Refrigerator Potato Rolls

I've made these homemade rolls for Thanksgiving the past 20+ years. Most of the preparation can be done the day before. I love the 3 shapes; crescents with butter; snails with poppy seeds and figure eights with sesame seeds. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without these tasty and beautiful rolls! 

Yield: 36 rolls 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unseasoned warm mashed potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
• 2 pkgs active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 6 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• Melted butter, or 1 egg, beaten with 2 Tbsps water
• Poppy and/or sesame seed

Recipe

1. Prepare mashed potatoes for 1/2 cup, omitting salt and butter. Poor warm water into a large bowl. (First rinse bowl in hot water.) If possible, check temperature; should be 105 - 115F. 
2. Sprinkle yeast over water; add sugar and salt, stirring with wooden spoon until completely dissolved. Let stand a few minutes; the mixture will start to bubble slightly.
3. Add 2 eggs, softened butter, warm mashed potatoes and 3 cups flour. With portable  electric  mixer at high speed, beat just until smooth. Add 2 cups flour, beating with wooden spoon until flour is incorporated in dough. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, mixing with hands until the dough is smooth and stiff enough to leave sides of pan. (This takes place of kneading to develop the gluten in flour.) 
4. Brush top of dough with 1 Tbsp melted butter; cover with wax paper and dish towel. Let rise in refrigerator 2 hours, or until double in bulk. Remove from refrigerator.
5. Punch down with fist. Cover and refrigerate. Dough can be refrigerated from one to three days, punching it down once a day. About 2 hours before serving, remove dough from refrigerator; shape.
6. For crescents, remove 1/3 dough from refrigerator. On lightly floured pastry cloth, divide dough in half. With rolling pin covered with lightly floured stockinet, roll each half into a 10" circle. Brush with 1 Tbsp melted butter. Cut into 6 wedges. Starting at wide end, roll up each wedge toward the point. Place on greased cookie sheet, 2" apart, point side down. 
7. Curl ends inward slightly. 
8. For figure eights, and snails, remove balance of dough from refrigerator. On a slightly floured surface, with palms, roll into 2 12" rope. Divide each into 12; roll each into a 12" strip. 
9. For figure eight, on greased cookie sheet, pinch ends together and twist once into an 8.
10. For snail, press one end of strip to grease cookie sheet; wind strip around itself; tuck other end underneath. 
11. To bake: Cover with towel; let rise in warm place until double in bulk - about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush with butter; or with egg if sprinkling  with seeds. Bake 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

~The McCall Publishing Company