Of course they were too hot to eat, but that didn’t stop us. Tender, buttery rolls with a hint of sweetness shaped like puffy half-moons—who can wait? They looked like Pac-Man, and they were delicious!
Video: How to Make Parker House Rolls
What Are Parker House Rolls?
The Parker House in Boston (now called Omni Parker House) was a grand old hotel built in the mid-19th century. Many politicians and famous people stayed there, and legend has it that John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier in the dining room. Parker House rolls, which the hotel became famous for and which I later learned to make in Home Ec, are made from a yeast dough made rich with milk, butter, and a little sugar.
How to Make Parker House Dinner Rolls
The dough is rolled out, stamped into rounds, spread with even more melted butter, and folded in half. They puff in the oven and look quite charming. Every once in a while, a roll or two will fan open completely while baking, but don’t fret. They’ll still taste just as good. I let the dough rise for an hour, but have found that you can bake the shaped rolls right away without a second rise. I think that helps them keep their shape, plus they’re just as feathery without the second rise.
Why Are Parker House Rolls Shaped This Way?
The classic shape—the one that Fannie Farmer writes about in the dog-eared copy of “The Boston Cooking School Cook Book” that sits on my shelf (a second-hand edition from 1934)—is a half-moon made by folding a flat round of dough in half, as shown here. Today, bakers make the rolls all kinds of ways, like forming balls and packing them into a baking dish so the edges touch and become soft. Or, cutting squares and baking them the same way. These methods are quicker than folding, which is probably why they became popular. You also see Parker House dinner rolls sprinkled with salt before baking; salt and butter together are certainly irresistible. None of these are traditional, but does that matter? If you want to make a different shape, the dough comes together easily and you’ll enjoy working with it.
Storing and Freezing Parker House Dinner Rolls
Serve them warm. They’ll make you smile when you bite into one. Leftovers will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature. You can freeze these rolls after you’ve made them. Let them completely cool, and then tightly wrap them in a double layer of plastic (or aluminum foil and plastic), and freeze. They should be fine in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove the plastic, wrap loosely with foil, and warm in a low oven until hot. You can brush the warm buns with a little melted butter as well, if you’d like. You might be tempted to freeze the dough, thaw it and then bake them. I wouldn’t recommend it. Freezing unbaked and thawing these rolls is tricky because the half-moon shapes might open up in the oven and wreck all your hard work.
Substitutions and Variations
Replace whole milk with low-fat milk, reconstituted powdered milk, or non-dairy milk.Substitute half the flour with whole wheat or white whole wheat flour. Use margarine, olive oil, coconut oil, or even shortening instead of the butter.The recipe calls for unsalted butter, since salt can be a yeast killer. You can substitute salted butter, but be sure to reduce the salt in the recipe.Sub sugar with honey or agave nectar. Liven the rolls up by mixing in some chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, parsley, or dill.Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the rolls after brushing the with the melted butter.
More Recipes for Rolls and Breads!
Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls Potato Dinner Rolls Sausage Rolls Garlic Bread Cheesy Bread
Continue stirring in flour, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a dough. It will be very soft. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until it is puffy (it doesn’t need to double in size). Roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. If it springs back as you try to roll it, let it rest for 5 minutes and then try again. Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to stamp out rounds. Dip the cutter in flour often to avoid sticking, and stamp the rounds as close to each other as possible. Press the back of a butter knife down the center of each round to form a crease; this is where you will fold the rolls in half. Dip the knife in flour if it starts to stick to the dough. Brush the rounds with melted butter. Fold each round in half to make half-moon shapes and press the edges together lightly to seal them. Gather and re-roll the scraps to make more rolls. Transfer the rolls to the baking sheets, leaving 2-inches between rolls. Brush with more melted butter.
