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Parker House Dinner Rolls

This recipe is from the hotel where Parker House rolls were born, and they are delicious! Parker House rolls are a holiday standard for us, and I plan on keeping this recipe in my files. You can find the recipe on their website. After making it the first time, I made a couple of minor tweaks in the forming and baking process, as noted below, but those are optional. Makes approximately 3 dozen rolls.
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/4-ounce pkg of dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter (melted and cool a bit; reserve 1/4 cup)
  • 2 cups whole milk (room temp)
  • 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 7 1/2-8 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the pkg of yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar to the 1/2 cup of warm water and mix a bit.
  • Let the yeast mixture sit for a few minutes until it is foamy (about 10 min).
  • To the yeast mixture, add 3/4 cup of the melted butter, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, milk, eggs, and kosher salt. Combine.
  • Either in a stand mixer or using a bowl and wooden spoon, add the 7 1/2 cups of flour, and mix until the dough comes together. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour by the tbsp up to 1/2 cup. If doing this by hand, knead the dough for just a few minutes to bring it together.
  • Butter a clean, large bowl and put the dough in it, and cover.
  • Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled (approx. 1.5-2 hours)
  • Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 9 x 16 rectangle.
  • Cut lengthwise into 3 equal strips.
  • *I brushed each strip with some of the reserved melted butter here. This step is not in the original recipe.
  • Fold over the dough so it overhangs the bottom.
  • Cut each strip lengthwise into 12 rolls (36 total)
  • Place rolls in rows, seam-side down, on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Rolls should just touch each other, but rows should have about 4 inches of space between. *I opted to grease 2- 9 x 13 pan and equally distribute them.
  • *At this point, I chose to cover the rolls and let them rise for an hour or until puffy but not doubled. The original recipe doesn't. It's your choice. If you don't move on to the next step.
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.
  • Brush with the remaining melted butter when done.

Notes

*The recipe from the hotel didn't call for brushing the dough with butter before folding, which many recipes do. On the second round, I brushed with butter because it adds to the flavor of the roll and helps to adhere layers together in baking a bit. Also interesting is that their version didn't have a second rise time after the rolls were formed. On the second attempt, I let the formed rolls rise for an hour before baking. It made a difference for me.