Ok. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I have housewife tendencies. It’s true. Don’t judge me… that would be rude.
I’ve tried to ignore these urges. I’ve tried to pass it off as a phase… but really? This can’t go on. I’m going to have to own my housewife tendencies. Now seems like as good a time as ever to fess up.
See… yesterday afternoon I put on my frilly 1950’s apron, pulled my hair back, put on my giant fake pearl earrings and made homemade dinner rolls. The apron and pearls are essential, so is a cigarette and a stiff cocktail if I’m to believe what I see on Mad Men.
So there I am in my kitchen, proudly clad in my housewife gear, hand kneading some pretty sexy roll dough, thinking I’ve got it pretty kush when I realize that my housewife fantasy is missing two things… a… um… er… husband… and mud covered children that I have to chase around the house to get into the bath.
So. Ok. Fine. My housewife tendencies are really just an excuse for me to play dress up for an afternoon. And rolls and butter? Just the awesome perk of my extended dress up games.
Pretty pretty dinner rolls. This luscious dough comes together with just ten minutes of hand kneading. They’re buttery and sweet, and have some thickness and weight without being dry and boring. They’re so lovely. You’ll feel all sorts of impressed with your abilities.
This recipe is a classic. Parker House Rolls are said to have originated in the 1870’s (whaaaat!?) at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. Old school.
keepin’ it real.
Parker House Rolls
recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook
makes 20 rolls
3 tablespoons warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 (1/4-ounce) package (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 – 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Stir together warm water, 1 tablespoons sugar and yeast in a small bowl until yeast in dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. If the mixture does not foam up, throw it out and start over with different yeast. Foam means that the yeast is livin’.
Melt 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter in a small saucepan. Add the milk and heat until lukewarm. Pour into a large bowl and add yeast mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, bread flour, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Stir in 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, dump out onto a clean work surface and begin to bring the dough together into a ball. If your dough is too sticky to handle, add up to 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is just slightly sticky.
Knead dough until a smooth and elastic dough begins to form, adding more all-purpose flour as needed. The dough will be smooth, satiny and just slightly sticky after 10 minutes. Good job! Form dough into a ball and place in a large, buttered bowl, turning the dough so that the entire ball is covered. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rest n a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan. Divide dough into 20 equal pieces. Roll each one into a ball and arrange evenly in 4 rows of 5 in a baking pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft free place until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Using a floured chopstick or the edge of a ruler, make a deep crease down the center of each row of rolls. Let rolls rise, loosely covered for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cool slightly. Brush the tops of the rolls with butter and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool rolls in the pan for 5 minutes then remove and serve warm. Reheat rolls wrapped in foil in a 375 degree oven if you’d like to eat them the next day with butter and jam. Serious yum.
Carly
This recipe is now my go-to for dinner rolls! It stays soft for days, and is nice and chewy. If you make these rolls often, try buying bread flour. Also, some alterations I make to this recipe, is using entirely bread flour, and around a 1/4 more flour than the recipe calls for.
Julia
What kind of salt is called for here, Joy? Table? Kosher?
Lindsey
Could you make and bake later? Possibly freeze?
joythebaker
Yes, you can!
L
Help! Can I make with only AP flour?
joythebaker
yes you can!
Rebecca
If I wanted to make these three day before I bake them, what step would you recommend I stop at? After they’re formed in the pan?
rmdrenn1
Do these rolls freeze well? I’m hoping to make them then travel with them for Thanksgiving.
Gilbert
Any recipe for potato rolls
Jen
is it critical to use whole milk? I just opened a jug of 2% milk and would love to use that if possible!
joythebaker
2% will be just fine, Jen. Go on with your bad self and make these rolls!
Laura Jane
I made these yesterday for Christmas dinner. They were so simple to make and incredibly tasty. I even messed up by using the whole stick of butter in the dough, and by adding a pinch or two of flour to get the right consistency, it didn’t matter at all. Great recipe! Thanks!
Jessi
I have a dinner roll question. I’ve got my dough ready to roll into balls now. I’ve heard that you can roll the balls and then freeze them to bake off later… My question is, do I put the dough balls in the freezer before or after letting them rise? My rolls are for Thanksgiving next week, was hoping to just defrost and bake them the day of but I’m not sure if I need to let them rise, then freeze, or just make the balls, put in a greased pan, and straight into the freezer.
