-
1
Place the potato in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 1/2 cups water.
-
2
Bring to a boil and cook until the potato pieces are very tender, about 15 minutes.
-
3
Drain the potatoes, reserving 1 1/4 cups liquid and the potato pieces in separate bowls.
-
4
Cool the potato liquid until it is lukewarm (110 to 115 F.).
-
5
Add the yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.
-
6
Mash the potato pieces until smooth.
-
7
Measure 1/2 cup mashed potato.
-
8
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the yeast mixture, mashed potato, granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, 6 tablespoons of the butter, and the egg.
-
9
Mix on low for 15 seconds.
-
10
Add 2 cups of the flour and mix on low speed until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute.
-
11
Switch to the dough hook attachment.
-
12
Add 2 1/2 cups flour and knead at medium speed, adding more flour as needed to make a soft, elastic dough, about 10 minutes.
-
13
Scrape the dough into a large plastic bag with enough room for the dough to expand 1 1/2 times in size.
-
14
Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
-
15
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times to soften.
-
16
Portion the dough into 16 equal pieces and roll each portion into a smooth ball.
-
17
Mix 8 tablespoons of the butter and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large, shallow bowl.
-
18
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate large, shallow bowl.
-
19
Dip each bun in the butter, coating the entire surface, and then roll it in the brown sugar.
-
20
Make sure there is plenty of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on each bun.
-
21
Using a pastry brush, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
-
22
Place the buns in the dish, cover them with a piece of oiled plastic wrap, and let them rise in a warm, draft-free space until they are 1 1/2 times their original size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
-
23
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
-
24
Bake the buns for about 25 minutes, or until they are light golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the center bun.
-
25
Remove the buns from the oven and immediately turn them out onto a serving platter.
-
26
Let the buns cool for at least 5 minutes.
-
27
To serve, cut apart the buns.
-
28
Place each bun on a small plate and drizzle with the syrup from the bottom of the baking dish.
-
29
You can prepare the buns in advance, freeze them, and reheat them.
-
30
Let the buns cool, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 1 month.
-
31
To reheat, unwrap the buns and bake them in a 350F.
-
32
oven for about 30 minutes.
