Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls
Make Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls: soft, pull-apart rolls brushed with honey butter and flaky sea salt.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more if needed)
- 1 packet Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons salted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature )
- flaky sea salt (for topping)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients
In the stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, the packet of rapid-rise yeast, and the kosher salt so they’re evenly distributed. This first action sets the dough’s structure—make sure the dry mixture looks uniformly pale and powdery with no clumps of salt or pockets of yeast.
Step 2: Add the wet and form the dough
Add the warm whole milk, the honey, the room-temperature egg, and the softened butter to the mixer bowl. Using the dough hook, run the mixer until the flour is fully incorporated and a cohesive, slightly tacky dough forms—about four to five minutes. If the dough feels overly sticky to the touch, sprinkle in a little of the reserved flour until it cleans the bowl.
Step 3: Rest and prepare the honey butter
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it relax at room temperature for about 15 minutes (or longer if your schedule allows). While the dough rests, combine the honey and melted butter in a small bowl until glossy and homogenous—this honey butter will be used both for laminating the dough and finishing the baked rolls. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch rectangular baking dish and scatter a little flour on your work surface in preparation for rolling.
Step 4: Roll, brush, and shape the rolls
Turn the rested dough out onto the floured surface, punch it down gently, and divide it in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch square about 1/4-inch thick, brush each square generously with the prepared honey butter (reserve some for after baking), then cut each square into six long strips. Roll each strip into a tight coil and place them seam-side down in the prepared rectangular dish, arranging twelve coils in two neat rows so they touch slightly—this geometry creates the classic pull-apart Parker House texture.
Step 5: Proof until puffy
Cover the baking dish and let the arranged rolls rise until noticeably puffy—about 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge for a slow, deeper flavor. The milestone here is the dough swelling to fill the dish and develop a soft, pillowy surface; it should look airy and taut, not collapsed.
Step 6: Bake, finish, and serve
Bake the risen rolls until the tops are evenly golden brown and caramelized, then remove them to the table and immediately brush the hot tops with the reserved honey butter so it melts into glossy pools and sticky crevices. Sprinkle a few large flakes of sea salt over the glazed tops, pull a couple of rolls apart to show the soft, layered interior, and serve warm with the remaining honey butter on the side.
Notes
- Warm the milk to about 100-110F; too hot will kill the yeast.
- Use room-temperature butter and egg for even incorporation.
- If dough is sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it cleans the bowl.
- For deeper flavor, proof overnight in the fridge.
- Brush rolls with reserved honey butter immediately after baking for the best shine.