Parker House Rolls
Soft and buttery parker house rolls are an absolute classic!
In my opinion it’s just not Thanksgiving without rolls. You might disagree, and maybe you think the meal could get on just fine without them, but you would be wrong.
What will you use to mop up the last bit of gravy and mashed potatoes with? What about your Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich the next day??
You just gotta have rolls. And while you could cut corners and buy them from a bakery, or bake them from store-bought frozen dough, homemade rolls are so much better and well worth the effort.
New to roll baking? Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. These rolls are a little time consuming but not at all difficult. And if these aren’t quite what you’re looking for, scroll down past this recipe for some links to other carbolicious options.
But this may be the only roll recipe you’ll ever need! They’re soft, buttery and the perfect accompaniment to any meal, whether that’s Thanksgiving or Sunday dinner.
baking tip:How to Make Rolls Ahead
- Rise the dough in the fridge overnight— Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge overnight. The next morning, shape into rolls, rise and bake.
- Freeze shaped rolls up to 2 months in advance— Place shaped rolls on a pan lined with parchment paper so they aren’t touching. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer frozen rolls to a heavy duty ziplock bag and store for up to 2 months. When ready to use, place frozen rolls in a greased baking dish or pan lined with parchment and thaw at room temperature for 1 hour, then bake.
- Freeze baked rolls up to 1 month in advance— Bake rolls as normal and cool completely. Wrap in foil and then place in a ziplock bag. When ready to serve, remove from bag and loosen the foil a bit. Warm in a 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes until warmed through.
Parker House Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter , divided (226 grams)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 2 cups whole milk (500 ml)
- ¼ cup warm water (60 ml)
- 1 envelope active-dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 5 ½-6 cups all-purpose flour (660-720 grams)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the butter, sugar, salt, and milk until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the water and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is slightly foamy.
- In a large bowl combine 3 cups of flour with the milk mixture and yeast mixture to make a very wet dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time while kneading on low, until dough is slightly tacky to the touch but clears the sides of the bowl (you may not need all 6 cups of the flour). Continue to knead dough until smooth an elastic, about 7-8 minutes. Alternately, you can mix and knead the dough by hand.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45-60 minutes. Gently punch down dough and knead a few times, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter. Brush a large sheet pan with some of the melted butter or line with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/3-inch thick. Use a 3 inch round cutter to make rounds. Use the blunt end of a knife to crease the dough just off center, brush with butter, and fold the round onto itself, pressing it gently together. Place on the prepared sheet pan and repeat with remaining rounds.
- Brush tops of the rolls with more melted butter. Bake until the tops of the rolls just begin to turn brown, about 15 minutes. Brush baked rolls with more melted butter and serve immediately.
Notes
Such gorgeous photos and little mounds of dinner roll dough! They're lovely, and yes, the perfect cure for a rainy, ugly day. There really is nothing more comforting than freshly baked bread. I baked a loaf of cinnamon raisin today, even though it's one of the nicest days of the year!
They are just perfection
So glad you love the cook book! I don't even think we used it once!
those look delicious!
Yum. I know I need to come up with something new to say, but these look delicious. I want to make them. Now.
What a pleasant surprise it must have been knowing you have such a gem of a cookbook! I love hand me down cookbooks, especially if they are used.
they look great and perfect for a stormy summmer day.
I love warm flaky rolls with a dab of butter….yum! These look delicious
That's what's up! Gorgeous!I just recently came up with a roasted garlic butter that I can't wait to spread on these rolls!
Excited to make this recipe tonight and hope that I freeze them correctly! They look so yummy!
Just made this bread, sooooo good!!!! So soft and tasty!! Loved it!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
The recipe calls for a cup of butter in the ingredients but the actual recipe uses 1/2 cup?
They look delicious but unfortunately the recipe is incorrect…. It calls for 1 cup of butter but only tells you how to use half of that…..where do i add the remaining 1/2 cup of butter?
The remaining butter is for brushing on top of rolls
Excellent! The most authentic recipe I’ve found for Parker House Rolls. So many others add dry milk powder with less whole milk in the recipe (which makes them dry out faster), other online recipes use an egg wash rather than melted butter (which creates too much of a crust (though great for bread) on these delicate rolls. This recipe is absolutely delightful: looks, taste, texture, fragrance. Thanks so much for your carefully crafted instructions, (including options for preparing ahead). I look forward to exploring more of your website, and perusing your book!