The Reason Martha Stewart Adds Mashed Potatoes To Her Cinnamon Rolls

There's truly something about breakfast that gets us excited to start our day in the most delicious way possible. One of the great things to love about breakfast foods is that they can be either sweet or savory — and the options in both fields are endless. 

In the mood for sweet stuff? Go for a stack of pancakes or a slab of French toast. Jonesing for something salty? The wide world of omelets and breakfast meats awaits you. Sometimes, the boundaries between the two camps even blur, as in the case of maple-glazed bacon or apricot and blue cheese scones.

And then there are sweet breakfast foods that incorporate typically savory ingredients — but in an under-the-radar way. Such is the case with Martha Stewart's favorite cinnamon roll recipe, which features a surprising ingredient: mashed potatoes. Here's why the expert baker includes spuds in her breakfast rolls.

The key to fluffy cinnamon rolls, according to kitchen doyenne Martha Stewart, is mashed potatoes. Hold the gravy — these aren't your typical salty, buttery mashers, but rather plain boiled potatoes that are quickly mashed and then folded into a rich, yeasted dough (via MarthaStewart.com).

As we previously explored in this Mashed article, potassium-rich potatoes work well for cinnamon rolls because they bind to yeast, making yeasted doughs rise faster and creating a more airy texture. Additionally, potato starch can absorb more moisture than wheat starch, leading to a softer, fluffier bun. Finally, potatoes' starch molecules expand when boiled, and when added to a dough, they help inhibit the formation of gluten, which also lends a softer, fluffier texture. 

In an Instagram post about her preferred recipe for the breakfast staple, Stewart described them as "our lightest, fluffiest cinnamon rolls ever." The end result, spread with a rich cream cheese glaze, looks absolutely delectable. We can't wait to try them the next time we find an extra potato kicking around the crisper drawer.