Parker House Rolls | Recipe and History
New England’s classic Parker House Rolls are crisp and buttery on the outside, tender and light on the inside, and always delicious.
By Aimee Tucker|Nov 13 2020|
Fresh from the oven Parker House Rolls.
Photo Credit: Aimee TuckerA warm basket of Parker House Rolls is one of my favorite New England food traditions. Soft and buttery, they pair well with any dish, from roasted turkey to hearty soup, to spaghetti with marinara.
In fact, I’d argue these rolls are the perfect “classic” dinner roll, thanks to a crisp, buttery exterior that makes way for a soft and tender inside that steams when broken apart. In addition to their dinner table pedigree, they’re also delicious sweetened with butter and jam at the breakfast table.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Curious about their history? Parker House rolls are named after the Boston Parker House Hotel where they first originated during the 1870s. Legend has it that a disgruntled hotel baker threw a batch of unfinished rolls into the oven after an altercation with a hotel guest.
Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
When the rolls emerged from the oven, they had a distinct folded “pocketbook” shape that made them light and puffy on the inside, while staying crisp and buttery on the outside.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
The oldest printed Parker House Rolls recipe on file is from an April 1874 issue of the New Hampshire Sentinel, and they have been a favorite in homes and restaurants ever since. You can also find them, along with Anadama Bread and fellow Parker House invention Boston Cream Pie on our list of 75 Classic New England Foods.
Make a large batch this fall for a family dinner, or freeze the rolls for a warm, toasted, buttery addition to any meal, at any time.
Are you a fan of Parker House rolls?
This post was first published in 2011 and has been updated.
GET THE RECIPE:
Parker House Rolls Recipe
I love the story behind these- it’s always so fascinating how mistakes or errors often result in deliciously famous products. Of course these also look divine
I’ve been wanting to make these for years. I need to just do it…
Just made these tonight and they’re just wonderful! Definitely stay within the 2.75 biscuit cutter; they’re a big riser!
I have used this recipe many times it is the best! Sadly i lost it and I came back to the article but the link for the recipe no longer works. Could someone please let me know how to find this recipe from the original recipe PLEASE
Hi Ayres. We’ve corrected the link to the Parker House Rolls recipe. Thanks for letting us know!
Parker House rolls are a family tradition at our house for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I’ve been baking them for almost 40 years.
My grandmother would not sit down to dinner unless she had Parker House rolls on the table. (That’s a slight exaggeration!) But I remember as a child having them at my grandparents’ when we went there for vacation or Thanksgiving. She ordered them from Calarco’s Bakery, and would steam them in the bun warmer. I always considered them very special, and still do.
Has anyone come up with a good bread machine method?
Yum!
Can the dough be made the day before and put in the fridge and bake on Thanksgiving day?
Yes they can. My mother and grandma would do that all the time. Love these rolls.
I remember my Mom talking so much about Parker House rolls, she even made some, it was trendy for house wives during those times (1960’s) to be baking these delightful memorable rolls. Over the years the recipe was forgotten, until the other day I was looking for a recipe to make rolls, scrolled and lo’ and behold their is a recipe for ‘Parker House rolls,’ totally took me back to when I first had these! They are so amazingly soft, that extra little crisp as you bite into them!
My mother made yeast rolls every Sunday for a mid day dinner. Dinner was not complete without them, plus cinnamon rolls with a sugar glaze. She never used a mixer to make the dough all mixing was done by hand ( the real hands on method ). The rolls for Sunday dinner followed every week night dinner for which she made a big pan of biscuits baked in her oven. To my despair I never learned to make neither the rolls nor the biscuits despite seeing her make both hundred of times for years. I have yet to find recipes for either her rolls or biscuits that compared to hers made with the recipe buried in her brain. The talents of a good ole SOUTHERN cook. I still love New England.
IT IS XMAS DAY AND PARKER HOUSE ROLLS MAKE THE BEST TURKEY BUNS,WITH CRAN SAUCE,DRESSING IN THE P.H.R, OM BOXING DAY IN CANADA, A BRIT. TRAD. THAT GOES BACK TO SERVANT DAYS WHEN THEY HAD A DAY OFF TO TAKE THEIR GIFTS TO FAMILY MEMS, THUS BOXING DAY
P.H.R. ARE THE BEST FOR TURKEY SANDS ,DAY AFTER XMAS, WITH CRAN.SAUCE DRESSING TURKEY
My mom would make these cutting 1×2 inch rectangles nestled in rows in a glass buttered dish. It’d next be covered with a cloth and set on the radiator to rise. After baking & cooled shed slather the rolls with white frosting. This was the best treat ever! I didn’t find them presented this way & wonder when frosting replaced jam. But ooh so good!