour and add the mashed potato and the egg mixture. Use a flexible spatula or wooden spoon to mix in the bowl until a shaggy dough forms and then turn it out onto a clean work surface.
Resist the urge to add more flour unless the dough is super sticky and very difficult to work with. Go ahead and knead the dough for about 10 minutes – you’re looking for it to be very smooth, soft and lightly tacky.
You’ll know it’s done if you can pinch off a bit of dough and stretch it so thin that light passes through it – without the dough tearing!
This is known as the “windowpane test” and it’s the same metric I use when prepping the dough for my Czech kolache.
Gather the dough into a ball and set it in a clean bowl. Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm spot until it’s doubled in size – this will take about an hour depending on the ambient temperature in the room.
Once it’s risen, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface (don’t add any more flour!) and press lightly on the dough to de-gas it. Then, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces – they will generally weigh about 50 grams (or 1.75 ounces) each.
To get into a roll shape, take an individual dough piece and place a cupped hand over it. Use your hand to drag it across the countertop, relying on the unfloured surface to pull it into a taught ball. Place each dough ball into a greased 8-inch square baking dish in a 4×4 grid.
Then, go ahead and cover the rolls and allow them to rise again until they’re doubled – this will take about an hour.
Alternatively, if you want to get ahead, you can skip the room temperature rise and move them to the refrigerator once they’re formed. Keep them there overnight.
In the morning, let the rolls come to room temperature as the oven is preheating and follow the instructions as written in the recipe!
Once your rolls are proofed, brush them down liberally with a beaten egg – this will ensure they get beautifully golden when baked.
If you choose, you can also use this time to sprinkle the rolls with a bit of flaky salt for both flavour and crunchy texture. If you like other toppings – like sesame or poppy seeds – you can also sprinkle them on after egg washing.
Move the rolls to a 180°C/350°F oven and bake them until they are very puffed and deeply golden brown – about 25-30 minutes. Let the rolls cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before unmoulding, pulling apart and serving.
Pull-Apart Dairy Free Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 300 g (⅔ lb) potatoes peeled & cut into 2cm (1in) cubes
- 350 g (3 cups) bread flour (see note 1)
- 8 g (1¼ tsp) salt (see note 2)
- 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
- 2 egg yolks room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 50 g (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 25 g (2 tbsp) honey
- 1 egg beaten, for brushing on the rolls
- Flaky sea salt for topping, optional
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with cool water. Cover the pan, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes – or until the potatoes offer no resistance when pricked with a fork. Drain and mash until smooth with a potato masher or fork. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl (see note 3), whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, olive oil and honey.
- Make a well in the flour mixture and add the mashed potatoes along with the egg mixture. Use a wooden spoon or flexible spatula to mix until well a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a clean work surface (resist the urge to add more flour unless the dough is unmanageably sticky) and knead until the dough is soft, smooth and lightly tacky – about 10 minutes (see note 4).
- Gather the dough into a ball and set it in a clean mixing bowl. Cover with plastic (or a damp tea towel) and let in a warm place (preferably around 25°C/78°F) until doubled in size – about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a clean work surface (do not add any flour) and press lightly to de-gas. Portion the dough into 16 equal pieces (they will be about 50g (1¾oz). Working one piece of dough at a time, cup your hand over the dough and use it to drag it across the work surface to form a taut ball. Place each dough ball into a greased 20cm (8in) square baking dish in a 4×4 grid.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic and allow to rise at warm room temperature until very puffed, the dough balls are all touching each other and they have doubled in size – about 1 hour (see note 5).
- When the rolls are finishing their rise, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Brush the dough with the beaten egg, sprinkle with flaky salt (if using) and bake until they are very puffed and deeply golden brown – about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before unmoulding and serving.
Notes
- Bread flour has a higher protein content than plain or all-purpose flour which makes gluten-development easier for these rolls. It’s widely available at major supermarkets, however, if you don’t have it, you can use plain/all-purpose flour in its place. Just note that you may need to knead the dough for longer before it reaches the desired stage of elasticity.
- Use the weight measurement of salt over the volumetric if at all possible. The volume of different styles and brands of salt can vary drastically so going by weight will give you the most consistent results.
- If you’d like to use a stand mixer, fit the mixer with a dough hook and follow step 2 as written. In step 3, mix the dough on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Scrap down the sides and increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for about 5-7 minutes.
- You will know the dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test. Simply pinch a ping pong ball-sized piece of dough and, using your fingers, gently stretch it as thin as possible. A thin sheet of dough should be able to form that allows light to pass through without tearing.
- You can skip the second rise and move the rolls to proof in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, let the rolls come to room temperature as the oven is preheating and follow the instructions in the final step.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
And that’s all there is to making fluffy, luscious dinner rolls without using any dairy products! These are perfect to enjoy alongside a holiday meal.
Are you looking to make dinner rolls without butter, milk or dairy? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
