Next Post
One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
If I’m using regular active yeast how long do I proof the dough for (2 1/4 yeast with milk and honey)?
Hi Dianna,
You will just want to wait until the yeast is bubbling in the bowl and then you are good to go. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Help! I’ve made these buns a dozen times and they always turn out fantastic! I always buy the instant yeast. I just prepped the dough and realized I used active yeast and not instant…. will it turn out? The dough is rising now.
Thanks for any help! I made the pesto lasagna for tonight, which is a new family favorite ?
Hi Lisa,
Unfortunately, you need to activate the active yeast before combining all of the ingredients. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Mine didn’t rise much during the 15 and 30 min resting times. Is it supposed to? It also seemed to take a longer time to bake than the 18-25min suggested. But then ended up baking okay. Would there be any reason for this? Otherwise super delicious! And love the honey butter!
HI! The rolls don’t rise much during the rest time, so all sounds good!
As for baking, does your oven run at a lower temp possibly?
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I so glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Super quick and simple! AND delicious. Would make again for sure.
Thank you so much Sarah!! xTieghan
I’m wondering if you can use an alternate to cows milk in your bread dough recipes? I can’t do dairy but would love to make some of the rolls and breads. Can I substitute any other kind of milk?
HI! I would recommend a creamy nut milk or canned coconut milk. Either works well. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Soooo yummy and fluffy! And very simple to whip up with the use of fast-acting yeast. Thanks for adding the “Make Ahead” and “Freeze” options. Those are 2 helpful features I use very often in my baking/cooking world.
Haha I get so many questions about it, I thought I would just throw it in! It is so great when something is already ready to go! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these for Thanksgiving and Christmas and they’re a new favorite! I was surprised how easy they were to make, seeing as how pretty and complicated they look. Thank you for another perfect recipe, Tieghan!
Thank you Dawn! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made these for Christmas Eve dinner and everyone raved about them! Great recipe and easy to make! Thank you!
Yes! I love to hear that! Thank you so much for trying this Erin! xTieghan
Just to clarify, if I’m freezing the rolls, I let them do their second rise, then freeze? Or freeze then let rise overnight in the fridge? Thanks!
HI! I would freeze, then let rise overnight in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had a Merry Christmas! xTieghan
Hi Teighan, can I use the bread base for cinnamon buns too? I’d like to make both Christmas Eve to have Christmas Day, but don’t want to make two separate doughs. Would this work if I just adapt half this dough to cinnamon rolls following its rest in the fridge? Then use the other half for the Parker house rolls?
Thanks!
Hey Heather! Honestly, I am sure it would work, but I’d recommend just making one of my cinnamon roll recipes for BEST results. They are all pretty easy and if you already making bread, it shouldn’t be to much additional work. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
https://fett-weg.today/easiest-overnight-eggnog-brioche-cinnamon-rolls/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/overnight-cinnamon-roll-bread/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I have made this recipe multiple times and it’s always amazing! Is there anything you would recommend as a substitute for the whole milk that is dairy free? Trying to accommodate some allergies this time around with the recipe!
Hi Anne! I would recommend using canned coconut milk (or cashew milk). That will work so well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
These are the most delicious rolls ever!!
Thank you Katie! I am so glad you loved them! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan. Have to share a not-so-funny story about making this recipe. You also have to understand I’m terrified of making recipes with dough, but because you said it was so easy, I decided to add it to my Thanksgiving menu. So I added the ingredients to my Kitchenaid, and the dough climbed around the dough hook in short order. Very easy! Covered it to rise for an hour or so, which it did, and I was ready to roll. BUT then I noticed my room temperature egg still sitting on the counter!!! Oh no; now what do I do??? Instead of throwing it all out, I decided to try to add in the egg with the extra 1/4 cup of flour. Success! It looked good, and I started the rising process once again. Long story short, I got them rolled up and stored in the fridge overnight. They rose for 30 min and baked up beautifully!! They were so delicious, soft and tender and everyone LOVED them! Just in case anyone else makes this faux pas, they should know that the dough is very forgiving. The hardest part for me was trying to roll the dough into a square to cut out straight strips. I’ll work on that next time as I’ll definitely be making them again! But would appreciate any tip you have for that! This recipe will be a keeper and helped me to break down my fear of dough! Thank you! PS I LOVE your new cookbook and can’t wait to make your new recipes! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
Jackie
Oh wow! I am so glad these rolls still turned out amazing for you Jackie! Thank you so much for trying them! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xTieghan
These turned out really well – after I came back and saw the updated recipe. I used my new mixer 🙂 and the dough came out perfectly. Honey butter was great and the salt flakes really made the flavor pop. Great recipe.
As a side request – I usually save everything to my recipe folder in Google Drive when I see interesting sounding recipes to try on my fav food blogs like yours. I do also usually take a quick peek at the original before I start in case the recipe has been updated. I don’t know if it’s possible, but if you might consider putting an asterisk or something just noting it’s been “updated” since original publishing, that would be so helpful. I wasn’t in a headspace yesterday while cooking all the things to really stop and think – i know better – rolls can’t cook in 12-15 mins at 200. It wasn’t until they were the last thing in the oven that I was finally able to say, wait. that’s never going to work and then saw the recipe had been updated on both temp and time.
Hi Jo! Yes, that is a great idea! I am so glad these turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying them! xTieghan
Will the Fleischmann’s ActiveDry Yeast Original work?
Hi Cristina! Of course! Just mix the yeast with the warm milk and honey and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until it is foamy on top. Then continue on as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan