I don't know if there's a better scent than freshly baked bread wafting from your kitchen. Homemade Parker House rolls were a menu staple while working for Carla Hall at Alchemy Caterers, where we often made cute little sandwiches for events, and the flavor and texture of these is very reminiscent of those. Light, pillowy soft and delicious, these homemade dinner rolls are sure to be a welcome addition to your dinner table.
INGREDIENTS
- 4-½ Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (510 g), plus a few Tablespoons for dusting
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar (67 g)
- 2 tsp. Table Salt (12 g)
- 1 Stick Unsalted Butter, divided 6 Tbsp. softened for dough, 2 Tbsp. melted for brushing tops of baked rolls
- ¾ Cup Lukewarm Potato Water (170 g) See notes below
- 1 Cup Mashed Potatoes, plain (213 g) Approx. 1 Medium/Large Potato
- 2-½ tsp. Instant Yeast
- 2 Large Eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Gather all of your ingredients. If using a kitchen scale, first, weigh out your flour and then the other components. If using measuring cups and spoons, be sure to fluff and lighten your flour using a wire whisk or a fork, then gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and sweep off the excess.
Notes on Baking Your Potato:
Boil Method: Peel the skin, then cut the potato into bite-sized pieces to speed along the process, saving ¾ cup of the cooking water to use in the recipe.
Microwave Method: Carefully poke a few holes through the skin of the potato using a fork or paring knife, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooled and able to handle, peel the skin and add the peelings to a liquid measuring cup filled with 1 cup hot water. Allow the potato peels to 'steep' for a minimum of 5 minutes, and then strain, keeping ¾ Cup of the liquid for the recipe.
Step 2: Starting with the flour, add all of your ingredients together into the bowl of a stand mixer and knead together using the dough hook for several minutes, until the dough comes together into a cohesive ball. You may need to use a rubber spatula a few times to help scrape down the sides of the bowl during mixing.
Step 3: Place the dough into a lightly greased, glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Keep the dough in a warm, draft-free area of your kitchen for about 90 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
While your dough is proofing, prepare a 13x9 glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 4: Once your dough has gone through its first rise, use a plastic bench scraper (or your hands) to move the dough from the bowl onto a clean worksurface, dusted lightly with flour. Sprinkle the top with additional flour to make it easier to work with.
Step 5: If you are using a kitchen scale, weigh the full amount of the dough, and then divide that weigh in grams by 24. This is the approximate weight, in grams, that each of your balls of dough should be.
Otherwise, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into an oblong, rectangular shape. Divide the dough into 24 even portions.
Step 6: Place each portion of dough onto a clean, yet non-floured area of your worksurface. Laying your wrist onto the surface and, forming a 'C' with your fingers and your thumb tucked inwards, roll the ball of dough in a circular motion, working outwards and away from you, keeping the dough within the 'C.' Repeat until you have a perfectly round, smooth ball. Repeat until you have 24 dough balls.
This step may feel odd at first, but after a few tries, it'll become much easier!
Step 7: Place the rolls into the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap.* Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours for the rolls to go through their second rise. They won't double in size again but will get nice and puffy.
About 20 minutes before the dough has finished proofing for the second time, preheat the oven to 350℉.
*Note: If you wish to prepare these rolls ahead of time, feel free to refrigerate the dough overnight and allow for a slow rise, but you'll need to take them out and allow to rise again at room temperature for at least an hour before baking the next day.
Step 8: Once the dough is ready, bake for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, until rolls are golden brown. As soon as they come out of the oven, gently brush the tops (and the visible sides of the rolls around the edges of the pan) with melted butter.
Serve your dinner rolls warm or at room temperature. If wrapped well, rolls will last several days stored at room temperature.
Homemade Potato Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Kitchen Scale optional
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Rubber Spatula
- Pam Cooking Spray or neutral oil, for greasing the bowl
- 13x9 Glass Baking Dish
- Metal Bench Scraper
- Medium Glass Bowl
- Plastic Wrap
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- 4-½ Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (510 g), plus a few Tablespoons for dusting
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar (67 g)
- 2 tsp. Table Salt (12 g)
- 1 Stick Unsalted Butter, divided 6 Tbsp. softened for dough, 2 Tbsp. melted for brushing tops of baked rolls
- ¾ Cup Lukewarm Potato Water (170 g)
- 1 Cup Mashed Potatoes, plain (213 g) Approx. 1 Medium/Large Potato
- 2-½ tsp. Instant Yeast
- 2 Large Eggs
Instructions
- Gather all of your ingredients. If using a kitchen scale, first, weigh out your flour and then the other components. If using measuring cups and spoons, be sure to fluff and lighten your flour using a wire whisk or a fork, then gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and sweep off the excess. Notes on Baking Your Potato:Boil Method: Peel the skin, then cut the potato into bite-sized pieces to speed along the process, saving ¾ cup of the cooking water to use in the recipe. Microwave Method: Carefully poke a few holes through the skin of the potato using a fork or paring knife, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooled and able to handle, peel the skin and add the peelings to a liquid measuring cup filled with 1 cup hot water. Allow the potato peels to 'steep' for a minimum of 5 minutes, and then strain, keeping ¾ Cup of the liquid for the recipe.
- Starting with the flour, add all of your ingredients together into the bowl of a stand mixer and knead together using the dough hook for several minutes, until the dough comes together into a cohesive ball. You may need to use a rubber spatula a few times to help scrape down the sides of the bowl during mixing.
- Place the dough into a lightly greased, glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Keep the dough in a warm, draft-free area of your kitchen for about 90 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- While your dough is proofing, prepare a 13x9 glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Once your dough has gone through its first proof, use a plastic bench scraper (or your hands) to move the dough from the bowl onto a clean worksurface, dusted lightly with flour. Sprinkle the top with additional flour to make it easier to work with.
- If you are using a kitchen scale, weigh the full amount of the dough, and then divide that weigh in grams by 24. This is the approximate weight, in grams, that each of your balls of dough should be.Otherwise, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into an oblong, rectangular shape. Divide the dough into 24 even portions.
- Roll each portion of dough into a small ball, and place onto a clean, yet non-floured area of your worksurface. Laying your wrist onto the surface and forming a 'C' with your fingers and your thumb tucked inwards, roll the ball of dough in a circular motion, working outwards and away from you, keeping the dough within the 'C.' Repeat until you have a perfectly round, smooth ball. Repeat until you have 24 dough balls.
- Place the rolls into the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap.* Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours for the rolls to go through their second rise. They won't double in size again but will get nice and puffy.About 20 minutes before the dough has finished proofing for the second time, preheat the oven to 350℉.*Note: If you wish to prepare these rolls ahead of time, feel free to refrigerate the dough overnight and allow for a slow rise, but you'll need to take them out and allow to rise again at room temperature for at least an hour before baking the next day.
- Once the dough is ready, bake for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, until golden brown. As soon as they come out of the oven, gently brush the tops (and the visible sides of the rolls around the edges of the pan) with melted butter.
- Serve your dinner rolls warm or at room temperature. If wrapped well, rolls will last several days stored at room temperature.
