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Home » Beautiful Bread

Homemade Parker House Roll Recipe

Published: Nov 25, 2020 · Modified: Aug 30, 2021 by Amy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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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!

woman pouring honey over a homemade parker house dinner roll

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!

Drizzling honey over warm dinner rolls in a white dish.

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.
Baked Parker House Dinner Rolls Recipe on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

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.

Milk and yeast in a Bosch mixer.
ingredients in a Bosch mixing bowl for rolls.
Roll dough in a Bosch mixer.
Dough rising in a Bosch mixer.

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.

Woman rolling roll dough into a rectangle for parker house rolls.
Woman covering bread dough with a towel to let it rest.
Woman spreading melted butter over rolled out dinner rolls.
Woman cutting Parker House Rolls into rectangles for baking.
Rolls folded over on a parchment-lined baking sheet waiting for baking.
Woman brushing the top of rolls with melted 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.

Baked Parker House Dinner Rolls Recipe on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

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.

Homemade Parker House Roll Recipe.

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?

Drizzling honey over warm dinner rolls in a white dish.

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?

Simple Parker House Dinner Rolls

Amy- A Red Spatula
Are you looking for a perfect part wheat dinner roll? These parker house rolls are a classic and one that everyone is into!!
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
resting time 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 24 rolls

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups warm milk this should feel just warm to the touch, don't heat it too much. I pop it in the microwave to heat mine, but you can also do it on the cooktop.
  • 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast This is one packet of yeast
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 6 tablespoons melted butter You can also use a nuetral oil here if you prefer
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup potato flakes this is optional, but a really good addition.
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour I used a white wheat for this as my family loves the milder flavor
  • 2-3 ½ cups all-purpose flour This will be a variable, start with the 2 cups, and add more as needed

Honey Butter For Brushing Rolls With

  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 4 tablespoons honey

Instructions
 

  • Add milk, yeast, and honey to your stand mixer. You can also do this by hand. Add to a bowl. Mix and allow the yeast to activate. Depending on the temp in your house, this should take 3-7 minutes. The yeast will start to get a little frothy.
    Now, add in eggs, salt, potato flakes, butter, whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix for about 1 minute on medium. Check the dough.You want it to be a little tacky (sticky), but not too sticky. Add ½ cup as needed. Mix again another 30 seconds-1 minute. Once the dough has enough flour, mix for about 6-8 minutes on medium speed until you get a nice smooth dough.
    Cover the dough and allow to rise until doubled.
    It is time to shape your rolls!
    Line 2 baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
    Roll your dough to a 12x24 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cover your dough with saran wrap or a dishtowel. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. Don't skip this step, the dough needs to relax before cutting! Mix your melted butter and honey for the honey butter. Brush on the dough. Cut into rectangles about 2x4 inches. You can go bigger if you prefer, but this is the size we like.
    Fold the rectangles over each other, making the top longer than the bottom, as shown in the post. Place each roll on the baking sheets. You can either bake these side by side, or you can space them about 2 inches apart. This depends on the look you are going for.
    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
    Brush the tops with the remaining honey butter mix.
    Place in oven. They don't really get a second rise, other than they preheating time.
    Bake until they are a beautiful golden brown!
    Remove from oven. They are wonderful served warm, or you can allow them to cool. They really are best the day of baking, but also really great for up to 2 days later. Remember to wrap tightly and leave at room temp.
    Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!!
Keyword dinner rolls, parker house, parker house rolls, whole wheat baked goods, whole wheat dinner roll
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Hi, I'm Amy! I am a culinary school graduate working to create a balanced approach to healthy recipes. My recipes are ones that the whole family can love.

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