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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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
To Use Active Dry Yeast:Â 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.Â
{This post is sponsored by Fleischmann’s®. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
I LOVE this recipe and I’ve made it so many times. The absolute best. But I’m wondering if there’s a way to make these rolls in a mini version? I’m thinking half the size as I’m throwing a party and I’d like these to be easy for guests to grab and go. How should I alter the cook time? Any tips? Thank you!
Hi Catherine,
Thanks so much for making this recipe so often! Ohh I think that would be a great idea! I would try reducing the bake time by 10 minutes and see how that works for you. I hope this helps! xx
I’ve made these rolls so many times, I’ve lost track. They turn out beautiful every time, not to mention they are a huge hit with my family. So for this I give you so many thanks. My question is, can I make this same dough and put it into a loaf pan and bake it as loaf of bread? Honey butter on the side of course…
Hey Katie,
Happy New Year!🥳 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear it turned out well for you! Sure, I bet that would work nicely for you:) xx
Is there anyway to make a smaller batch
Hi Teri,
Sure, you could just cut the recipe in half. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
These rolls came out amazing for my Christmas dinner. So light and fluffy! I made them ahead through step four as the instructions said and had no problems. I’ll definitely be making these again.
Thanks so much, Allison! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays! xx
Hi! Excited to make these for Christmas Eve. Could I prepare the morning of up to #5, and let them sit on the counter for a couple hours before baking? Or best to put directly into fridge if for more than 30 minutes of rest? Thanks!
Hey Maddy,
Totally, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hello! I have made these several times. They are phenomenal! Can I use the same recipe to make smaller regular round dinner rolls?
Hey Kari,
So glad to hear you have enjoyed this recipe:) Yes, that would work nicely for you! Happy Holidays! xT
These were great… at least the batch that rose. I’m not sure if I got a bad batch of Rapid Rise Yeast but the first batch I made was great and the 2nd batch didn’t rise so they were rather thick, tough, and chewy. We made the best of it and used the honey butter to make them edible. lol
Thanks for making this recipe, Cathy! So sorry to hear the 2nd batch didn’t rise for you! Glad to hear the first round was good though! Have a great week! xx
Made this for Thanksgiving. I had prepped and stored in fridge overnight, as indicated. Directions said to take out 30min before baking and then bake as directed. It took way longer than the 18-25min to bake. I had made them a few days prior and cooked them immediately and they were delicious so I’ll do that next time. The recipe indicates a 9×13 pan but the video is showing an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan. I used square but that is something I won’t do again. Overall – make, cook and eat in same day and they are delicious!
Hey Angela,
Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Have a nice week:) xx
I make these every year for Thanksgiving and people go feral over these (in a good way)!! Super easy. Super delicious.
Thanks so much, Olivia!! I’m so glad these turned out well for you! Happy Holidays! xT
These were easy! And so good! The video really helped with how to cut. Everyone absolutely looooooved them. I doubled the batch.
Hi Jaimie,
Amazing! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! xx
My rolls look great going into oven, but then came out totally flat. I don’t know what happened!
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, so sorry to hear the rolls were flat. Did they rise correctly? I’m not sure why that would have happened! xx
Help! If I don’t have whole milk can I use 1%? Much love and happy thanksgiving!
Hi Emily,
Yes, that is just fine for you to do! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
If I forgot to let sit out for 30 min after overnight fridge- can I still bake right away? Longer time?
Hi Mary,
You are going to want them to sit out to rise a bit and come to room temp. Happy Thanksgiving! xx
If I double the recipe can I bake in a 9×13 pan and cook for the same amount of time?
Hi Michelle,
Sorry, you are going to need two 9×13 dishes if you double this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Thanksgiving! xx