Parker House Rolls

 These Parker House Rolls are soft and fluffy, and wonderful served with your holiday dinner. 

 I've always wanted to try making Parker House Rolls. They are an American classic, originally recorded in the Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook, published in 1933. The rolls are soft and airy, and most of all, buttery.

They were evidently created by Boston's Parker House Hotel, which also created the Boston Cream Pie (which is actually a cake, but that's okay, when you create something, you get to name it).

The secret to their tastiness? Butter. It's brushed over the dough before the dough is folded over itself, and then brushed over the fresh-from-the-oven rolls just prior to serving. Then there's the butter in the dough itself.

Plus, you either use potato flour or potato flakes in the dough for extra softness. I used potato flakes that are normally used to make instant mashed potatoes. If you don't have access to either, use mashed baked potato, and adjust the flour to account for the extra moisture.

These are the perfect dinner rolls for a family feast, and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. If you serve these for Thanksgiving, I highly recommend making more than you need so you can make Thanksgiving Dinner Sliders the next day.

Thanksgiving Dinner Sliders? Take one of these rolls and split it in half. Fill it with leftover stuffing, turkey, and a schmear of mashed potatoes and gravy. Nuke for 30 seconds in the microwave. You'll thank me later.

These rolls are baked in a 9 inch by 13 inch pan. If you double the recipe, you can bake them in a half sheet pan. Here's what they look like after shaping....

and after baking....

Look at that amazing oven spring. 

It's Sunday Funday and the theme is That Holiday Holiday Feeling! 

• Caesar ColeSlaw by A Day in the Life on the Farm/
• Crackled Ginger Cookies by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Gingered Shrimp Cups by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Holiday Salad by Making Miracles
• Kohlrabi, Carrot and Spinach Salad by Cook with Renu
• Marmalade Glazed Sweet Potatoes by Food Lust People Love
• Parker House Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Savory Aloo Masala French Toast Rollups by Sneha's Recipe
• Turkey and Cranberry Reuben Sandwich by Palatable Pastime

I originally posted this recipe in November, 2015. I've updated it with a printable recipe card and spiffed up photos. 

You definitely want these rolls on your holiday table. 

Parker House Rolls Recipe

Print

Yield: 16 rolls

Author: Karen Kerr

These Parker House Rolls are soft and fluffy, and wonderful served with your holiday dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk, whole or 2 percent
• 1 large egg
• 361 grams (3 cups) unbleached all purpose flour (plus more if needed)
• 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 3 tablespons ounces sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 50 grams ounces potato flour (1/4 cup for flour) or potato flakes (3/4 cup for potato flakes).
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 to 4 tablespoons melted salted butter for brushing

Instructions

1. Whisk the milk and egg together in a small bowl or 2 cup pyrex measuring cup. Microwave for about 20 seconds to take the chill off of the mixture.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixture, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, potato flakes, unsalted butter, and the milk and egg mixture.
3. Stir the mixture together to moisten the flour.
4. Knead the dough with the dough hook for about 8 minutes. I had to add about 1 tablespoon of flour to achieve a smooth tacky dough.
5. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly oiled container. Cover and let rise for about 90 minutes in a warm spot in your kitchen.
6. Spray a work surface with spray oil. Divide the dough in half with a bench scraper.
7. Roll or pat each half into 8 inch by 12 inch rectangles.
8. Brush each rectangle with the melted butter. Save any melted butter for brushing the rolls when they emerge from baking.
9. Cut each piece of dough in half lengthwise to make 4 inch by 12 inch rectangles. You will have four.
10. Fold each rectangle in half lengthwise, leaving about 1/2 inch of the part underneath showing.
11. Using your bench knife, cut each long piece of folded dough into four 3 inch pieces, crosswise.
12. Lightly spray a 9 inch by 13 inch pan with spray oil, and place each piece into the pan as pictured above, with the smooth side showing (flipping the cut pieces over).
13. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour. They should be puffy, but not necessarily doubled.
14. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
15. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.
16. Brush the rolls with the rest of the melted butter.
17. These can be served immediately. They also make great leftovers!

Calories

184.24

Fat (grams)

6.12

Sat. Fat (grams)

3.60

Carbs (grams)

28.43

Fiber (grams)

1.20

Net carbs

27.23

Sugar (grams)

6.39

Protein (grams)

3.99

Sodium (milligrams)

219.41

Cholesterol (grams)

26.50

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https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2015/11/parker-house-rolls-twelveloaves.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Rolls, Parker House

Bread

American

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This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Baking Company. I always use their flours for all of my baking.