Does my question make sense? Thank you!!!
Arthur in the Garden!
I love bread!
sunidhi
thanks for this post…………………its a amazing dish.
Cindy Tannen
the rolls are fantastic!!!! They turned out wonderful. Followed the recipe to the T, no problems except that it only makes 20!! Light and yeasty. A keeper.
Noos Sara
Hi Joy, You turn simple bread to a delicious bread! i have eaten 4-5 rolls on my own. I think this recipe is great! I have tried making dinner rolls before with many recipes and i like this one the most. It’s delicious and soft! Easy to make. Thank you!
Stella Irving
Can I use all purpose flour or does it have to be bread??
Can’t wait to try!!!!!
joythebaker
bread flour is the way to go for this recipe!
Ashleigh Flint
So amazing goodness!!! Holy wow! I ate 3… And then ran a few miles;)
Thanks for the recipe
xx
Marsha Kostman
I know I’m late to the party, but wanted to add two website I’ve found that show how to transform pieces of dough into those perfectly round balls.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/11/12/the-one-thing-i-have-to-bake-every-thanksgiving-pull-apart-butter-buns/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D18X9Pk-Ys
The King Arthur site shows how to pinch the dough on the bottom and then roll the dough into a ball.
Marsha
Faith
Tot’s to you Joy!
Best Rolls Ever.
To those who had flat rolls make sure that your milk and butter mixture is not to hot. Or it kills your yeast, I checked my temp and it was 155 degrees so I sat it on ice until it cooled to 115-118 then added it to the flour and yeast mixture. My rolls were perfection, and I will never buy rolls again ;). Perfect to freeze too! If you put them on your sheet pan in the balls and freeze them for about 2 hours then place them in freezer bags or containers. You can always have fresh rolls ;-)
LisaC.
About freezing…does anyone know if you have to let them rise again from the freezer? How long? Thanks.
Aurora
These are fantastic and so flexible- I neglected to brush the tops with the rest of the butter and didn’t let them rise as much as I should since I was time crunched so they were on the smallish side, but they tasted so good and fluffy! And with 2 TB less butter! What a success:)
Angie @ Bigbearswife
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Damaeus
Speaking of dough hooks, I’m thinking maybe getting your hands into it might actually be the best thing to do. I’m thinking of trying that one of these days. I have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, too, and having a dough hook is certainly a nice convenience, but honestly I’ve never ended up with good yeast bread of any kind using a dough hook. Maybe doing it the “old-fashioned way” is best. My guess is that by using your hands, you can tell when it’s kneaded just enough, while I’m likely to give in to the temptation to let it get a thorough kneading with the dough hook. Even though I don’t want to overdo it, perhaps the dough hook just can’t help itself. I do love fresh bread, however, and being able to develop that magic touch would be nice.
Laura
I wonder if you could make these in a mixer with a dough hook?
pws
wow, so i just have to say, i wasn’t sure how these were going to turn out but i made them for christmas dinner and they were AMAZING. light, tender and buttery! i was a bit worried as i had actually missed the step for the 2nd rise when i originally read the recipe, so i had to rush that step a bit in order to make sure these came out in time for the meal, but they were still fabulous. thanks for the delicious recipe :).
Margaret
I love the comments about the recipies to bake the rolls, but I remember when I used to be able to buy them at the grocery store. Are they available anymore?
Holly
I saw your e-mail about wanting to purchase parker house rolls, I am also looking to buy the dough at the supermarket and have not been able to find it. I have you been successful in your search??? I live north of Boston. Thank you
Holly
Sherry
These look like the ones that you buy in the grocery store raw and then bake them at home, my aunite would bring these at Thanksgiving and brush them with insane amounts of butter! I loved them !! Thanks for sharing this Joy you rock !
Jenna
My sister LOVES parker house rolls for Thanksgiving. This year I’m going to make these in my continued attempt to steer my family away from having a “processed” Thanksgiving!
Mother Dearest
I am anxious to try this recipe.
Rosie
Thanks for posting this recipe! I made the rolls on the weekend. Thankfully they didn’t turn out flat, and they were a huge hit at the potluck I attended.
