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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
Seriously these rolls are amazing! Made them for a family dinner and literally everyone asked for the recipe. I’m told they have to replace our usual thanksgiving/Christmas roll recipe (which were already homemade and v tasty)
Hey! Thanks SO much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xxTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I tried to make these today in preparation for Thanksgiving. I have a fair amount of experience with bread baking, but tossed two batches of dough just now because I am not doing something right! The dough is SO STICKY that it just never really came together. I used three and a half cups of flour, and the second batch, I probably used an addition quarter cup to try and get it to feel more like brioche dough. The second batch, I did two rounds of “stretch and folds” to try to get it to develop more gluten and become less sticky, but… alas… I just tossed it. Do you ever weigh your cups of flour? I admit that I am much more used to weighing, and wonder if yours may run a bit heavy. I usually use 250g when recipes don’t give weights. Any other reason you can think of that this didn’t work for me? Should I just dump in more flour and see what happens?
Hey Renee, hmm that is really odd. Are you measuring in weight? I don’t measure in weight so that could be the issues. I would add flour until the dough comes together and is smooth. That should fix the issue. Hoping the helps and you love the rolls. Happy thanksgiving!! xxTIeghan
SO GOOD! And so easy to make!!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
Can you freeze the rolls to make ahead? Thanks
Hi there! Yes, definitely! xTieghan
One of my fav HBH recipes! Becoming a Thanksgiving tradition. One of our guests this year is allergic to honey – think we can substitute for agave? TIA!
Hi Ali, yes you can definitely sub agave! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan
Im from Australia and have just tried to make these and have had to throw all my ingredients out because of the conversion error in the second party app you have used. I understand that this can happen but it has been pointed out before and I only realised its incorrect when my dough was dry and I read through the comments to see if others had experienced this.
It may be useful to either remove that app and part of the recipe and spend 5 minutes updating your recipe to include the metric version as well.
Im still keen to make these with the correct weights but it has been super frustrating wasting ingredients.
Hey Trent, I am so sorry about that! I will look into that ASAP, because I definitely don’t want that to happen to you again! Thanks for letting me know. xTieghan
Hi Teighan, can I use maple syrup instead of honey?
Seriously the most delicious rolls EVER! I love how easy these are to make – it goes perfectly every time and feels fool-proof. The only downside of making these is that you will want to eat them all. Amazing for breakfast, as a snack, or accompanying soup!
Hey Liz,
Fantastic!! So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for making it. Have a great week!? xTieghan
Is there a substitute for eggs in your bread/roll recipes? My husband has an egg allergy so sometimes I’ll sub flax or the Aquafaba when I bake, but will that work here?
Hey Abby,
It really just depends on the recipe:) I would say using your typical substitute should work okay for most of the recipes! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
thanks. I ended up using for an egg substitute, 2tsp baking powder, 1 tsp veg oil and 2tbs water and these turned out great! My family enjoyed them! Going to try your vegan choc chunk cookies next!
thanks for all your creative recipes. So delicious.
Abby
Hey Abby,
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Have the best weekend? xTieghan
These are incredible, come out perfect every single time. I follow the recipe exactly, these have become a staple in my family for holidays and birthdays. Making 2 batches as we speak!
Hey Taylor,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
We made them with honey, it was fantastic! Then my French Canadian heart kicked in and I tried them using maple syrup. Wow! A real treat, we love them in both versions!
Hey Caro,
Awesome! It is so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a go! xTieghan
Is it possible to make if you don’t own a stand mixer?
Hey Megan,
Yes, you can just mix with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I think the metric measures for this recipe might be way off! When I use scooping US customary it worked fine but with the metric it is totally off.
Hey Paige,
So sorry about this! We just use an online calculator, maybe try converting into google. I hope this helps! xTieghan
I’ve made this recipe twice and my rolls seemed to be really dense? What would cause this?
Hey Leah,
So sorry to hear this! It’s really hard to say without knowing a little more info. What kind of yeast did you use? Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
If you use the active dry yeast method you don’t add the egg? Just the milk, honey and dry ingredients?
Hey Jenna,
You definitely need the egg. You will follow these instructions:
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. So this is the very first part of the recipe, then start at step 1. I hope you love the rolls! xTieghan