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These Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls are light, airy, buttery, perfectly salted, and SO delicious. Serve them warm right out of the oven with homemade honey butter for a dinner roll that’s melt in your mouth good. Incredibly quick and easy to make and uses just six everyday staple ingredients. It doesn’t get easier or tastier than that! These are the perfect rolls for all of your upcoming holiday dinners…Thanksgiving included!
This post is sponsored by Fleischmann’s®.
If there’s one thing that my mom really passed on to me it’s a love of soft, buttery dinner rolls. She’d make a point most Sunday nights to bake fresh bread for the family dinner. Just like dessert, mom would often have the bread ready to go before dinner was even a thought. That’s just how she does it, carbs and chocolate. Everything else was secondary. And for that, I love her even more.
Seeing as we both share a love for good bread, you can imagine that it’s a very important item on our Thanksgiving table. And that’s where these Parker House Rolls come into play. These rolls are on my 2019 menu. They are some of the BEST rolls to come out of my kitchen. They’re simple, but yet have “special touches” that make them worthy of any holiday table.
My two secrets? Salted butter and sweet honey butter.
The background…
The story is that Parker House Rolls were created by the Parker House in Boston. It was one of the great nineteenth-century hostelries. As you can imagine, the rolls have been copied by just about every cookbook author and baker that’s out there…myself now included. There are a lot of variations, but classic buttery Parker House Rolls should be light, soft, and a touch sweet.
The dough is traditionally shaped into a folded over roll, but these days there are many ways in which to do it! I ended up rolling mine into coils for a fun, pretty touch.
To make the dough.
As you can tell, my recipe is a little different than the classic. I’m using honey in place of sugar and salted butter. Two simple ingredients that make ALL the difference.
For the dough, simply mix flour with Fleischmann’s® Rapid Rise Yeast, and a pinch of salt. Add warm milk, a touch of honey, and salted butter. Mix until smooth, let the dough rest for ten to fifteen minutes, and then it’s time to shape the rolls. And that’s the beauty of Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® yeast! We get to skip an entire hour-long rise when using the instant yeast. Yes, please!
To shape the rolls.
Shaping the rolls is easy. If you’ve made a cinnamon roll, you can make these Parker House Rolls.
To keep it simple, just take strips of dough and roll them up into a tight coil. I have a bunch of photos to help you guys visually with what your rolls should look like. Once you complete one roll, you will quickly get the hang of the process.
When all the rolls have been shaped and arranged in a baking dish, cover the dish and let the rolls rise until puffy, about twenty to thirty minutes. Then bake! Minutes later your kitchen will be smelling like glorious home-baked bread.
Let’s talk about that honey butter…
Of course, me being me, I had to include a little honey butter. You all know it’s my favorite and I cannot think of a better butter to pair with these soft rolls. The sweetness from the honey is mouth-watering on a warm, fresh out of the oven roll.
Especially when topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt as well.
What I love most about these rolls is that you really can’t mess them up. The dough and process are so easy and very forgiving. Trust me, if you’re fearful of making bread, start with this recipe. It’s SO GOOD every time.
And yes, you should make these for Thanksgiving. They’re perfect for soaking up all that gravy and then eating for breakfast the next morning. There’s nothing not to love.
Again, soft, buttery, perfectly sweet, and just a touch salty. What every dinner roll should aspire to be!
If you make these salted honey butter parker house rolls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the how-to video:
Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 290 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more if needed
- 1 packet Fleischmann’s® Rapid Rise Yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- flaky sea salt for topping
Honey Butter
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm milk, honey, the egg, and butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to a few hours at room temperature. 2. To make the honey butter. Combine the butter and honey together in a small bowl. 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and divide the dough in half. Roll each half to a 12-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick. Brush each square with honey butter, saving any leftover butter for serving. Cut each square of dough into 6 strips. Roll each strip into a coil (see above photo) and arrange seam side down in the prepared baking dish. 5. Cover the dish and let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, until they're puffy. Alternately, you can let the rolls sit in the fridge overnight.6. Bake the rolls for 18-25 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven and brush with the remaining honey butter. Pull them apart to serve warm with flaky sea salt.
Notes
To Make Ahead: prepare the rolls through step 4. Do not let the rolls rise at room temp. Cover the rolls and place in the fridge (up to overnight). When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking, then bake as directed.
