These feather-light, buttery rolls were a 19th-century staple from the Parker House, a famous Boston hotel exactly the same hotel that in 1855 produced the very first Boston Cream Cake, serving both rolls and cake to the kind of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Rob Waldo Emerson.
So why is a Parker House roll special? Butter. A buttery fold throughout the shaping process (and butter brushed on after they are baked) provide them with over-the-top flavor. An egg, milk, along with a fair quantity of butter within the dough provide them with fine and tender texture. Overall, this Boston-based roll is really a bread-basket classic.
Yet another note: the "original" Parker House roll recipe requires the dough to become decline in circles, drizzled with butter, and folded over. However, getting attempted this rather untidy process previously, and winding up with rolls that sprang open within the oven, instead of hold their shape (as well as their buttery pocket), we chosen a rather different method.
The end result? Softly rounded rectangular rolls, searching just like the rolls offered nowadays in the Omni Parker House hotel still a Boston landmark in the end these years.
View step-by-step
directions on the blog
Let us keep in touch
Interact with us
Search recipes by component
Instantly
Prep 20 mins. to half an hour. Bake 20 mins. to 25 mins. Total 2 hrs 55 mins. to three hrs 25 mins. Yield 16 rolls
Ingredients
- 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup potato flour or 3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/two to four tablespoons butter, melted for brushing on rolls
- 12 3/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 3/8 ounces sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 3/4 ounces potato flour or instant mashed potato flakes
- 1 1/2 ounces butter
- 8 ounces milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 to two ounces butter, melted for brushing on rolls
Instructions
- Inside a large mixing bowl, or perhaps in the bowl of the electric mixer, combine all the ingredients (except the three tablespoons melted butter in the finish), mixing to create a shaggy dough. Note: to hurry the increasing process, whisk together the milk and egg, as well as heat lightly sufficient to get rid of the refrigerator chill then increase the remaining ingredients.
- Knead the dough, by hands (ten minutes) or by machine (7 to eight minutes) until it's smooth.
- Put the dough inside a gently greased bowl or 8-cup measure (so that you can track its rising progress). Let it rise for 1 hour 30 minutes it'll become quite puffy, although it most likely will not double in large quantities. Observe that the dough takes quite some time to begin after one hour, it might appear like it's barely expanded whatsoever. But over the past 30 minutes, it increases more rapidly.
- Transfer the dough to some gently greased work surface. Divide it in two. Dealing with half at any given time, roll or pat the dough into an 8" x 12" rectangle.
- Brush the dough throughout having a light coating from the melted butter. You will have melted butter remaining reserve it to clean on the top from the baked rolls.
- Cut the dough in two lengthwise, to create two 4" x 12" rectangles. Dealing with one rectangle at any given time, fold it lengthwise to around 1/2" from the other edge, therefore the base stands apart about 1/2" past the top edge. You'll are in possession of a rectangle that's a couple of 1/4" x 12". Repeat using the other bit of dough.
- Cut each one of the rectangles crosswise into four 3" pieces, making as many as 8 rolls, each a couple of 1/4" x 3". Put the rolls, smooth side up, inside a gently greased 9" x 13" pan. Repeat using the remaining bit of dough, making 16 rolls in most. You'll arrange 4 rows of four within the pan, using the longer side from the rolls going lower the more side from the pan. Lightly flatten the rolls to virtually cover the foot of the pan.
- Cover the pan, and allow the rolls rise for around forty-five minutes to at least one hour, until they are puffy but certainly not bending. For the finish from the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the rolls for 25 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown and feel set.
- Take them off in the oven, and brush using the remaining melted butter. Pull them apart for everyone.
- Yield: 16 rolls.
Bake your very best: Shop niche ingredients, tools, pans, and much more
Talk to a baker
Tips from your bakers
- Because of the natural inclination of yeast dough to both stretch and shrink as you train with it, don't stress whenever you don't finish track of rolls which are the same size. Just place them nonetheless they best fit to pay for the majority of the bottom from the pan a shorter one alongside an extended one, etc. When they have risen, baked, and been slathered with butter, nobody will worry about perfection, size-wise. And anyway, as Rob Waldo Emerson stated: "A foolish consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds."
More to understand more about
Jan from Burbank
On bizarre foods America in Boston they will use shortening within the recipe. After proofing and cutting into small rolls they brush with butter then pull and rollover bake 15-20 minutes then brush with butter. They do not dunk the rolls in butter.
Jan, thank you for discussing this interesting little bit of information around. We'll make sure to pass it along to the recipe developers to think about later on discussions concerning the Parker House Rolls. Happy baking! Kye@KAF
member-akitaraggs from Farmingville, New You are able to
I chose to make this recipe about ten days ago. Could not publish an evaluation because my bread machine died in the centre! Just got such a one from the organization which was the very first recipe I attempted! Super easy directions. Dough arrived on the scene great. Folded it and cut them into models. I made use of butter flavored instant taters. Excellent biscuits. Next batch I'll use roasted garlic clove taters or loaded baked taters( cheese, bacon, chives, sour cream). Just recipe.
member-akitaraggs from Farmingville, NY
Quite simple recipe. I made use of Idahoan Loaded Baked instant taters. Sour cream, cheeses, onion and chives, having a taste of butter and bacon! Arrived on the scene great! Likely to try Roasted Garlic clove flavored next. The biscuits arrived on the scene great despite the fact that my a newcomer bread machine made the decision not to work properly. It stopped after it mixed the dough. Didn't emerge fluffy, but TASTY! Will attempt again when my new machine originates from the organization.
Melissa from South FL
Like scrumptious little pillows. I designed a little mistake within the shaping, (missed an important cut), and were left with HUGE rolls. That did not matter simply because they were so tasty 😋 We wound up getting Swedish meatball sandwiches for supper which means this would be a happy mistake.
Angel from Kentucky
