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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
Hi,
I made these last night but they didn’t rise like they were supposed to when baking and the center was a bit raw although the top was golden by the end of the baking time. I did make them with Red Star quick yeast… could that have affected how they turned out?
Also, I followed the rise times but it’s cold here and the house was 65 degrees. Should I have let them have more time to rise?
Thanks!
Hey Lauren,
Next time just cover the top with foil to allow the insides to finish. I hope this helps! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hello,
Could I make these and let them chill in the fridge until ready to be baked? For example, make Tuesday before thanksgiving and take out Thursday for rising/baking? Would this be safe?
Hey Stefany,
Yes, that will work well for you. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can I use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
Hey Adriana,
Yes, that will be just fine to use. I hope you love the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
The how-to video appears to use an 8×8 for the 12 rolls, not a 9×13 as the recipe says (??). If I made two batches of the dough and lined the 24 coils in a glass 9×13, should I see any issue with baking time/space? I only have glass!
Hey Alyssa,
In the video I only did half of the recipe, please follow the instructions as is and use a 9×13 baking dish for 1 batch. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Same question! Which the answer still confuses me. Will 1 9×13 glass dish hold 24 rolls just fine? Or should I do 2 8×8 metal pans for 24?? I also saw the video you did and 12 fit in 1 8×8 pan. In the process of making these now!
Also, in making the Honey Butter I just melted it (as directed) but just noticed in your TikTok video it appears to just be softened butter! Do I need to now trash the melted butter and start the butter part over so it’s more of a “spread”?
Hi Jessica,
You can just allow it too cool slightly:)
Hi Jessica,
I would do 2 metal pans. I hope you love the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
The metric conversion is incorrect on this recipe for flour.
It states 843.75 grams of flour, or the equivalent of 3 1/4 – 3 1/2 cups of flour.
There are 120 grams in a cup of flour.
I was able to adjust, but don’t want anyone else to run into the same issue.
Hey Ally,
So sorry about this! Will definitely fix this, unfortunately the computer system has calculated this incorrectly. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Help! I’ve mixed my dough for 5 minutes with dough hook and it looks crumbly, not at all like a bread dough. Is this normal or should I add more milk? I’ve used the metric calculations for the recipe (843.75 g flour). Could the metric recipe be incorrect?
Hey Donna,
So sorry to hear this! What kind of yeast did you use? Definitely sounds like you need more liquid. Please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi!
I LOVE your recipes! Thank you for sharing your delicious gifts with all of us! My niece is allergic to eggs and I was wondering if there was a substitute for the egg in this recipe or if it could be omitted I made them a couple years ago and they were so delicious but this was pre-niece with food allergies.
Thank you so much!
I think it’s 416 grams for a single batch plus a little extra if the dough is a little sticky. So you must have used a double batch worth of flour. Try it again, I made them tonight and they were sooooo good!
Hey Ashley,
So sorry I have never tried to make this recipe without the eggs. You could definitely try to use an egg substitute with chia or flax egg. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Can you use almond milk in place of whole milk?
Hey Haley,
Sure, almond milk will work just fine for you. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I wish I could roll myself up into one of these and take a nap, they’re incredible
Lol right?! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Making these for Thanksgiving up at our family cabin. Made a trial batch last night and they are AMAZING. Just wondering if anyone has experience making them ahead and freezing? Want them to be perfect for Thanksgiving but not sure how high altitude will affect them.
Same exact question! They’re sitting on the counter for the second rise as we speak, then planning to freeze… then defrost the night before in the refrigerator and then more time on the counter on Thanksgiving before baking?? I see the instructions, just wondering how they are!
Yes that’s correct:)
Hey Katie,
Awesome! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! You can follow the recipe as is, also since Thanksgiving is 2 days out you can just make and chill in the fridge and then bake at your destination. xTieghan
Are these just as good if you freeze them?!
Hey Lindsey,
You bet!! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I will have to make these again. Glad I did a trial run before Thanksgiving. When you select to double the recipe it still only says to cut into 6 strips each half which I did not thinking it through that I needed 24 strips. So my 12 rolls were absolutely massive
Exactly the same thing happened to me today! Was wondering why it came out so dense, until I read your comment
Hey Phoebe,
Ahh sorry about that! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xTieghan
I made these the past week to test them out for Thanksgiving. My boyfriend and I loved them. They turned out so good! To anyone that was having issues with their dough being too sticky, I first started out with the 3 1/4 cups of flour and when my dough was too sticky I added in the other 1/4. Thank you so much for this recipe; I can’t wait to make it for my family!
Hey Erin,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
I sub’d water for milk and used vegan butter because of a family dairy allergy and they still turned out great! The rolls fit into an 8×8 dish instead of a 9×13 and baked about 10 mins longer. Not sure why the difference but I’m wondering if the warm milk makes them rise more.
Hey there,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
Could I use bread flour instead of all purpose? I tried making these rolls using all purpose and I had to add so much extra flour bc the dough was so sticky. I want to try with bread flour.
Hey Jessica,
Sure, I bet bread flour would also work well for you. Let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Practiced making these for Thanksgiving last night and wow! Came out just like the picture and gave some to my neighbors and they looking forward to my Thanksgiving contribution… Thank you for this!
Hey Darrell,
Happy Sunday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xTieghan