Parker House Rolls

These Parker house rolls are so tender and soft, with the perfect light texture and buttery flavor!

Who else just can’t get enough homemade bread? I’ve made a lot of rolls in my day (like these crescent rolls, pull apart rolls, one hour rolls, to name a few), but I’ve never made Parker House rolls successfully until now! My good friend Cort is famous for her Parker House rolls, but the one time I tried to make them using her recipe they turned out awful. It was 1000% my fault, not hers, but my rolls ended up flopping open as they baked, then burning on the bottoms before the tops were cooked through. It was a long time ago, when I was much more of a novice at bread making, but since then, I’ve been too afraid to try them again. 

I recently came across a recipe for these beauties on A Bountiful Kitchen, and since Si has never steered me wrong with a recipe yet, I decided to give it a try. The rolls turned out absolutely perfect, and totally delicious. I will definitely be adding them to my roll repertoire!

These rolls are formed by rolling out dough, cutting it into circles, then dipping one side of the circle in butter. You then fold the dough in half, with the buttered side on the inside, and place them on a baking sheet. The key is to roll them pretty thinly (only about 1/2 inch thick) and to stretch the dough a little as you fold it to make the roll a little flatter. I think my problem the first time that I made them was that I rolled the dough out into too thick a layer, so they couldn’t help but flop open as they rose and baked. The buttery inside of the rolls makes them super soft and gives them such a delicious flavor.

These Parker House rolls would be perfect for your Thanksgiving celebration, or just as a tasty side for soup or chili. The leftovers are also perfect for turkey sandwiches with Thanksgiving leftovers. If you’ve been intimidated by them in the past (or maybe that’s just me?) you should definitely give this easy and delicious recipe a try!

Parker House Rolls

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 mins

Cook Time:12 mins

Rise Time:1 hr 45 mins

Total Time:2 hrs 17 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk warmed
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5-6 cups flour more or less as needed
• 6 tablespoons butter melted, divided

Instructions

• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until bubbly, about ten minutes. Add the milk, oil, eggs, and salt, and mix to combine. Mix in three cups of flour, then add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a soft dough. Cover and let rise in a greased bowl for one hour, or until doubled.
• After the dough has risen, line a baking sheet with parchment or grease with cooking spray. Gently punch the dough down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Pour 4 tablespoons of the melted butter into a shallow dish. Cut three inch circles from the dough. Dip one flat side of the roll in the butter, then fold the dough circle in half with the butter on the inside. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the rolls on the baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour. Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 400. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Brush the hot rolls with the remaining two tablespoons of melted butter.

Servings: 36