Make soft, pillowy Parker House rolls with whipped honey butter

Soft, pillowy and drenched in butter, Parker House rolls are a classic for a reason — and the addition of whipped honey butter really takes them to new heights. The original recipe dates back to the 1870s and is said to have been invented by a pastry chef at the Parker House hotel in Boston. 

Serve these rolls with your next big feast, then use the leftovers — if you’re lucky enough to have any — for sandwiches the next day. 

Parker House rolls

To make these, you will need a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and dough hook attachment.

Ingredients

• ½ cup warm water
• ⅓ cup (66 g) white sugar
• 1 (8 g) package instant yeast
• 1½ cups 2% milk
• 1¾ cups melted salted butter, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 6 (852 g) cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting your work surface
• 1 tbsp salt

Whipped honey butter:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp flaky sea salt (or substitute with coarse kosher salt)
• 2 tbsp honey

Preparation

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the warm water, sugar and yeast. Combine and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy.

Add the milk, 1 cup of melted butter and the eggs to the bowl, and whisk on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the flour and salt to the bowl, and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come off the sides of the bowl and becomes very smooth, about 5 minutes.

Place the dough on a clean work surface and shape it into a ball. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plate and set aside in the warmest part of your kitchen for about 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.

Once the dough has fully risen, punch it down to release any excess gas. 

Heat the oven to 350 F with a rack in the middle position. 

Dust your work surface with flour, and roll the dough into a rectangle that’s approximately 18 by 26 inches in size and 1 inch thick.

Use a knife or pizza cutter to carefully slice the dough into 18 even squares.

Brush the squares of dough with ¼ cup of melted butter and fold each square in half onto itself, sandwiching the butter inside.

Grease the inside of 2 9-by-13-inch baking dishes and arrange the folded pieces of dough in rows of 3, making sure they are touching each other with no space in between. Brush the tops with ¼ cup of melted butter and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. 

While the rolls are baking, make the whipped honey butter. Combine the softened butter, salt and honey in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk by hand until the mixture is fully emulsified and the butter takes on more of a caramel colour, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside at room temperature.

Remove the rolls from the oven and brush them immediately with the remaining ¼ cup of melted butter. Allow to cool slightly and serve with whipped honey butter.

Makes 18 rolls

Produced in collaboration with CBC Creator Network.

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