This was only the second time I’d worked with yeast. When I rolled my balls of dough, they didn’t look as smooth as yours. Any ideas why? Too much flour? Too much kneading?? I kneaded my dough with my KitchenAid dough hook.
sam (my sugar obsession)
made these for my family’s easter dinner. they loved them. so easy. so delicious.
Krista
I’m an Exchange Student in Argentina and I made these rolls for my host family yesterday. They came out great! Like others have said, they were a little flat but that doesn’t matter.
My family loves them! More than half of them were gone within 15 minutes… but not before I could sneak some and hide them for those early school mornings. :) They still taste great after a quick pop in the toaster or oven.
Amelia
Yesterday I made my second lot of these breadrolls. I’m not sure what I did differently but they turned out…perfectly! My flatmates even snuck them during the night when I wasn’t watching (a sign of good cooking, I’d say!)
Marley
The rolls look great, but more importantly I glad I am not the only one with housewife tendencies and no husband. Cats don’t count do they?
Glasslass
Back in the dark ages, 1966, and I was a mother and housewife who loved to cook and I always bought the Pillsbury Bake Off recipes that they publish each year. Grand Prize that year was $25,000.00. There was a recipe for Parkerhouse rolls that used a package of egg custard mix. These rolls are absoultely to die for! I still have the book, stained and falling apart. I have made these rolls and have always had rave reviews. It seems like I never see these at resturants anymore and it was delightful that the first time here I see an old favorite. Will try yours for sunday dinner.
michelle
Oooh, I want to make these- thanks!
Amelia
Joy – I love your recipes!
My rolls taste good but (like a few others) are flat and didn’t seem to rise properly. I left it longer than the recipe said to rise & my yeast was brand new. Any suggestions?
joythebaker
did everyone have flat rolls!? yeesh! my rolls weren’t crazy, big, tall tolls… they were fairly squat but still had a light tenderness to them. yours?
PassionateMae
nopes, even though i did not punch the dough, i think i just hit it a lil’ because it usually states in bread recipes but i wasnt sure whether i was supposed to punch it in the first place.
Joy, what happens if I poof the dough longer than the time stated?
Amelia
Well mine definately don’t look like yours do in the photos, Joy. I am going to make a second batch this week and *fingers crossed* will have more luck this time!
Melanie
Yummy! I could a couple of those right now.
Lella
Hey! Wow these look delicious! But I do have one quick baking question:
Does anyone know about baking bread, or rolls, with fresh Yeast? I live in Sweden and we don’t have the dry stuff here. I’ve baked with the fresh yeast quite a bit, but would like to try these rolls, and some other recipes. I am not sure if I am using the proper amount of yeast! Are there any good conversions from dry yeast to fresh yeast you could recommend to me?
Thanks :)
michele
i believe that a cake of yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons of dry. rough estimate. Small cakes though the one oz size. I used to get them in the 1 lb size when I baked in the bakery with my father :)
Sam
These look delish. I will probably make them for my visiting family this weekend. depends if they are nice to me or not.
Mae,
yes, punching the dough down after the first proof is necessary. it helps release some of the excess CO2 in the dough, which allows the yeast to keep working. There are other reasons, and this is a page with a lot of good info:
http://www.baking911.com/bread/101_rise.htm
PassionateMae
Hi Sam,
Thanks for that, as I think Joy did not state that in the recipe. and I was my 2nd time making bread :)
Cheers,
Mae
Rex
I was going through all of the sites that are going to be in the 55knives book and stumbled across yours. The use of the chopstick to make indentations in the rolls is ingenious. Love the site.
PassionateMae
I made these buns last night.
it tasted like Croissants to me, buttery taste.
Anyway, I wanted to ask, do we have to punch the dough after the first poof??
Just wondering- Do I usually have to put the cling wrap and cloth covering the dough by touching the dough? or just cover the bowl and the cloth not touching the dough?
Oh and I used Fat free milk :) just as tasty.
They were SOFT and yummy.
Silicone Bakeware
I followed the receipt and cooked them on my Silpat baking mat. It worked. I will be making these again.
Refrigerator Gaskets
These look fantastic. They remind me of Sunday dinners at my parents house growing up. Add a little honey, and we’re in business.
Passionatemae
I think I got the bread bugs too. Just the other day I had my first go at making Chocolate Chip & Raisins Hot Cross Buns. And now I am looking at making some nice soft butter rolls.
