In the 19th century, Boston’s Parker House Hotel introduced these buttery soft rolls, which remain popular today nearly 150 years later. These rolls are unique for not only their rich flavor, but also for their slightly dented appearance. While the roll’s complete origin story is often disputed, the dented shape is said to have been developed when an angry cook threw unfinished rolls into a hot oven. The original recipe features round rolls folded over into a crescent shape. We adapted this recipe to feature rectangular rolls, which are faster and easier to shape.
Note: Rolls can be frozen up to 2 months in advance, wrapped tightly. Defrost at room temperature and reheat, wrapped in foil, in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
Parker House Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk, warmed (about 110°F)
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces, plus 4 tbsp melted
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Directions
1) Whisk yeast and milk together in a medium bowl; set aside for 5 minutes.
2) Toss 4 tbsp cubed butter together with sugar and 1½ tsp kosher salt in a large bowl.
3) Whisk warm milk mixture into the butter followed by the egg (butter may not entirely melt).
Add flour and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.
4) Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth and slightly tacky, about 5-6 minutes, adding more flour as needed.
Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ to 2 hours.
5) Spray 2 Suvie pans with cooking spray.
6) Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 18″ x 16″ square with the long side parallel to the counter edge.
Cut dough vertically into 4 pieces and then horizontally into 6 to yield 24 rectangles.
7) Brush half of each rectangle with butter and then fold in half.
Arrange 12 folded rolls in each Suvie pan, overlapping each roll slightly.
Insert pans into your Suvie, input settings, and cook now or schedule.
Suvie Cook Settings
Bottom Zone: Slow Cook High for 1 hour
7) Broil rolls for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
Brush rolls with reserved, melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve.
Note: If you would like to make this recipe in Suvie 1.0, insert pan into the top zones of Suvie, fill reservoir, and set to Slow Cook on High for 1 hour.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information per roll (24 servings per recipe): Calories 120, Total Fat 4.5g, Total Carbohydrates 17g, Total Sodium 160mg, Total Protein 3g
This recipe is amazing and my guests were impressed! I didn’t change anything in regards to ingredients and had my suvie refrigerate the dough for a few hours before cooking it which worked out amazingly well.