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Soft, buttery, and perfectly fluffy, these homemade Parker House Rolls bake up golden and tender every time. A classic, pull-apart dinner roll that’s perfect for holidays or everyday meals.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
You’ll love these Parker House rolls because they’re everything a classic dinner roll should be—soft, fluffy, buttery, and beautifully golden. The dough is easy to work with, and that iconic folded shape gives each roll the perfect mix of tender interior and lightly crisp, buttery edges. They pair effortlessly with any meal, feel special enough for holidays, and taste better than anything you’d get from a bakery. Once you make them from scratch, they’ll become your go-to roll for every occasion.
Ingredients Needed
- All Purpose Flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Eggs
- Butter, salted
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
How to Make Parker house Rolls
- Combine yeast and warm water in a cup and let stand for 5 minutes to proof. For tips and tricks on working with yeast see this post.
- Pour flour, sugar and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer.
- Stir in yeast, eggs and melted butter.
- Mix until well blended, dough will be soft and sticky. Use the dough attachment
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Cover working surface with flour.
- Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick on floured surface.
- Cut dough into circles using a 2 in biscuit cutter.
- Melt additional 1/4 cup of salted butter and dip one side of the dough into the butter, this will be the inside of the roll.
- Fold in half and place in greased pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap or cotton towel and let rise until double in size.
- Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
- If desired, brush tops of baked rolls with more melted butter.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Make sure your milk and butter mixture is warm—not hot—so the yeast activates properly without killing it. It should be 105-115 degrees F.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot for the best lift and softest texture.
- Don’t rush the second rise; it’s what gives the rolls their light, fluffy texture.
- Brush the rolls with extra butter right out of the oven for that classic golden, glossy finish.
- For more buttery rolls, dip both sides of the round disc of dough into more melted butter before you fold them and place them in the pan.
- If you would like to make ahead and freeze, before the second rise, cover with pastic wrap and foil and store in your freezer. When ready to use, allow them to thaw and rise before baking. It will take about 4-5 hours.
- For more flavor serve with Flavored Honey Butters or other flavored butters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes! You can make the dough, let it rise once, then cover and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Shape and let the rolls rise again before baking.
Can I freeze Parkerhouse rolls?
Absolutely. Freeze the baked rolls once they’ve cooled, then warm them in the oven when ready to serve. You can also freeze the shaped, unbaked rolls—just thaw and let them rise before baking.
Why didn’t my rolls rise?
The most common reasons are inactive yeast or liquid that was too hot and killed the yeast. Make sure your yeast is fresh and not expired. Your water should be warm, not hot.
Can I make these without a stand mixer?
Yes! The dough can be mixed and kneaded by hand—just plan for a few extra minutes of kneading until it’s smooth and elastic.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes, this recipe doubles beautifully—just use two baking pans to avoid overcrowding and ensure even baking.
These Parker House rolls are the kind of classic, buttery comfort everyone loves, and once you taste them fresh from the oven, they’ll quickly become a favorite at your table. Whether you’re making them for a holiday feast or an everyday dinner, their soft, fluffy texture and rich buttery flavor are perfection and make any meal feel special. Simple to prepare and always impressive, this is a roll recipe you’ll turn to again and again.
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Parker House Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 5 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup butter divided and melted. Additional butter to brush on top after baked if desired
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Combine yeast and warm water in a cup and let stand for 5 minutes
- Mix together flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add in yeast, eggs and melted butter.
- Mix until well blended using the dough hook. Dough will be soft and sticky.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Cover working surface with flour and and enough flour to dough to let you easily roll it out.
- Roll out to 1/2 inch thick and use a 2 inch biscuit cutter to cut out rolls.
- Dip one side of roll in the remaining 1/4 cup melted butter. The dipped side will be the inside of the roll.
- Fold in half and place in pan.
- Cover and let rise again until double or cover with plastic wrap or cotton towel.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.
- Brush tops of baked rolls with additional melted butter if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- Make sure your milk and butter mixture is warm—not hot—so the yeast activates properly without killing it. It should be 105-115 degrees F.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot for the best lift and softest texture.
- Don’t rush the second rise; it’s what gives the rolls their light, fluffy texture.
- Brush the rolls with extra butter right out of the oven for that classic golden, glossy finish.
- For a more buttery roll, dip both sides of the round disc of dough into more melted butter before you fold them and place them in the pan.
- If you would like to make ahead and freeze, before the second rise, cover with pastic wrap and foil and store in your freezer. When ready to use, allow them to thaw and rise before baking. It will take about 4-5 hours.
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Brandie Simmons says
Can I prepare the dough 1 day ahead without having to freeze?
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
Sure, just keep it refrigerated and covered
morag mccune says
Can you make the overnight cinnamon rolls two days before baking?
Jeanne says
Wonder if you could make them even faster by putting the dough in a pan to cook and then cutting them in squares? A jelly roll might not be deep enough.
Lynn says
I tried the rolls, but had trouble getting them to rise all the way to double. The recipe says to use 2 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast in 1 1/2 cups warm water. On the yeast jar, the directions say to use that same amount of yeast in 1/4 cup warm water to “proof” the yeast. Do you put ALL of the water in the yeast at once? Or put it in 1/4 cup, then add the balance of the water?
Leigh Anne says
Yes, my directions are correct. Place the 2 1/4 tsp of yeast into the 1 1/2 C of warm water.
Michele says
I was wondering, do you use rapid rise yeast or not for this recipe? Thanks
Leigh Anne says
I used regular yeast. You could use rapid rise and your raise time would be much shorter.