Will definitely try this recipe Joy!
Thanks
Hayley
Wow, those look so buttery and delicious. Rolls are usually my favorite part of dinner :)
Jenna
Just found your blog a few days ago…love it!! You really have a way with words!
I made these rolls today and mine, just like another person who commented, turned out flat. They taste good, but they’re very flat. The dough rose, the balls of dough rose, then when I used the chopstick and brushed them with butter, they flattened out. I thought they may regain their shape while baking, but it didn’t happen. I’m not sure what went wrong?!?!?
Betsy
Joy, pleassseee come do a cooking class in new york!!!
Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes)
Haha I can almost imagine you all houewifey!! The rolls look amazing, and I don’t even like bread!!
Tiffany
the apron; the pearls; the drink– housewife fashion, for sure.
these rolls will go lovely with my love affair with bread…
Debby
LOVE THESE! I made them last night and I never knew it was that easy to make little breads like these and they are sooo YUMMY!!
Jeremy
I. Love. Bread. And Rolls.
Win.
and 1870?? Whoa.
marcellina
Love the image I have in my head of you baking. It’s funny since my teenage daughter saw Julie and Julia she is taken with my only string of pearls. I think she will wear them while baking, too. The rolls are lovely, BTW.
Cookin' Canuck
You paint a picture of the housewife I wish I could be at least once a week. Instead, my hair is usually covered in flour, the kids are pulling on my pant leg to find out what’s for dinner, and a stiff drink is far too absent.
Regardless, these rolls would fit into my fantasy evening perfectly!
Joe
Yum these look great, thanks Joy! Love reading your blog, and by the way congrats on your bloggie nomination :)
Roberta
Where is the picture of you in the frilly apron and pearls? I would love to see it. Thanks for sharing, I cannot wait to make the rolls for my family.
PastryPrincess
I would have loved to see you in your little get-up and eat one of those rolls … or 5! ;)I’m about to dress up for Mardi Gras, that’s gonna be fun, too!
Captain Momma
I keep joking to my husband that I am going to start wearing heels and pearls while I stay in the house :)
I made your Brown sugar bacon waffles last week.
OH MY HEAVENS! I am still drooling and I am still working off the calories but they were heaven in a fluffy circle :)
Thanks for all your hard work ;)
katie
Joy,
Well, today while waiting for theses delicious rolls to finish baking,I also decided to dress as though i was from the 50s with light pink polka dot pants and a blouse with heals and of course the huge (fake don’t tell shh) earrings! And i am also missing 2 things.. a husband… seeing that getting married at my age is illegal in about 48 out of the 50 states i decided to skip that one and the kids things relating back to not being married..still it was fun, thanks for the idea, and LOVED these rolls!!!!
Rocky Mountain Woman
Housework is really under appreciated. I am not really fond of cleaning all that much, but I love a clean house, so clean I must!
San
You had me totally fooled into thinking these weren’t yeast rolls that would need an hour+ for rising when you said it only would take 10 minutes of kneading to have them! :(
But…. I love making yeast breads and I didn’t have this recipe. So all is well. lol, thanks for another great one to add to the stack :D
Evie
Don’t forget the red lipstick!
Cheryl
Ooh, baby, those look good.
I’m clearly not taking the right approach to my baking – pearls and a stiff drink would definitely add to the experience!
Cadence
I actually have a recipe for this from The All-New Best Recipe cookbook…but these look like they may taste better. So much for “Best Recipe” huh? Hehehe. They look fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing. And I absolutely LONG for a frilly vintage apron. Lust after one actually!
Calantha
I, too, came to a similar realisation about my housewife tendencies. At first I tried to fight it… now I am embracing it to perfection! It means a lot of good cooking/baking!
jaclyn@todayslady
I have never baked anything with yeast on my own before! Only in high school in cooking class! I want to get over my fear and try it soon! This post is kind of a kick in the butt to get me to actually attempt it! Thanks Joy!
summer
ps. i’m making your sea salt and poppy seed crackers today and i am over the moon about it.
summer
you are so cute, joy! thanks for the vintage recipe- how cool is that? i need to go find some pearls.
Jessi
Oh. my. God.
