Iron Chef Challenge: Parker House Rolls

Who doesn't love Parker House rolls, right? I mean, serious yum-factor, right? Did you know they were invented at the Parker House Hotel in Boston (now the Omni Parker House Hotel). Now those Parker House folks must have been able to cook because they also invented the Boston Cream Pie.

I searched and searched for a picture of the "original" Parker House rolls right from the Parker House Hotel, and found this mouth-watering gem from Libby at Plain and Simple of not only the Parker House Hotel's rolls but also their Boston Cream Pie. Both look pretty good, huh?

Now the Parker House site has links for the "original" versions of both their famous Parker House rolls and their Boston Cream Pie on their site, but I've fallen in love with the Pioneer Woman's Parker House roll recipe....mainly because it's a fabulous excuse to make sweet rolls!

Yep, the recipe for Parker House rolls is the same basic recipe I use for my cinnamon rolls with chocolate-caramel icing and my chocolate chip cookie sweet rolls!

So here's what I do: Mix up a batch of dough, just like you were going to make cinnamon rolls (see recipe here). Divide the dough in half. Now you could go ahead and make 2 big batches of rolls. But it's ok: go ahead and give in to temptation and use half for cinnamon rolls or chocolate chip cookie sweet rolls. You know your sweet tooth wants it.

I'll wait......

Satisfied the craving? Ok, back to the Parker House rolls...



Knead the dough you are going to use for rolls onto a floured surface lightly for about 10 minutes or so. Then work in back into a large ball, cover and let it rise for another 40 minutes.

After it's risen, gently roll it our to about 1/2 inch thickness and use a biscuit cutter to cut circles. Or, if you're like me and can't find yours, use a drinking glass....that's how grandam always used to make her biscuits anyway. She didn't need a fancy biscuit cutter. :)

Melt some butter in a bowl and drown dip each little circle in the melted butter. Then, fold them in half and press lightly to seal. Now, PW lays hers on their side on a baking sheet like this:

I like to freeze mine in smaller batches to use with dinner during the week... 'cuz what tastes better than fresh, warm, homemade yeast rolls, right? So I pack mine a little tighter, seam standing up, in aluminum pie plates and baking dishes, just like I use for my cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookie rolls. Depending on your pan size and how tight you pack them, half of the dough mixture should give you 3-5 pans of rolls.

If you're baking them right away, go ahead and cover the rolls and let them rise another 30 minutes. The bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Now if you want to freeze some, go ahead and pop them in the freezer before they rise (I like to double bag mine with freezer zip-lock bags). Move them down to the fridge a day or so before you need them. Once they thaw they may even start to rise in the fridge if they are there over day....if not, set them out to rise and bake as directed above.

I promise, your family will love you!

Here's a link a printable version of the recipe straight from PW.

Linking to 2 Maids a Baking and Delicious Dishes along with