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Parker House rolls are a classic roll, originating from the Parker House hotel in Boston. This is my take on a sourdough version of these soft, buttery and delicious rolls. Iconic to the Parker House roll is the fold in the middle, making this sourdough roll perfect to slather homemade jam or butter right in the middle. We love these rolls for dinnertime and they are especially delicious warm!
This recipe is also featured in my collaborative cookbook, “Our Sourdough Table.”
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Why You’ll Love Parker House Sourdough Rolls
- Soft & Buttery: These Parker House sourdough rolls have an incredibly soft, buttery texture. If you love these, be sure to try my sourdough brioche rolls too!
- Perfect Dinner Rolls: These make the perfect sourdough dinner roll option for your table.
- Sourdough Recipe: These Parker House sourdough rolls are made with 100% natural yeast sourdough.
Sourdough Baker’s Timeline
A sample baking schedule helps me when baking with sourdough. Sourdough takes much longer to rise than commercial yeast bread. This schedule helps me plan my bake. A note: This schedule assumes the dough temperature is 78-80°F throughout the process.
| Day 1 | Mix Levain |
| 8:00 PM – 8:00 AM | Mix Levain, let rest overnight for 10-12 hours at 78-80ºF until bubbly, active and peaked |
| Day 2 | Mix Dough, Bulk Fermentation, Shape, Proof, Bake |
| 8:00 AM | Mix Dough |
| 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Bulk Fermentation at 78-80ºF |
| 12:00 PM | Shape Rolls |
| 12:00 PM – 4:00 or 5:00 PM | Proof Rolls 80ºF (will take longer if proofed at cooler temperature) |
| 4:00 or 5:00 PM | Bake |
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter: This recipe uses ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter to make a levain before mixing the dough. If you prefer to forgo the levain and use a ripe, bubbly and active sourdough starter, you can substitute that for the levain in the recipe.
- Whole Milk: 2% also works – you can substitute a dairy-free alternative or more water – but it may not be quite as soft.
- Sugar: Just a little bit of sugar is added to these rolls to enhance the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted and cooled unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content in the dough and gives these rolls a rich flavor. You will also reserve some butter for shaping the rolls.
- Eggs: These rolls use an enriched dough, which includes eggs for a richer texture and flavor.
- Salt: Just a little bit of salt tempers the fermentation and brings out the flavor in the rolls. Don’t leave it out.
- Bread Flour: This recipe is made and tested with bread flour. Bread flour keeps the rolls chewy and gives a good rise. You can substitute all-purpose flour instead of bread flour – add a little vital wheat gluten for best results.
Substitutions
- Milk: Milk can be substituted for any dairy-free alternative or water.
- Levain: You can substitute bubbly, active sourdough starter for the levain in this recipe if you prefer.
- Bread Flour: If you don’t have bread flour, substitute with all-purpose flour.
How to Make Parker House Sourdough Rolls
Mix the Levain
Combine the ripe, active sourdough starter with flour and water until completely incorporated. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, bubbly and peaked. This will take about 10-12 hours (overnight) if kept around 78ºF. If you have a different schedule, mix a different ratio of flour, water and starter to make your levain work for you.
Do you have to use a levain in this recipe? No. I prefer it, but if you have a well-maintained and frequently refreshed starter that is large enough, you can substitute that in place of the levain in the recipe.
Bulk Fermentation (First “Small” Rise)
To the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, add the ripe levain, milk, sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, salt, and flour. Reserve just a little bit of flour. Turn on the mixer and knead for a few minutes. The dough should feel tacky, not overly sticky. Add the rest of the flour as needed. Knead for a total of 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and strong. If you don’t have a stand mixer, knead by hand for 10-12 minutes instead.
Place the dough in a container and cover. Set the dough in a warm, 80ºF place for 4 hours. During this time the dough will puff up and feel aerated, but you won’t notice a huge rise. This step begins the fermentation process so you won’t expect to see a large rise in only 4 hours, that rise will come later.
Shape the Rolls
Line a 18 by 13 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt reserved butter in a small bowl. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter (2 ½ – 3 inch) to cut 24 circular rounds of dough. Dip one side (what will be the inside) of the round of dough in the butter mixture. Fold each round of dough in half with the butter on the inside, making a half-moon shape. Place on the baking sheet, 4 rows of 6 rolls nestled together. Repeat this process for every piece of dough.
Proof Rolls (Rise)
Cover the pan and let the dough rise in an 80ºF place until puffed up, airy and risen – about 4-5 hours. Do not bake these rolls if they have not risen!
Refrigerator Option to Delay Baking: If you want to bake these rolls later, let them rise until doubled and puffed up. Place the covered rolls in the refrigerator after they have risen most of the way. Leave them in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before baking.
Bake the Rolls
Once the rolls have doubled in size and are touching, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes until browned on the outside and soft and tender in the middle. Serve warm with extra butter and jam if desired. Enjoy!