I. love. yeasty parker house rolls SO SO MUCH.
Again, for another great post,Thank You.
Amy B.- Portland, OR
Joy, you’re the cutest. I have a collection of aprons that I wear and do gussy up in heels while baking but need to be mindful of where I walk as there are always dogs hovering. Have you seen the aprons at http://www.hiphostess.com ? Girly to the max. Thanks for sharing the love.
Becky
Love this post! Some times I am freaked out by my domestic tendencies as well. I just enjoy being in the kitchen instead of the office.
Sarah Phillips
I just made them – they are yummy! – but mine turned out pretty flat. Any ideas as to why? They rose the first time just fine, but I couldn’t coax them to stay in their little ball shape very well. Hmmm…
Jacqui
I love the little roll smushed between the bigger ones! I’d eat him first, then move on to a few of the bigger guys.
I really need to get myself a cute ruffly apron, I’ll be on the hunt for one now.
Kristina | Pretty Shiny Sparkly
I too am a lover of Mad Men. From me to you — the whiskey on set is actually Apple Juice, and the cigarettes are just herbs. :)
Nicole
Oh so that’s how they got those crease in the middle. looks like cute tushies to me :)
Meghan
yum yum yum! I’m still afraid of yeast though.
biz
these look divine! and why is the smell of yeast dough SOOOOOO heavenly? i might suffocate inhaling the next batch of bread i make since i love the smell so.
Shannon @ bakeandbloom.com
You know you have housewife issues when you start hoovering in pearls. Those rolls are really cute but the first thing I thought was they kind of look like bottoms…just saying.
Thats ok, I recently made chocolate meringues that looked like cute little poops.
Deborah
Just made these yesterday with my High School Baking students. They LOVED them, must try your recipe next time as they are much prettier.
Hleure
Joy,
Do you know of a good article (or perhaps an introduction to a book) about the different types of flours, their histories, and their uses? My husband tried making rolls recently from an old family recipe, and his mother told him to use cake flour instead of A-P because of the gluten content. Her explanation, which I can’t remember precisely, was that flours produced in the South had a different gluten content from that of flours produced in the North, and what they used to use for bread in the North is closer to cake flour today. I’m not sure if I got that quite right, but I’d love to know more about it, especially since your recipe here requires bread flour (and originated in Boston). I was going to suggest that my husband try this recipe next, as the rolls he made were, unfortunately, a complete flop.
Thank you so much!
Vasili
I’m glad I’m not the only one who works with their iPhone right next to them! Haha
These look so delicious. I’ve been looking for a good dinner roll recipe and might just have to try these over the weekend.
Kate @ Savour Fare
I would say being a housewife is more fun when you’re just playing, definitely (Not that there aren’t fun bits to the wife and mother thing, but the apron and pearls stuff is more fun when it’s not EXPECTED of you). Gorgeous rolls!
Maria
I am sure the apron and pearls made the rolls taste even better. They look amazing!
Karin
I would have loved to see a picture of you in your housewife’s outfit, ofcourse with the drink and cigarette in your hands! ;-)
The rolls look delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Michelle
I love carbs, but was never into dinner rolls. But these look fantastic. I may have to give in and give these a try. I wish I had a nice Jessie Steele Apron (http://www.jessiesteele.com/index.php) which I first saw at the store I used to work at. But I don’t want to dish out the dough for it (haha, dough!). I have an $8 apron from Wal-Mart. It is though a cute shade of sky blue. So it’ll do for now until I decide that I don’t care if I pay $40 for a piece of cute cloth that’s just gonna get dirty! It still makes me feel housewifey despite also lacking in the husband/children department. That’s ok, one day I will have the awsome apron, the husband and mud covered children!
Linda
Hi,
These rolls sound yummy! How can I make them in the morning and then bake/serve for dinner? Possible to refrigerate or freese the dough?
thank you for your wonderful site,
Linda
Jean C.
You cutie…. so funny… when I used to work as a school cook… we had “two aprons” one for cooking…. (the not so fancy one) and one for serving… (the one that wasn’t all buggered up with flour etc… all over it when your done making the marvelous stuff your gonna make!) Just a thought! Since your having a good play!
Soooo maybe you need to start making stuff for the neighbors… maybe then there will be a hubby around (that is if your wanting one… which of course, you don’t have to have to cook….) you have proved that! Keep up that great work! Looks yummy!
