Parker House Buns

Votes: 4

Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Complexity: easily
Quantity: 72 buns

These soft, golden Parker House rolls, shaped like a closed shell, are just begging to be split in half to reveal their fluffy crumb and slathered with melting butter. Bake them for your next holiday and serve them in a bread basket instead of regular bread. Your guests won't be able to resist! These rolls can be made ahead of time, baked until half-done, frozen, and then baked just before serving to enjoy warm. It's a real time saver!

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

4 cups whole milk
1 cup of sugar
550 g salted butter
4.5 tsp active dry yeast (2 packets)
1.2 kg of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
1 heaping tbsp coarse salt
1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon (incomplete) of soda
Special equipment: cookie cutter with a diameter of 6 cm.

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: premium flour, yeast dough, milk

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Combine milk, sugar, and 220g of butter in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and when the mixture is warm (but not boiling), turn off the heat and let cool for 30-45 minutes until lukewarm.

Add the yeast and 8 cups of flour. Stir, then cover and let rise for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and the remaining 1 cup of flour and mix. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Then form a ball, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.

Melt 220 g of butter in a saucepan.

Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1 cm. Cut out circles with a diameter of 6 cm. Dip each circle in melted butter, immediately fold in half, and place on a baking sheet. Press lightly to adhere the dough. Cover with a towel and let the buns rise for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200°C.

If you don't freeze the buns and want to serve them right away, bake at 400°F (200°C) until risen, set, and golden brown, about 15 minutes total.
Freezing Tips

To make a pre-baked version before freezing, bake the buns until puffed and set but not browned, 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Freeze the buns individually, then store several at a time in freezer bags.

To bake frozen buns, preheat oven to 175°C and melt the remaining 110g butter in a saucepan.

Place the frozen buns on a baking sheet and brush them with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, 14-16 minutes. Brush the buns with more melted butter, if desired, and let them rest for 1 minute. Serve warm.