Try this classic roll using my no knead recipe! I'll show you how to make and how to shape parker house style rolls! They are so easy as well as light and buttery!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Since you don't need to knead the dough this is a great recipe for beginners!
- These homemade parker house rolls are light, fluffy, and buttery!
- Goes with soups, salads or even something fancy like Thanksgiving dinner!
Ingredient Notes
- Flour - All Purpose flour, not bread flour, never self rising flour.
- Yeast - Active dry yeast, rapid rise yeast and instant yeast are all the same thing.
- Butter - both unsalted butter and salted butter work fine in this recipe.
How to Make
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and roughly ½ teaspoon of the sugar.
- Once the yeast mixture is foamy, stir the remaining sugar, olive oil, eggs, salt and 2 cups of the flour together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
- When the mixture starts to come together add the last 2 cups flour and stir until a sticky dough forms.
- NOTE - Since this is a batter type dough it will not be in ball like traditional bread dough or other yeast doughs.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled, (about an hour).
- Once the dough is risen melt ½ cup butter in a small bowl.
- Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- Dump risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Bring the dough together in a ball and roll out to about ¼ inch thick.
- Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into circles.
- Gently stretch the circles of dough into ovals.
- Dip the bottom half of the oval in the melted butter. (See tip below)
- Fold the the ovals in half while placing them on the prepared pan, allowing the top layer to overhang the bottom fold slightly so the rolls stay shut when they bake.
- Place in rows on the prepared baking sheet.
- Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel for the second rise and let rise in a warm spot that's draft-free until doubled, about 20 minutes.
- While they're rising preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. The tops will be golden brown.
- You can brush the tops of the rolls with any remaining butter you may have had from dipping.
- Serve the warm rolls with honey butter or homemade jam!
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
According to Wikipedia, they are a bread roll made by flattening the center of a ball of dough with a rolling pin so that it becomes an oval shape and then folding the oval in half. They are made with milk and are generally quite buttery, soft, and slightly sweet with a crispy shell. They are named after the Boston Parker House Hotel. Legend has it that a disgruntled hotel baker threw a batch of unfinished rolls into the oven after an altercation with a hotel guest. The slightly dented end result was a hit!
I always have a few renegade rolls that open up, but if I roll my dough out closer to ¼ inch thick than ½ inch thick, stretch the circles into ovals and then fold the top layer so it overhangs over the bottom fold slightly they tend to stay closed. The overhang allows the roll to stay closed as the top fold rises causing it to naturally to pull back.
Yes, place completely cooled rolls in an airtight container and pop in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature when you're ready!
Pretty much anything! Soups like this Sausage Tortellini Soup or dinner salads like this Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad are fantastic! They go with main dishes like this Creamy Stuffed Chicken Florentine or this French Onion Chicken Skillet!
Related Roll Recipes
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No Knead Parker House Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. Yeast
- 1 ½ Cups Warm Water
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 Cups Flour
- ½ Cup Butter melted
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and roughly ½ teaspoon of the sugar.
- Once the yeast mixture is foamy, stir the remaining sugar, olive oil, eggs, salt and 2 cups of the flour together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
- When the mixture starts to come together add the last 2 cups flour and stir until a sticky dough forms.
- NOTE - Since this is a batter type dough it will not be in ball like traditional bread dough or other yeast doughs.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled, (about an hour).
- Once the dough is risen melt ½ cup butter in a small bowl.
- Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- Dump risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Bring the dough together in a ball and roll out to about ¼ inch thick.
- Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into circles.
- Gently stretch the circles of dough into ovals.
- Dip the bottom half of the oval in the melted butter. (See tip below)
- Fold the the ovals in half while placing them on the prepared pan, allowing the top layer to overhang the bottom fold slightly so the rolls stay shut when they bake.
- Place in rows on the prepared baking sheet.
- Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel for the second rise and let rise in a warm spot that's draft-free until doubled, about 20 minutes.
- While they're rising preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. The tops will be golden brown.
- You can brush the tops of the rolls with any remaining butter you may have had from dipping.
- Serve the warm rolls with honey butter or homemade jam!
Notes
- How do I stop these rolls from opening up when they're baking? I always have a few renegade rolls that open up, but if I roll my dough out closer to ¼ inch thick than ½ inch thick, stretch the circles into ovals and then fold the top layer so it overhangs over the bottom fold slightly they tend to stay closed. The overhang allows the roll to stay closed as the top fold rises causing it to naturally to pull back.
- Nutritional Disclaimer
Mindee's Cooking Obsession is a positive place and I love to hear your success stories! Remember to keep comments or questions respectful and kind. I reserve the right to delete or reject any comments that are deemed not helpful to other readers or are offensive in nature.
Comments suggesting substitutions of multiple ingredients or rewrites of the above recipe to promote different dietary preferences will not be published as they are not tested for accuracy and may inhibit the success of other readers. Thanks!
JO
Melt in your mouth good
Jan
The first step of the recipe is incomplete.
Mindee
Good catch! Looks like an tech error. I'll fix it!
Jan
Thank you.
Can this recipe be cut in half? Would that include all ingredients?
Mindee
Yes and yes!
Toni
This is really good!! My family loved it.
Beth Sachs
I love the sound of no knead bread. The texture looks great!
Savita
This looks amazing. Can't wait to give it a try.
Jess
A no-knead recipe that is this delicious?! It is almost too good to be true!
KiMee Nicole Price
We loved how easy to these are to pull apart!