Krista
You are so adorable! :-) I love that you made these in an apron and pearls. :-) And they’re beautiful!!
Francine
Joy,
I absolutely enjoy reading your blog posts and I am hoping to try many if not all your recipes! I already made the cup cakes from the Sweetheart rose cupcakes post and they were absolutely delicious! I just wish I had more time to bake and cook more!
Joanna
Yum…I love rolls!
Tay
These do look good. High heals are a must when playing dress up for your housewife tendencies :).
Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes
Oh these rolls look so great!! I’ll be making these soon! Thanks for sharing!
Sam
these look AMAZING. i can’t wait to make them.
gingela5
I’m wiping the drool off of my keyboard. These look delicious!
Jess
Break out the frilly apron (mine is adorned with cherries and deep pockets) and the pearls – I’m making some dinner rolls! Probably not until next week, though. My decision to help cater a friend’s birthday party? Not the most intelligent I’ve made in recent months.
Megan
These look super delicious and I bet I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from eating 7 right out of the oven….
Lindsey
Yummy! Once I muster up the courage to work with yeast I will definitely make these.
I also love to wear pearls in the kitchen, but I lack the 1950’s apron. I’ll have to go shopping.
Jelli
I just love making breads and rolls. I have to confess I also like playing housewife from time to time as well. Keep up that good work and thanks for sharing another great recipe.
Sushi Girl
Hi Joy, I was wondering if I delete the ‘remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar’ from the recipe, will they turn out fine, just less sweet?
Erin
Joy, I adore your blog! I am half a housewife at heart. I love making homemade bread in frilly aprons, but I despise cleaning. I told my husband I’d continue to bake the homemade bread he loves if he hires a cleaning lady to come periodically. Who has time to do both?! Don’t worry about the husband part… with rolls like that, they will surely start lining up :D
Kristan Roland
I too suffer from severe housewife tendencies…so imagine how happy I was when I got married, had a baby and became an actual housewife!!! I have been a housewife for 5 years now and I totally embrace it. Baking, crocheting, apron wearing….it is AWESOME!!!
Seana
Joy – I love reading your blog because you are so relatable, but you have the knack of putting into words (so very well) what we are all thinking. Thank you for sharing your impressive abilities, good humor, and delicious treats!
Linds
My favorite way to eat dinner rolls is the next morning, after they’ve become a little sticky and chewy from being stored overnight, loaded with jam and peanut butter.
Abby
you need an apron from Anthropologie! they have the BEST ONES!!!
Heather @ chiknpastry
the upside to this: since there are no husbands or kids, you get more rolls to yourself, and you can bake in your PJ’s without anyone complaining about you looking frumpy :). although i must admit, it’s fun to bake and look fancy at the same time. i might do that this weekend and bake up some bread too!
My First Kitchen
I’ve been anxiously awaiting this post since I saw the photo on Twitter yesterday. And coming from a girl who now has a muddy kid to chase around (really a poopy baby to bounce around), enjoy being able to make the dinner rolls in one stretch instead of interrupted fifteen times by the crying and the diapers. And I just thought about making a joke where the crying and diapers were coming from the husband, but it was a little forced. We’ll just stop there. Can’t wait to make these.
Pam
Your rolls look fantastic! The ones they serve at the Parker House are actually pretty gross – http://cavecibum.blogspot.com/2008/10/ye-olde-boston-food-toure.html
Food Hunter
I think I have those same tendencies. I just need to get a new frilly apron.
Sandi
Love Bread! All types of bread.. can’t wait to try this recipe
Judith
Haha, don’t worry, Joy!
I’m a lesbian who has no particular love of monogamous relationships or of marriage and I have “housewife tendencies,” too. Feminists can bake! And wear aprons! :-D
SweetFoodie
These look fantastic! I’ve always wanted to make Parker House Rolls but never have. I think it’s time – yum yum. I love your photographs too btw – you have such a talent.
Amy
Joy…You are just ‘practising’ for the real deal of Housewifeness!! I have been blessed to be a for real housewife for 37+ years.. do you mind having such an OLD reader..? I hope not.. because I love love love seeing you and my girls do the baking that I love to do! So bake a way Sweetie!
