Salted Honey Parker House Rolls
YOOOOO. I realize I’m running a little too close to Thanksgiving in getting this recipe out to you, but—trust me—the wait is worth it. These salted honey Parker House rolls are seriously the best roll recipe ever. The G.O.A.T.
They are soft, squishy, lightly sweet and salty perfection.
These are (IMO) the absolute best rolls for Thanksgiving or other holiday dinners. They have a higher yeast content, so are quicker to rise, making them a good choice for when you’re needing to juggle rising times, oven times and temps, etc.
And while they’re best the day they’re made, they actually make amazing leftovers as well, and would make hella good sliders (oh man…imagine leftover turkey, cranberry, some melty cheese, and these soft squishy rolls!).
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Don’t be scared by the instructions below, which feel really lengthy. I promise, these are actually easy to make and require very little hands-on time! I just wanted to provide super clear, specific directions and photos to make it as simple as possible for you.
These don’t really take longer than a regular loaf bread, except shaping the dough into individual rolls. I made a quick Reel to show you how the shaping looks…it’s super easy, and should only take you 5-10 minutes extra!
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So let’s make these bad boys. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk, butter, and honey, until butter is melted. Make sure it doesn’t get too hot and scald the milk. As soon as the butter is melted, remove from heat and set it aside to cool slightly (if it’s too hot, the yeast won’t rise).
In a small bowl, beat the egg and egg yolks.
In the bowl of your stand-up mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, and salt. Give them a quick stir.
Turn the mixer on low/medium (about a 3 to 4) and slowly pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add in the beaten eggs in as well.
Mix with the machine on medium speed (I’d stay at about a 4 or 5 speed out of 10) for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. You may need to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl at first to get all the flour incorporated.
The dough will be soft and sticky and that’s not only okay, it’s what we want!
Rub a medium bowl with about a teaspoon of olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 30-40 minutes.
Alternatively, you can cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to rise in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours (if you have the time, you get even more amazing flavor).
Now we shape our rolls! Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan or something comparable and set aside. Note, if you had the dough in the fridge, it will need time to come to room temp or will need a longer second rise!
Gently punch down the dough and divide it into 15 equal pieces. If you want them to be the same exact size, you can weigh them out (each piece of dough should weigh ~64 grams). I live on the edge.
Definitely reference my shaping video above, as describing this in words is super confusing 🙂
Basically, you kind of smoosh it into a flat-ish circle, then stretch and pull the edges to the middle, pinching the dough together into a ball. Then roll the pinched seam on the counter to get a smooth ball.
Transfer them to the buttered pan, leaving space in between for them to rise.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let them rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They should double in size and be puffy and supple.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash and transfer to the oven to bake until golden brown.
Start at 20-30 minutes, but it may need a tad more. You want it to reach 200 F inside the middle of the rolls. Honestly, I think mine could have used maybe 3 to 5 minutes extra and still not been overdone.
In the last 5 minutes of the baking, make your glaze (see next step below)…
The last step is glazing the rolls. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the honey. Mix together until smooth.
When the buns come out of the oven, immediately brush the tops with the honey butter mixture and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (I use a silicone brush and this flaky salt is my fave).
Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving…generally speaking, if you cut into bread when it’s still too hot inside, it’ll end up doughy and dense. You want it to get down to about 80 F inside before ripping it open.
You need these fluffy salted honey Parker House rolls in your life STAT! They are the best rolls for Thanksgiving, and I think the best roll recipe for any holiday or occasion.
I’ve given you super detailed instructions below, so don’t be scared by how long they look. I promise, these are actually easy to make and require very little hands-on time! I just wanted to provide super clear, specific directions and photos to make it as simple as possible for you.
Other breads that are perfect for holiday dinners:
Original recipe from A Cozy Kitchen
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Salted Honey Parker House Rolls
These salted honey Parker House rolls are the PERFECT dinner roll for any occasion. They are soft and squishy, with a hit of both sweet and salty, and easier than you might imagine! I've provided really detailed instructions, and the hands-on time is short...these are the best rolls for Thanksgiving or holiday dinners, a total crowdpleaser!
Ingredients
- THE ROLLS
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, softened (for the baking pan)
- 562g of all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 cups)
- 4 1/2 teaspoons (2 envelopes) of instant or rapid rise yeast
- 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
- 1 1/3 cup of whole milk
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons of honey
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- FOR GLAZING
- 1 large egg (beaten, for egg wash topping)
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- Flaky sea salt (like Maldon)
Instructions
- Make the dough: In the bowl of your stand-up mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, and salt. Give them a quick stir.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk, butter, and honey, until butter is melted. Make sure it doesn't get too hot and scald the milk. As soon as the butter is melted, remove from heat and set it aside to cool slightly (if it's too hot, the yeast won't rise).
- In a small bowl, beat the egg and egg yolks.
- Turn the mixer on low/medium (about a 3 to 4) and slowly pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add in the beaten eggs in as well.
- Mix with the machine on medium speed (I'd stay at about a 4 or 5 speed out of 10) for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. You may need to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl at first to get all the flour incorporated. The dough will be soft and sticky and that's not only okay, it's what we want!
- Rub a medium bowl with about a teaspoon of olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 30-40 minutes. Alternatively, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to rise in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours (if you have the time, you get even more amazing flavor).
- Shape the rolls: Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan or something comparable and set aside. Note, if you had the dough in the fridge, it will need time to come to room temp or will need a longer second rise!
- Gently punch down the dough and divide it into 15 equal pieces. If you want them to be the same exact size, you can weigh them out (each piece of dough should weigh ~64 grams). I live on the edge.
- See my shaping video in the post above...basically, you kind of smoosh it into a flat-ish circle, then stretch and pull the edges to the middle, pinching the dough together into a ball. Then roll the pinched seam on the counter to get a smooth ball.
- Transfer them to the buttered pan, leaving space in between for them to rise. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let them rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They should double in size and be puffy and supple.
- Bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash and transfer to the oven to bake until golden brown. Start at 20-30 minutes, but it may need a tad more. You want it to reach 200 F inside the middle of the rolls. Honestly, I think mine could have used maybe 3 to 5 minutes extra and still not been overdone.
- Glaze the rolls: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the honey. Mix together until smooth. When the buns come out of the oven, immediately brush the tops with the honey butter mixture and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Notes
- You can store these rolls in a sealable plastic bag or container, at room temperature.
- To rewarm them (which I recommend, wrap them in foil in a 200 F oven for 10 minutes. You can serve them with softened butter.
- If you don’t have flakey sea salt, a pinch of kosher salt will work.
- To make these ahead, you can make the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. In the morning, divide and assemble the rolls, then let them rise 20-30 minutes longer (until they’re puffy).
- If rising in the fridge overnight, make sure to seal tightly wtih plastic wrap or the dough may form a crust.
- You can do this by hand (knead about 10 minutes) but I strongly recommend a stand mixer.
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