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover rolls can be stored in an air-tight bag or container on the counter for up to 24 hours. After that I like to freeze rolls for freshness. Freeze for up to 2 months and reheat to enjoy.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
If you don’t want to cut the rolls out with a biscuit cutter, roll the dough into a large rectangle and cut into 24 pieces. Dip half of each piece in the reserved butter and place on the baking sheet for rectangle Parker House rolls instead of the circular ones. Baking time stays the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is usually an issue of your sourdough starter OR temperature.
Sourdough Starter: Make sure you are using bubbly, active, ripe starter that has peaked and is just about to fall back down. Using your starter too early in the fermentation cycle can make this dough take longer to rise.
Temperature: If your dough is not warm enough, it may not rise. Warm the dough up to 78-80ºF. Use a proofing mat, bread proofer, warm appliance or even your oven with the light on.
Yes. To make the rolls ahead of time, mix up the dough, let it bulk ferment and then stick in the fridge for a couple days. Shape and let rise when you want to eat them.
If you want to let the rolls rise overnight, mix up the dough around 6 PM. Let the dough bulk ferment until 9-10PM and then shape and place on the pan to rise overnight – usually baking around 6-8 in the morning. To do this without over-proofing, make sure to use keep the dough in a cooler place to rise. Do not bake these rolls if they haven’t risen or they will be dense. Once the rolls have risen, you can stick them in the refrigerator and bake them within the day.
Yes! Just substitute 120 grams ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter for the levain in this recipe.
Freeze any leftovers after they cool and if you have rolls that have been sitting out, warm them up before eating them and they will soften again.
Popular Sourdough Roll Recipes
Parker House Sourdough Rolls
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Equipment
- stand mixer (you can also knead by hand)
- baking sheet 18 by 13 inch
- 3-4 inch biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 6 grams sourdough starter (ripe, bubbly and active), about 1 teaspoon
- 65 grams all-purpose flour, about ½ cup
- 65 grams water, about ¼ cup
Parker House Sourdough Rolls
- 120 grams levain, ripe and active, about ½ cup
- 240 grams whole milk, warmed, about 1 cup
- 20 grams granulated sugar, about 1 ½ Tablespoons
- 55 grams unsalted butter, melted, about ¼ cup
- 2 large eggs, about 100 grams
- 12 grams salt, about 2 teaspoons
- 650 grams bread flour, about 4 ½ – 5 cups
- 55 grams unsalted butter, about ¼ cup, reserved for shaping rolls
Instructions
Mix Levain (1:10:10 ratio, overnight at 78ºF)
- Mix together ripe, active sourdough starter, water and flour. Let rise in a warm, 78ºF place overnight. Alternatively, use ripe, active sourdough starter in place of the levain in this recipe and skip this step.
Parker House Sourdough Rolls
- Mix Dough: To the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, add all the dough ingredients, reserving just a little bit of flour. Turn on the mixer and knead for a few minutes. The dough should feel tacky, not overly sticky. Add the rest of the flour as needed. Knead for a total of 8-10 minutes until smooth and cohesive.If you don't have a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand for 10-15 minutes.
- Bulk Fermentation (First Rise): Place the dough in a container and cover. Set the dough in a warm, 80ºF place for 4 hours. During this time the dough will puff up and feel aerated but don't expect to see a significant rise yet.
- Shape: Line an 18 by 13 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt reserved butter in a small bowl. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter (3-4 inches) to cut 24 circular rounds of dough. Dip one side (what will be the inside) of the round of dough in the butter mixture. Fold each round of dough in half with the butter on the inside, making a half-moon shape. Place on the baking sheet, 4 rows of 6 rolls nestled together. Repeat with every piece of dough.Note: Extra pieces of dough can be clumped back together and rolled out again – it won't look pretty, but will still taste delicious. Alternatively you can cut the dough into 24 rectangles and make square/rectangle shaped rolls instead of using the biscuit cutter.
- Proof: Cover the pan and let the dough rise in an 80ºF place until puffed up, airy and risen – about 4-5 hours. Do not bake these rolls if they have not risen!
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake for about 25 minutes until baked all the way through. Top rolls with melted butter if desired. Serve warm with extra butter and jam. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, would it work to refrigerate this dough after the initial bulk ferment, then shape and rise the following day?
You can try it that way!
Could I divide the dough into 18 pieces instead of 24 so that they would be a little bit bigger?
You can do that!
Can I omit the sugar? Will the result be different in texture?
Thank you.
It enhances the flavor and color of the bread, but you can leave it out. It shouldn’t have a big impact because it’s such a small amount in this recipe.
Hi. Can you put these in the fridge after proofing until you’re ready to bake?
Yes! They should be good for about 12 hours depending when you stick them in the fridge. Then bake straight from the fridge to pre-heated oven.