To Prepare and Freeze: assemble the rolls through step 5, then cover the pan and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours. Once thawed, bake as directed.
To Bake and Freeze: bake the rolls as directed and let cool completely. Cover well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and warm before serving.
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast with the warm milk and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe.
{This post is sponsored by Fleischmann’s®. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
This post was originally published on November 13, 2019
These turned out excellent! I’m in the CO mtns at about 7500 feet so I reduced the yeast to 1.5 tsp (might try 1 3/4 tsp next time) and proofed for about an hour in my cold oven with a pan of boiling water. My house is cold usually so that’s the best baking tip I’ve learned this year. I need to work on shaping them a little better as my rolls weren’t really a consistent size but they turned out great!
I am so happy these turned out so well for you, Julie! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
I cannot say enough about how much I adored these rolls. Made them for Thanksgiving this year. Prepped the day before and then cooked them as everything else was finishing up cooking. So delicious and will be a go-to roll recipe for me from here on out!! Also, kid and husband approved, which is always a plus!!
Thank you so much Carly! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
SOFT, BUTTERY, FLUFFY, FLAVORFUL, DELIGHTFUL are just a few words to describe these rolls! The taste reminds me of the king Hawaiian rolls but they are nowhere near comparison! These rolls are out of this world delicious! After I rolled the strips, i let the rolls rise for about an hour and they puffed up marvelously. I could go on and on about these guys but all I can say is to just try them! I cannot put into words how wonderful these are. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you so much Marina! I am really happy to hear that! xTieghan
I don’t think I’ve ever rated a recipe before but I just had to rate this one because it is seriously 10 stars! Definitely the highlight of our Thanksgiving!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Gena! xTieghan
I made them for thanksgiving. I didn’t have a stand mixer so I used a wooden spoon and then just mixed it by hand and for about 5-6 min. and they came out amazing! I’ve never made a bread, was always kind of intimidated by them and this was easy. The hardest part for me was getting the dough rolled out into a square. Mine was sort of amoeba ish but it worked. Currently eating one for breakfast with my coffee and had to comment. Thank you!
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Nicole! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These rolls were hands down the star of my thanksgiving. I couldn’t wait to eat them again today, so I had one for breakfast! I’m just in love, and I want to share them with the world. I did make small edits based on a tiny bit of knowledge about yeast that might help someone. I used active dry yeast and cold milk to get a longer first rise (2 hours), refrigerated for 6 hours, and let rise again for 2 more hours. The flavor developed was worthwhile x10000. Anywho, this recipe brought me joy. Thanks, Tieghan!
I am so happy these rolls have been turning out so well for you, Christie! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
We just made these and want to eat them all right now. Easy to make and so, so good!! Thank you!
Thank you! xTieghan
These rolls were delicious! Made a batch for Thaksgiving and got a request the next morning to make more for all of the leftovers. Very simple. Thank you.
Thank you so much Lisa! xTieghan
I made these for Thanksgiving 2020 – I daresay they were the hit of the entire meal and the most fun menu item to make! Everyone loved them and yes, leftovers (if you are lucky enough to have any) are perfect for the morning after!
Thank you so much Kristen! xTieghan
Best thing on the table!
Love that! Thank you Tara! xTieghan
These were super easy and delicious-it’ll definitely be a recipe I make again! They were a hit at Thanksgiving
Thank you so much Desiree! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan, love your recipes. I’m an American expat abroad and all my American friends share and try your recipes almost religiously. Unfortunately, it seems like the grams measurement for flour is off on this one. When I first made it the dough wouldn’t blend well. I added the rest of the ingredients hoping to offset the excess flour, and it came out okay in the end. I believe the cup to gram measurement for flour is 120g, making the recipe amount to be 420g for 3.5 cups, not 843g. Excited to try again now that I know! I’m sure they’ll be yummy
Hi Jordynn! I am SO sorry about that! I hope these turn out better for you the next time! xTieghan
Super easy and delish! They were a big hit for Thanksgiving dinner.
Thank you Megan! xTieghan
Made these for the first time on Thanksgiving and they were amazing! So soft and delicious. Next time I make them, I’ll do half with honey butter and half without. While my 9 year old loved them, my 11 year old would prefer them less sweet.
Thank you Erin! xTieghan
I made these for Thanksgiving, with a few minor tweaks using ingredients I had on hand, and they were amazing! A new holiday favorite – thank you!
Thank you so much Katie!! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan