Classic Parker House Rolls Recipes

Steps:

• In the detached bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together yeast, 1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees), and a pinch of sugar. Set aside until mixture is foamy, about 6 minutes.
• Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment. On low speed, add 7 tablespoons butter, milk, salt, remaining sugar, and eggs. Slowly add enough flour to make a sticky dough. Brush the inside of a mixing bowl with butter. Place dough in bowl; cover bowl with buttered plastic wrap. Set aside until doubled in size, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Generously brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Brush dough generously with 3 tablespoons butter. Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut dough into 6 equal strips lengthwise. Cut dough crosswise into 4 equal parts. You will have 24 elongated rectangles. Fold each rectangle in half, and place in prepared baking pan, 4 across, and 6 down. Brush tops with remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Cover pan with buttered plastic wrap. Set aside to rise until dough does not spring back when pressed with a finger, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before turning out of pan.

Steps:

• Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and let cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy. Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt, and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until a smooth ball forms.
• Remove from the bowl and knead by hand on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60 to 70 minutes. On a floured surface, punch down the dough and shape into desired shapes. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter before serving.

Steps:

• Activate the yeast: In a medium bowl, gently whisk the yeast into the warm water. Whisk in the sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for a minute; it should bubble and froth slightly. Stir in 1 cup of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and set the bowl aside in a warm spot.
• Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, blend the melted butter and the milk. Add the eggs, one by one, on low speed. Add the yeast mixture, the remaining 5 1/2 cups flour, and the kosher salt. Mix until the mixture forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes. If the dough seems wet or sticks too much to the sides of the bowl, add more flour in 1/4-cup increments. Grease a large metal bowl with a little butter. Put the dough in the bowl, cover it with a towel, and allow it to rest in a warm place until it doubles in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Make the rolls: Lightly flour a flat, clean surface and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands and gently press the dough to form an 8-by-16-inch rectangle between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough lengthwise into 2 equal strips. Cut each strip into 12 pieces, making 24 individual strips of dough. Brush the extra flour off the dough with a dry pastry brush.
• Take a piece of dough and fold it unevenly in half so the top part overhangs slightly. Tuck the overhang underneath and put the roll, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, lining up the rolls right next to one another so that you have 3 tightly packed rows of 8 rolls each. (It helps if you imagine gently pulling the rolls apart after they have baked!) Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and allow them to rise again until they increase in volume by about half, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Bake the rolls: Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Then rotate the sheet and continue to bake until the rolls are golden brown, another 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush the rolls with melted butter. Sprinkle them with Maldon salt. Serve immediately.