From the roundup: 24 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes Classic Enough to Please Every Table
Parker House rolls have been on my Thanksgiving table for three years running, and at this point my family would notice if they disappeared. The dough is an enriched one, meaning it has butter, eggs, and whole milk in it, which is what gives the rolls that pull-apart softness. The folded shape is easier than it looks: you roll each piece into a small oval, brush the center with melted butter, and fold it closed like a little book.
The active work is about 30 minutes, but the total time is closer to three hours because the dough rises twice. That hands-off time is the whole project. You can absolutely do this on a weeknight if you start early enough, but it really shines as a make-ahead situation where the shaping is done the night before and the baking happens fresh the next day.
The chive compound butter goes on the moment the rolls come out of the oven so it soaks into the hot surface instead of sitting on top. Flaky sea salt goes on right after. That two-minute finish is what makes these taste like you ordered them somewhere.
How these ended up on every holiday table
The first time I made Parker House rolls I completely skipped the thermometer and just guessed on the milk temperature. The yeast never foamed. I thought I had done something wrong with the flour and kept kneading, and forty-five minutes later I had a dense, sad lump of dough and a very disappointed pre-dinner crowd. Now I use the thermometer every single time, no exceptions.
I started shaping them the night before out of pure necessity. Last Thanksgiving I had two pies in the oven and a full stovetop situation, and there was no room in my brain or my kitchen for a same-day bread project. Shaping the rolls the night before and letting them do their second rise in the fridge overnight was the only way this worked. They came out better than any batch I had rushed through, so now that is just how I do it.
Why you will love this
- The folded shape holds a pocket of butter inside each roll, so the interior stays moist even after they cool slightly.
- All 18 rolls bake in one 9×13 pan, which matters when oven space is tight on a holiday.
- The dough can be shaped and refrigerated overnight so the bake itself takes only about 20 minutes the next day.
- Compound chive butter brushed on hot rolls takes about two minutes and makes a real difference in flavor.
- The recipe makes 18 rolls, which is enough for a full table with a few left over for the next morning.
Tips for success
- Check your yeast first: if the milk and yeast mixture does not look foamy and slightly puffed after 8 minutes, stop and start over with a fresh packet. Baking the dough anyway will not fix dead yeast.
- The dough should feel soft and a little tacky after kneading, not smooth and stiff like bread dough. If it feels tight, it is probably over-floured. Resist adding extra flour unless the dough is genuinely sticking to your hands.
- Brush the chive butter on while the rolls are still in the pan and still very hot, right out of the oven. If you wait even five minutes the butter sits on the surface instead of absorbing in.
- For the overnight method, pull the shaped pan out of the fridge about an hour before baking. The rolls need time to finish puffing at room temperature before they go into the oven, or the centers will be dense.
Common questions about this recipe
- Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry? Yes. Skip the proofing step and mix the instant yeast directly into the flour. The rise time may be slightly shorter.
- My rolls came out dense in the middle. What happened? Most likely the second rise was cut short, or the oven was not fully preheated. Give the rolls the full 45 minutes to puff before baking.
- Can I halve the recipe? Yes, halve all ingredients and use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Check for doneness around the 16-minute mark since a smaller batch in a smaller pan can bake faster.
- Do I need a stand mixer? No. Hand kneading works fine, just plan on 10 minutes of work instead of 7 to 8.
Substitutions
Whole milk gives the richest crumb here, but 2 percent works fine. Buttermilk is a good swap if you have it open in the fridge and want a slightly more complex flavor. For the compound butter, thinly sliced scallion greens or fresh flat-leaf parsley both work if you do not have chives. The flaky sea salt on top is worth buying if you do not already have it, but a light pinch of kosher salt is a reasonable stand-in.
If someone at the table has a dairy sensitivity, this particular recipe is difficult to adapt because the butter and whole milk are structural, not just for flavor. There are enriched roll recipes built around plant-based milk and oil that would serve better for that situation.
Make-ahead and storage
To make ahead: after shaping the rolls and placing them in the buttered pan, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 16 hours. Pull the pan out about an hour before you want to bake, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they look puffed and are touching each other, then bake as directed. This is genuinely the easiest way to handle these for a holiday meal.
Baked rolls keep in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. To reheat, wrap them loosely in foil and warm in a 325 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. They also freeze well after baking: cool them completely, wrap tightly in foil and then a zip bag, and freeze for up to 6 weeks. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven before serving.
Parker House Rolls with Sea Salt and Chive Butter
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches 110 degrees F on a thermometer. It should feel warm on your wrist but not hot. Pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and one tablespoon of the sugar over the milk and stir gently. Let it sit for 5 to 8 minutes until it looks foamy and slightly puffy on top. If nothing happens, your yeast may be old and you should start again with a fresh packet.
- Add the eggs, softened butter, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and fine salt to the yeast mixture. Mix briefly to combine. Add the flour all at once. If using a stand mixer, knead with the dough hook on medium speed for 7 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. If kneading by hand, work the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. The dough should feel soft and elastic, not stiff.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set it in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. A turned-off oven with just the light on works great.
- Brush a 9×13 inch baking pan generously with the melted butter. Punch the risen dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 18 equal pieces, roughly the size of a golf ball each. Roll each piece into an oval about 4 inches long, brush the center lightly with melted butter, then fold one long side over to meet the other, like closing a small book. Place each folded roll seam-side down in the prepared pan in three rows of six. They should be touching or nearly touching.
- Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise again for 45 minutes at room temperature, until they are puffed, touching each other, and look pillowy. While they rise, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Brush the tops of the risen rolls with a thin coat of melted butter. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown and the rolls sound slightly hollow when tapped. The internal temperature should read around 190 degrees F if you want to check.
- While the rolls bake, stir together the softened 4 tablespoons of butter and the minced chives in a small bowl until well combined. The moment the rolls come out of the oven, brush them generously with the chive butter so it soaks into the hot surface. Immediately sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt. Serve warm directly from the pan.
Notes
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