These potato flake sourdough Lambert’s rolls are soft, fluffy, lightly sweet, and perfect for tossing across the table — if you’re feeling brave!

If you’ve ever been to Lambert’s Café (home of the “throwed rolls”), you already know the magic of a soft, slightly sweet roll that seems to float right out of the basket. These pull-apart rolls are my potato-flake-starter version of that nostalgic classic — tender inside, golden outside, and perfectly fluffy when you tear them apart.

Using a potato-flake sourdough starter with all those wild yeast brings a deeper, richer flavor that reminds me of old-fashioned yeast rolls but with a gentler sweetness and a softer crumb. And the best part? These bake right in a muffin tin, which gives them that signature shape.

Before sharing the recipe, I want to include a huge thank you to my amazing recipe testers. Their feedback helped me shape this into a recipe that’s beautifully detailed and helpful — especially if you’re newer to enriched doughs.

What Testers Loved About These Rolls

Across the board, testers described these rolls as:

• Light, fluffy, and beautifully golden
• Slightly sweet taste (but not too sweet)
• Soft inside with a lovely crust on top
• “Amazing rolls… my husband doesn’t give out compliments easily!”
• “Very similar to Texas Roadhouse rolls!”
• “Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

A few testers baked them in under 12 minutes, some in closer to 15, so keep an eye on the cooking time during your first time baking — oven temps can vary.

Helpful Notes Before You Begin

These tips come straight from real-life testers and can help you get the same results:

Flour Amounts May Vary

Most testers used all 4 cups of flour, but one tester didn’t need all 4 cups. It can be helpful to weigh your ingredients because cup measurements can vary so much.

A few people noticed that their rolls were a bit dense, so be sure not to add all of the flour if it isn’t needed.

Your dough should be soft, slightly tacky, and smooth, not dry. Add the flour gradually and stop when the dough reaches that texture.

Mixer Speeds Vary

Most testers kneaded on medium (around speed 2 on a KitchenAid bowl-lift mixer).
Look for the dough to become smooth, silky, and pulling away from the sides, rather than relying only on a timer.

Scraping the Bowl

Some mixers require you to scrape down the sides during mixing. If the dough climbs the hook or sticks to the bottom early on, pause and scrape it down.

Second Rise Time

Your second rise can vary depending on kitchen temperature, but you want the dough balls to look visibly puffy and nearly doubled before baking.

Sticky Dough Tips

A few testers had slightly sticky dough during shaping. You can use a tiny dusting of flour or lightly butter your hands to help.

Tools You’ll Need

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Stand Mixer – A stand mixer with a dough hook makes kneading much easier for this enriched dough. (KitchenAid bowl-lift mixers work great on speed 2.)

 Large Bowl – if not using a stand mixer

Plastic Wrap or Reusable Cover – To cover the dough during both rises and keep it from drying out.

Kitchen Scale – Optional, but extremely helpful for dividing the dough evenly. The full batch weighs about 975 g, so each roll portion is roughly 40 g.

Bench Scraper or Sharp Knife – for dividing the dough into 24 pieces.

12-Cup Muffin Tin – This gives the rolls their signature pull-apart look. Butter or oil  it well to prevent sticking.

Pastry Brush For brushing melted butter over the hot rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

Instant-Read Thermometer – optional but helpful to check internal temperature

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup active potato flake starter
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup melted salted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar (67 grams)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt (6 grams)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour (480 grams)

Instructions

Mix the dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk, melted butter, sugar, egg, salt, and active starter.Attach the dough hook and begin mixing on low speed.

Gradually add the flour, a cup at a time, allowing it to incorporate before adding more.
Tip from testers: Your dough may not need the full 4 cups. Stop adding flour when it becomes a soft, smooth ball that is slightly tacky but not wet.

Scrape down the bowl if needed.

Knead

Increase the mixer to medium speed (around speed 2 on a KitchenAid bowl-lift). Knead for about 10–15 minutes, or until the dough is silky, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Some testers reached this stage closer to 10 minutes — go by texture rather than time.

First rise

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 6 hours, depending on room temperature. Lightly greasing the bowl can help prevent sticking.

Chill the dough

Refrigerate the risen dough for at least 1 hour (and up to 12).
This makes the dough easier to shape and improves the final texture.

Shape the rolls

Generously butter a 12-cup muffin tin.

Turn the chilled dough out onto your counter and divide it into 24 equal pieces.
The total dough weight is about 975 g, so each piece should be roughly 40 g.

Shape each piece into a tight ball. Place two dough balls in each muffin cup so they fit snugly.

Second rise

Cover the muffin tin lightly with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until puffy and nearly doubled.
This time will vary — expect anywhere from 4-8 hours depending on temperature.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls for 15–20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 190°F.
Some testers found theirs finished as early as 11–12 minutes, so check early if your oven runs hot.

Butter + serve

Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately brush with melted butter.

Serve warm — they’re at their very best fresh out of the oven.

What If You Want a Softer Crust?

A few testers noted a slightly crisp top crust. If you want a softer roll all around:

• Brush butter on the rolls twice: right out of the oven, then again after 5 minutes.
• Place a clean tea towel over the rolls as they cool to trap moisture.
• Bake on a slightly lower oven rack to prevent over-browning on top, but be careful you don’t want the bottoms to burn, so keep an eye on that.

Possible Variations (Tester Requested!)

Some testers suggested fun flavor add-ins. Try mixing in:

• Garlic butter + herbs (for a garlic knot vibe)
• Honey butter glaze
• Cinnamon butter for a sweeter brunch roll

Troubleshooting (Based on Real Tester Results)

Rolls too dense?

• Your dough may have been too dry. Add flour slowly next time.
• Make sure the dough rose fully in both rises.

Rolls burned on the bottom?

• One tester had this issue with an aluminum muffin tin.
• Try baking on the upper-middle rack or reducing bake time.

Dough too sticky when shaping?

• Use lightly buttered hands 

Not pulling away from the bowl during kneading?

• Let the flour hydrate a few minutes before increasing to medium speed.
• Scrape the bottom of the bowl if dough sticks there.

Pin for Later and Share with a Friend

These rolls are everything I love about comforting, potato flake sourdough bread — soft, fluffy, lightly sweet, and irresistibly pull-apart. I’m so grateful for the thorough feedback from my testers; it made this recipe truly dependable for bakers at any level.

Serve these warm with dinner, take them to a holiday gathering, or (if you’re like me) tear into one straight from the pan.

If you bake them, be sure to share a picture of your baked rolls on facebook or instagram and tag me @littletennesseehome — I’d love to see your rolls!