Parker House Rolls

5 from 9 votes

Parker House Rolls are soft, fluffy, buttery and incredibly delicious! They’re the perfect roll to complement any dinner or holiday gathering. Plus, they make great options for sandwiches after cooking up those Thanksgiving turkeys or Christmas hams! Light and fluffy, these rolls are sure to be the best thing on your plate.

Course bread

Cuisine American

Keyword parker house roll, parker house rolls, parker house rolls recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Rise Time 2

Servings

Calories 199kcal

Author Trish - Mom On Timeout

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup whole milk 110°F
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
4 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk room temperature
3 ½ to 4 ¼ cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for brushing on dough, divided

Instructions

Combine yeast, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and warm milk in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently whisk together to combine. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 2 ½ cups of flour, salt, butter, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, egg and egg yolk. Attach the paddle attachment and turn the mixer to the lowest speed and mix until ingredients are incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase the speed to medium low and continue to mix for 2 minutes.
Change the attachment to the dough hook, add ½ cup flour and incorporate the flour at the lowest speed, increasing to medium low when the flour is mostly incorporated, mixing for a total of 2 minutes.
And another ½ cup flour and repeat, mixing at medium speed for another 2 minutes until a ball of dough is formed. Add additional flour as necessary, a couple tablespoons at a time.The dough should be sticky and soft and pulling away from the edge of the bowl but still sticking to the bottom of the bowl. The rule of thumb with bread and rolls is to add the LEAST amount of flour possible and still be able to handle the dough. Flour your hands or lightly grease if necessary.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl (I simply sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature in a draft free space until doubled in size, about 45 to 90 minutes.
Remove the towel or plastic wrap and punch the dough down gently.
Divide your dough in half and transfer to a very lightly floured surface.We want to add very minimal flour to the rolls.
Roll or pat out the dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 8” x 12” (a piece of printer paper is 81/2 x 11 so I use that as a guide.).
Brush the dough all over with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter, a light coating, much like you would do for cinnamon rolls. I like to use softened instead of melted butter so it makes less of a mess. If you have a hard time brushing on your butter, it’s likely not quite soft enough so put it in the microwave for a couple of seconds until it’s so soft it’s almost melting.
Cut the dough in half lengthwise so you have two 4" x 12" rectangles. Fold one rectangle lengthwise so it almost meets the other edge but not quite. You want about 1/2" of the other edge showing. The rectangle should now be roughly 2 1/4" x 12". Repeat with the other rectangle.
Cut each of the rectangles in half and then in half again so you have (4) 3" pieces, Repeat for the other rectangle (you’ll now have 8 rolls cut).
Turn the rolls over and place the rolls with the folded side down in a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, four in a row, with the longer sides matching the longer side of the baking dish. (Refer to video or post above if needed.)
Repeat the entire process with the second half of the dough. You should have 16 rolls in all.
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or a light towel and let the rolls rise until not quite doubled in size but nice and puffy, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. As you see the rolls getting close to ready, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Remove the towel or plastic wrap and bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown and feel set.
Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining softened butter. Pull them apart to serve.

Video

Notes

Storage Information. Store leftover rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze these rolls in a freezer safe container for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, heat in the oven and serve.

Using rapid rise yeast. Want to use rapid rise yeast instead of active dry yeast? No problem. Just swap it in the recipe and expect the rise times to be reduced a bit. You don’t have to let the yeast sit at all either, just add all of the ingredients in and start mixing.

To make ahead of time. If you want to make the rolls the day before, make the rolls up until the second rise. Instead of letting the rolls rise again, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 12 hours. Let rolls come to room temperature and then bake as directed.

To freeze. Bake as directed, let them cool, then store the baked rolls in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, heat in the oven and serve. You can also freeze the dough. Go through the process all the way through the second rise. You’ll want to freeze them in the pan for about 8 hours, then store in a freezer safe container in between layers of wax paper for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough to room temperature and bake as directed above.

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