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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
How much honey butter should I set aside? The rolls seem to have too much butter/honey that oozed out into the pan
Hey Matt,
It’s really not an exact measurement, just whatever you don’t use when making the rolls:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan-
Just wanted to let you know that your metric conversion is off for the flour. It should be about half that I believe. Just went through and tried to make this without thinking about the numbers and realized after my dough was very crumbly that I had doubled the flour but nothing else. A little bit bummed as I planned to bring these to a meal today. But thought I’d let you know so you could change it!
Yes, metric is off. If you consider flour usually weighs 120g per cup… there should only be about 390g!
Hey Jillian! I am so sorry you had an issue with the metric measurements. I am going to look into how we can fix this, but i don’t measure in metric units, so it’s tricky! Again, so sorry for the trouble!!
I made these last year for Thanksgiving and they were amazing! Made them again today but have them sitting in the fridge to bake tomorrow. They haven’t risen at all. Will they tomorrow if I leave them out for a few hours before baking?
I realize now I did not let the dough sit for 15 mins before I shaped them. Will they still rise in the fridge?
Usually cold deactivates the rising process. Place out in a warm not too hot area of the kitchen and once the pan they are in warms up they should start rising. Place a clean towel that has been sprayed with oil really well over the top to prevent from drying out. I learned from my grandma. She made the best rolls but I think this recipe may give her a run for her money… shhh…. good luck and happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much, Renee! I will try that. Happy Thanksgiving!!
How did it go?? I also forgot to let the dough sit for 15 mins before shaping them into rolls/buttering them,
Hi Renee, thanks for the towel/oil tip! Do you advise to do this before they go in the fridge (for make ahead) or when they come out of the fridge day of to rise before baking? Thanks in advance!!
You are going to need to remove them from the fridge for them to rise:)
Hey Steph,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Yes, you need to leave them out to rise before baking. Have a great Saturday! xTieghan
Mine don’t seem to have risen like yours, but I also don’t have a KitchenAid or stand mixer. I made them a day ahead and let them sit in the fridge overnight.
Hey Erica,
What kind of yeast did you use? Did you allow them to rise after sitting in the fridge? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Can you double, triple or quadruple this recipe? Or should I make separate batches?
Hey Janet,
I would make separate batches:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
These were so easy to make and turned out perfect! Thank you!
Hey Victoria,
Happy Friday!! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend. xTieghan
Hi! I made these last year for Thanksgiving and they were a huge hit! My son is allergic to wheat and eggs so I used Cup4Cup flour and an egg replacer for the egg. They came out good, but I was curious if you had a recommendation for an egg substitute that you think would work best. Thank you!!
Hey Carlye,
Happy Friday!! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend. xTieghan
These are delicious rolls, especially right out of the oven. I have a question that I feel bad even asking. We will have some folks who don’t eat milk and meat at our thanksgiving table this year. Any ideas for good substitutes or can’t be done (Eg non dairy milk, margarine ?)?
Hey Allison,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! You could definitely use a dairy free milk, possibly ghee in place of the butter! xTieghan
I know I’m a few years late to the party, but these are delicious! I never really cooked until the pandemic but your website got me through the craziness and I’m forever grateful fir my newfound love.
Hey Mandy,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan!
So excited to host my first Thanksgiving and was practicing by making ahead and putting them in the fridge overnight. I’ve pulled them out for 30 min and they don’t seem to be rising? Do I wait and lengthen the 2nd rise hoping they do or just put them in the oven? Thanks!!
Hey Elise,
I would allow them to sit longer until they rise. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Thanks!! I also lengthened the first proof a bit and they are perfection, can’t wait to serve these at thanksgiving and wow everyone!!
Love these! My family devoured them last time I made them! Traveling for thanksgiving this year, do you have any tips on making them without a stand mixer?
Thanks so much!
Hey Ellie,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! You can mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand. xTieghan
I cannot wait to make these for Thanksgiving! I can’t seem to find what size/type of dish you used or how you prepare it? Would you mind confirming please?
Hey Ashley,
I used a 9×13 baking dish for this recipe, listed in step 3. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi there! Is this recipe in one of your cookbooks?
Hey Jessie,
All of the recipes that you see here on the blog are only on the blog. All of the recipes that are in the cookbooks are exclusive to the books. xTieghan
These look delicious. I have a gluten allergy. Have you ever made these/or can they be made with All Purpose GF flour?
Hey Kim,
Using an equal amount of GF flour will work well for you! I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Wow these are SO good! Did a test run for thanksgiving and am going to have to double the recipe for Thanksgiving because my family of 4 killed them ?
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Happy Monday ? xTieghan