Parker House 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 1/2 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted; for brushing on rolls
Directions
1) In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients (except the 3 tablespoons melted butter at the end), mixing to form a shaggy dough. Note: to speed the rising process, whisk together the milk and egg, and heat gently just enough to remove the refrigerator chill; then add to the remaining ingredients.
2) Knead the dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (7 to 8 minutes) until it's smooth.
3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or 8-cup measure (so you can track its rising progress). Allow it to rise for 90 minutes; it'll become quite puffy, though it probably won't double in bulk. Note that the dough takes quite awhile to get going; after 1 hour, it may seem like it's barely expanded at all. But during the last half hour, it rises more quickly.
4) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface. Divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, roll or pat the dough into an 8" x 12" rectangle.
5) Brush the dough all over with a light coating of the melted butter. You'll have melted butter left over; save it to brush on top of the baked rolls.
6) Cut the dough in half lengthwise, to make two 4" x 12" rectangles. Working with one rectangle at a time, fold it lengthwise to about 1/2" of the other edge, so the bottom edge sticks out about 1/2" beyond the top edge. You'll now have a rectangle that's about 2 1/4" x 12". Repeat with the other piece of dough.
7) Cut each of the rectangles crosswise into four 3" pieces, making a total of 8 rolls, each about 2 1/4" x 3". Place the rolls, smooth side up, in a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough, making 16 rolls in all. You'll arrange 4 rows of 4 in the pan, with the longer side of the rolls going down the longer side of the pan. Gently flatten the rolls to pretty much cover the bottom of the pan.
8) Cover the pan, and let the rolls rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they're puffy but definitely not doubled. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
9) Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown and feel set.
10) Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. Pull them apart to serve.
Yield: 16 rolls.
Reviews
04/11/2012
01/27/2012- I didn't have AP flour so I used bread flour, I took out one tablespoon per cup keeping my fingers crossed that they would turn out edible. I didn't change anything else, I had to read the steps twice to make sure I figured out how to measure and fold them but I figured it out. I think the only thing I did wrong was let them proof too long during the second step. They more than doubled in size, I forgot about them and didn't check like I should have. They browned nicely and turned out very light. They were good and my family really liked them! I'll probably make them again and keep a better eye on them durning the second step.
- 01/16/2012
- This is exactly why I bake bread! These were incredible. Anyone who doesn't like these is doing something wrong. I have used other recipes for these rolls and these were the best. Definitely think the potato flour puts these above the rest. Thank you KA!
- 01/01/2012
- Awesome rolls! They came out perfectly with a great, soft texture--reminded me of my childhood. Also, very easy to make. My 3-year old daughter enjoyed brushing the butter onto the dough after I rolled them out. Together, we placed them into the pan and baked them. She said, "Yummy on my tummy"...No better compliment!
- 12/21/2011
- Wonderful and delicious! They were so buttery and soft! I was asked the day before Thanksgiving to make Parker House Rolls because someone in my family forgot to order them from our local bakery for Thanksgiving. I made a "test" batch the night before Thanksgiving thinking that if these didn't turn out right, I would make biscuits instead. Boy was I wrong! These were absolutely amazing! On Thanksgiving morning, I made 3 batches to bring for dinner and they were a huge hit! No more ordering Parker House Rolls from the bakery...I'm now the official Parker House Roll baker :-)
- 11/26/2011
- 11/20/2011
- These are just plain good.
- 11/20/2011
- I made a pre-TurkeyDay batch just to see how they would turn out. Oh My! The best rolls I have ever made....these will be the start right up next to the smoked turkey for Thanksgiving.
- 11/19/2011
- These were, without a doubt, the best rolls I have ever made. I substituted 1/4 c. cornstarch for the potato flour, and it worked perfectly! They were light and airy, and they looked gorgeous and perfectly browned.
- 11/17/2011
- I made them last night; I was pretty happy with them, but they came out a little bit dense. Is there anything I can do to improve this? More milk? More butter?
It could be that you have too much flour in your recipe. We recommend measuring flour this way: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/measuring-flour.html . If you have any other questions, give us a call on the Baker's Hotline and we'll be happy to troubleshoot for you! ~Mel
