Homemade Parker House Roll Recipe

Are you looking for the perfect roll for your next meal or holiday dinner? This Homemade Parker House Roll Recipe is it! They are light, tender, slightly sweet, and totally delicious!

What Makes These Wheat Dinner Rolls So Good?

Let me just tell you, these are the quintessential dinner roll that everyone loves. It is light and tender, and the perfect accompaniment to any meal!

These rolls are pretty simple to make. Even if you have never tried making yeast rolls before, let me teach you how. I promise it won't be as hard as you think it is!

This recipe skips the second rise, so it is actually much quicker to make than a classic recipe.

Also, about half the flour in this recipe is whole wheat flour. If you are hesitant to try whole wheat baked goods, this is a really good one to start with. Because it is a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour, it is still light and fluffy. You will love it!

What Is A Parker House Roll

What is a Parker House Roll? It is named after the lovely Boston hotel we can also thank for creating the Boston cream pie- big thank you!

These are a rich roll, using plenty of butter, eggs, and honey. They can be folded in a variety of ways, but I used the easiest. Where the traditional rolls use just butter in the middle, I went with honey butter. Not just in the middle, but also glazed on the top for baking.

Ingredients

• Warm Milk- Using milk helps to soften the dough. The milk fat work to tenderize your dough and also provide structure. If you have dairy allergies, you can also use a non-dairy milk or even go with the water. For the best results though, dairy milk is it!
• Active Dry yeast- I do recommend the active dry, if you like instant, you can use it as well. Same amount. Some people say you need to change your amounts for baking, I am here to tell you, for a simple recipe like this, don't worry about it.
• Honey- I love the flavor of honey in these rolls. If you prefer, you can always use a granulated or brown sugar for this recipe. This recipe works best with some type of sweetener.
• Eggs- I have plenty of recipes without eggs in them, but they play an important roll in this dinner roll recipe. They not only help to tenderize, but also add structure and color to the roll recipe.
• Melted Butter- We use plenty of it in this recipe. Not just in the dough, but brushed on top as well.
• Salt- Salt is vital in bread recipes. It is used for flavor, of course, but it helps in the rate of fermentation.
• Potato Flakes- I know you won't always see these in some of your other bread recipes, but you will see them often in mine. I LOVE using potato flakes in my bread. Think of how tender and yummy potato bread is, adding it to other recipes created the same effect.
• Whole Wheat Flour- I used a white whole wheat flour, my family loves this. But, I also use einkorn, spelt, kamut, or even rye sometimes.
• All-purpose flour- In my baked goods, I prefer a blend of whole wheat and all-puurpose. The whole wheat flour health reasons, texture, and flavor, but the all-purpose to keep it light.

Mixing The Parker House Roll Dough

This recipe is made with a method called the straight dough method. It is the easiest way to make the dough. Everything is mixed together at once. A lot of dough recipes can be hard to make, but not this one.

Start by activating the yeast. That means you add the yeast to your warm milk and honey. This takes about 3 minutes. So I get this in the bowl, then gather everything else I need for the recipe.

Next, add in your remaining ingredients, starting with the smallest measurement of flours. On the all-purpose, start with about 2 ½ cups flour.

Mix this for about 1-2 minutes, and check for consistency. Here is what you are looking for-the dough should be slightly tacky (sticky), it should mix in one mass, and it should mostly pull away from the sides of the bowl.

If you need to add more flour, add it ½ cup at a time. Mix for a minute and add more if needed. I like to have all my flour in within the first few minutes.

Then, mix for about 5-6 minutes until smooth.

Forming The Parker House Rolls

Cover and allow it to rise for about 30-45 minutes until it is doubled. Roll it into a rectangle and let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Once it is rested, brush generously with the honey butter. Cut down into rectangles with a pastry wheel or even a bench knife.

Fold the rolls over, making sure the top is a little longer than the bottom so it folds over and will stay.

I almost always use parchment paper on my baking sheets, it just makes clean up so much easier! Brush the top with more honey butter.

Baking The Parker House Rolls

One thing that makes these rolls is there isn't a second rise. After they are rolled and ready to go, preheat your oven, then put them in. Bake them until they are golden brown.

The Finished Simple Parker House Dinner Roll

I love the simplicity, flavor, and shape of these rolls. Wouldn't they make a great dinner roll for your holiday table? You will find following the simple steps in this recipe, you will be able to make them easily as well.

You might worry without the second rise, they wouldn't be light and fluffy. Not true. They are still fluffy and delicious.

I like to drizzle mine with even more honey. I mean, can you ever have too much honey on a good soft dinner roll?

Servings Options

I love these rolls with a delicious loaded salad like this Autumn Kale Salad. Or if you want something really light to serve it with, how about this Fall Fruit Salad? Maybe you are looking for a cozy soup? Let me recommend this hearty beef barley or even a southwestern lentil soup?