These soft, pillowy rolls were born in the kitchen of the Parker House, the Boston hotel Harvey D. Parker opened in 1855 near Boston Common. The bakers there folded each round of buttered dough over on itself before baking, which gives the rolls their famous pocketbook shape and lets them pull apart into tender halves.
The hotel, now the Omni Parker House, is the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States, and the rolls became so famous that they were shipped across the country. Make them for Thanksgiving, a holiday dinner or a Sunday roast.
Ingredients
Dough
1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110°F
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon fine salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
To finish
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Proof the yeast. Stir the yeast and a pinch of the sugar into the warm milk and let it stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Make the dough. Whisk in the rest of the sugar, the egg, the 6 tablespoons of melted butter and the fine salt. Add the flour a cup at a time, stirring, until a soft dough forms.
Knead and rise. Knead on a lightly floured counter until smooth and springy, about 8 minutes. Put it in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
Cut and fold. Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut 2 1/2-inch rounds. Brush each round with some of the butter for brushing, press a crease across it with the back of a knife just off center, and fold the larger side over the smaller. Press lightly to seal.
Second rise. Arrange the rolls close together in rows on a buttered baking sheet. Cover and let them rise until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F.
Bake. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the hot rolls with the rest of the butter and sprinkle with flaky salt, if you like.
Tips
Warm the milk to about 110°F, like a warm bath; hotter milk can kill the yeast.
Gather and re-roll the scraps once; the rolls from the second rolling are just as good.
Make ahead: shape the rolls, cover and refrigerate them overnight, then let them rise at room temperature about an hour before baking.
Baked rolls freeze well for up to 3 months. Warm them, wrapped in foil, in a 350°F oven.
Questions about this recipe
Where do Parker House rolls come from?
From the Parker House hotel in Boston, which opened in 1855. Its bakers created the folded, buttery rolls in the hotel's kitchen in the 1800s, and the hotel, now the Omni Parker House, still serves them.
Why are Parker House rolls folded?
Folding a buttered round of dough over on itself makes the roll bake into two tender layers that pull apart easily, the classic pocketbook shape.
