Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Manitoba Buns ~ White Dinner Rolls


This well-used handwritten recipe in my files is one that came from my mother-in-law.  Since she originally got the recipe when she lived in Manitoba...they became known as Manitoba Buns.  When I bake buns, I always make it worthwhile and freeze those that aren't eaten fresh.  If you prefer to work with a smaller batch of dough, try cutting the recipe in half.  Truth be told, I usually do 1 1/2 times the recipe, since my Bosch mixer gladly handles up to 18 cups of flour.
  • 4 cups warm water
  • 1/3 cup potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes)*
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 10 cups flour, plus more as needed
  • 2 Tablespoons instant yeast
  1. Combine very warm water, potato flakes, sugar, salt, butter and oil.
  2. Add eggs to other liquids and mix thoroughly.
  3. Combine yeast with 5 cups flour.
  4. Add to liquids and beat until very smooth.
  5. Continue to add flour until dough leaves sides of pan....and dough is soft but not sticky.
  6. Knead until smooth and elastic.
  7. Put dough into a large, greased bowl. 
  8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about one hour). 
  9. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. 
  10. To make the buns, roll a small piece of dough in your greased hand to form a smooth ball. Alternatively, you can form the buns by pinching off egg-sized pieces of dough (my method). 
  11. Place on prepared cookie sheets...leaving an inch or two between buns.
  12. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
  13. Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15 minutes or until golden.
Yield: About 4 dozen large dinner rolls

*The original recipe called for 'potato water'.  I add instant mashed potatoes to the water instead.


5 comments:

  1. Those buns look delicious Judy, I'm wondering how much potato water did your original recipe call for and did you then reduce the amount of water accordingly?

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    Replies
    1. The recipe called for 4 cups potato water. I just add instant potato flakes along with 4 cups water.

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  2. Oh my goodness those buns look delicious! I think I can almost smell their deliciousness. I'm assuming that the original recipe asked for 4 Cups of Potato water - right? I love yeast baking and will have to try this recipe (trouble is I like to eat it too).

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  3. when you knead the dough, are you doing that by hand or by mixer with a dough hook? I've tried making the MGCC air buns with my kitchen aid, and it never works out as well as by hand. Not sure what needs to change.
    ~Colleen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a Bosch machine so always do my kneading with the dough hook. However, I used this recipe long before I had a dough hook...and did my kneading by hand. Either way. :)

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