Homemade Parker House Rolls

The secret to amazing homemade rolls is not usually what’s in your recipe, but how you put it all together.



Si Foster says making good rolls is an art, but not out of reach for home cooks.

Homemade Parker House Rolls
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered milk
5-6 cups flour (plus more for rolling out)
1 teaspoon salt
cooking spray

Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar in large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let yeast bubble and rise for about 5 minutes.



Whisk eggs, vegetable oil, additional 1 1/2 cups warm water and sugar into bowl with yeast mixture. Whisk in powdered milk.



Mix 4 cups of flour and one teaspoon salt into the liquid mixture above until dough/batter is smooth. The mixture will be sticky. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough is to the barely not-sticky consistency. Usually this will total about 5 cups flour.



Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and spray the sides of the bowl with vegetable oil spray, such as PAM. Cover with plastic wrap or light towel. Set in warm place to rise for about 30-40 minutes.



When ready to roll out, melt about 5-6 tablespoons butter in a bowl and grease one to two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans. Set aside, close to where the rolls will be shaped.



Flour a clean surface (about 1/3-1/3 cup flour) and dump the dough onto surface.



Pat or roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick.



Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut the rolls, as close together as possible.



Take the cut-out dough and dip half of one side of the dough into the melted butter.



Fold the dough to form a Parker house roll shape or a half-moon.
Place the shaped dough onto the greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the dough is shaped. Let pan sit in warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center of oven.



Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until rolls are browned on bottom and top.



Serve warm with butter and jam.






Tips:

• I like to warm the bowl I am using to make rolls by running warm water over the outside of the bowl in the sink for a few seconds. Make sure to dry the bowl before using.
• The perfect temperature for water used with yeast is the same temperature you would use to bathe a baby! Not too warm, not too cold. If you remember this, you will not go wrong.
• Do not set the bowl you are using to make rolls on the counter top if it is stone of any type (including granite, quartz, marble). The stone naturally stays cold and will keep the rolls from rising properly.
• Heat a cup of water in the microwave for a minute. Remove cup. Then place a bowl of dough into the microwave to raise. The warmed water will have created a nice warm area for your dough to rise.