| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 2 hr 27 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr 37 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 16 rolls |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 8 ounces warm whole milk (100 degrees F)
- 2 1/4 ounces sugar (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 15 ounces all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, 3 ounces at room temperature, 1 ounce chilled and cut into 16 small cubes
Instructions
- Spray a half sheet pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Place the milk, sugar, yeast, flour, egg yolks, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine on low speed for 1 minute. Change the paddle attachment to the dough hook and rest the dough for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add 2 ounces of the room temperature butter and mix on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and you are able to gently pull the dough into a thin sheet that light will pass through, about 8 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll and shape with hands to form a large ball. Return dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm, dry place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and roll into a 16 by 3-inch log. Use a bench knife to cut the dough into 1 3/4-ounce portions, about 16 rolls. Using your loosely cupped hand, roll each portion on the counter until they tighten into small balls. Working 1 at a time, use a rolling pin to roll each small ball into a 3-inch circle or oval. Use the side of your hand or a small dowel to make an indentation across the middle of the circle. Place a small pat of chilled butter into the center of the indentation, then fold in half and gently press to seal the edges. Place the rolls, top-side down, onto the prepared sheet pan, spacing them evenly. Melt the remaining 1 ounce butter and brush the tops of the rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, dry place to rise until doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake until the rolls reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- Remove the pan to a cooling rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
- For Brown and Serve option:
- Assemble rolls as above, but bake as follows.
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
- Bake until the outside of the rolls just begin to set but have not browned and the internal temperature is 185 degrees, about 30 minutes. Remove and cool on the pan for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the rolls from the pan and place on a cooling rack until they are room temperature, 30 to 40 minutes. Place the rolls in bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To Finish:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Thaw the rolls for 60 to 90 minutes.
- Spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray. Place the rolls on the prepared sheet pan and bake until the rolls reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. Rotate the pan halfway through baking, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan to a cooling rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 187 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 35 mg |
| Sodium | 129 mg |
Reviews
Made these twice over the holidays. I love making ahead and freezing, makes for less stress on the actual big day of cooking!
It says to place in pan “top side down”, but the picture shows the opening on the sides. Will they come out like that after being placed in top side down? (I haven’t eaten them yet so took off a star but gave 4 anyway ’cause AB.
Alton Brown Actually makes true Parker House rolls. If you’re interested in real Parkerhouse rolls you should check out Alton’s recipe. The shape and finish are everything.
Best recipe for dinner roll option. Invelievably soft, buttery with a gentlr golden brown crust. Use a food scale if you have one to bake correctly. Baking is a science…cooking is an art.
Well now I know that 15oz of flour by weight is equal to 3.4 cups. (I wish he would use cup measurements in recipes.) I thought I had the measurement figured out the first time I tried to make this roll. I did not! Hope it works better the next time! I think AB is amazing and loved to continue learning from him.
The first time I made them, I only used one package of yeast, and the rolls didn’t rise. Since then I make sure to put in enough yeast and they come out great! I like them a little doughy, so I under bake them, and they are the best rolls I’ve ever made.
This was a wonderful recipe! Easy to follow, and the results were delicious. The only thing I had trouble with was that I forgot the salt, and they came out a bit bland, but that was my own fault (oops!). I will definitely be making these again!
Spot on perfect. Mine ended up looking a little bit different, but they were a hit and a definite “do again”. I made extras, just to be sure and it was a good thing I did, as there were none left. One note, pay close attention to the directions on how to wrap them up, I missed the boat on it, my fault not the recipe and so I had a few which looked a little, shall we say, odd. Looks aside, nothing short of Good Eats!!
I made these for Thanksgiving last week and they were a HUGE hit! I have been unsuccessful the past few years at making homemade yeast rolls that aren’t dry as a desert. This recipe was very very easy to whip up and they turned out perfect! The little pat of butter in the middle made a light little pillow inside–yummy!
If you’re looking for the perfect dinner roll recipe, you can stop looking.