Amy
Emily
Thanks for the easy way to get the crease in them without folding them (as I’ve seen suggested in other recipes). My rolls looked ridiculous when I made them last Thanksgiving. Although they did taste great!
Noreen
Rolls….You are totally speaking my language!! And housewife tendencies — love that!! I’ve got the cooking thing down (well, not quite!!) But the cleaning…ICK! I am missing the hubby & mud splattered kids as well (okay that totally reminded me of a Doris Day movie). If only we could just go shopping for that! Thanks for another great looking recipe – can’t wait to try!
Jen-
Lucille Ball didn’t have children for the longest and was looking quite the cute little housewife! So no rush on the children. Trust me, it’s best when you’ve had plenty of time to get all the selfish goals out of the way. THEN you can enjoy then without distraction.
Now the husband thing, well that’s never a rush either. Unlike Ricky Ricardo, most don’t come in looking so suave and handsome, announce they are home, and sit and laugh and enjoy our housewife antics with both eyes rolling and a belly laugh.
Sorry to be a cynical suzie this morning. Maybe a girls’ night of 50s dressup and cocktails is a good idea? Am I talking to myself now? Hrm.
LOVE rolls! They should be a food group!
Val
oooo! These look great I’m totally going to give them a try.
Katie @ Cozydelicious
I love Parker House Rolls! And yours look even more beautiful than the ones they actually serve at the Omni Parker House! Seriously, anything that comes out of that place is amazingly, wonderfully old school. Parker House Rolls and Boston Cream Pie… yeah, I work down the street but only let myself in the door like once a year! But if I started making them at home, well, that would be truly dangerous (although I am a huge fan of cooking in frilly aprons and pearl earings).
Sophie @ yumventures
These look delectable! I love playing dress up when I’m cooking too, sometimes 50s housewife, sometimes I’m in Thailand, sometimes I’m on an Irish country farm. Plus, a frilly apron always makes food taste better =)
Meghan
These look like such perfect little rolls! It’s fun to play 1950’s housewife sometimes :)
Bethany
embrace it! if homemaker tendencies give you the excuse you need to look cute and perfect these awesome dinner rolls, I think you should just go for it :-D
peachkins
I could finish up those rolls with a good butter..
Sarah
Don’t be ashamed of housewifery, Joy! There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting on a nice dress, some heels, a cute apron, and making food. I’ve done it alone and with my boyfriend hanging around. I’ve also cleaned in this manner. It just makes you feel good, y’know?
So nobody’s judging. I say, psuedo-housewives unite! :)
Jenny
I, too, have housewife tendencies. However, I think that the absence of a husband and muddy kids WHO WILL EAT ALL THE ROLLS is the bonus part. We don’t have to wait until everyone else takes their portion to get what’s left; we don’t have to answer the “can I have more?” or “i don’t like this!” squeals that interrupt our savoring our amazing mom-ish creations, and we don’t have to share.
=) I think we win!
and your rolls look lovely. Love them.
Casey
Mmmm. I love dinner rolls. And dress up.
shelly (cookies and cups)
gorgeous!! i will try these for sure ~ apron and all ;)
Jennifer
These are rather PERFECT!!! Golden and perfectly round!!!
Bread Lover
Can you make these a day ahead for Thanksgiving?
joythebaker
Yes, you can!
Kathleen
I am having strong urges to copy those rolls today. They look fabulous!
Kathleenssugarandspice.wordpress.com
Tupper Cooks
Joy, You crack me up! You’ve really got nice buns there! I do believe I’ll give these a whirl tonight or tomorrow-
Katrina
These look absolutely lovely. Your housewife tendencies have paid off!
Rose
Looks great! I need to get myself a cute apron :)
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
My hubby would be THRILLED if I dressed up while cooking. :)
Sasa
I do mean that in the nicest possible way ;P
Sasa
So cute! Like little bums.
Jim-49
These look so pretty,bet it would take a large tub of “Honey butter”,to sit with them!! Rolls seem to be a weakness in my family,may have to tripple recipe.Enjoy the site.The statement,” I’ve come to terms with the fact that I have housewife tendencies “,is funny!! I am a man,and since I had to take over cooking 4 years ago(terminally ill wife),I get so many jokes about,where’s the mini skirt,high heels,etc!!I get calls all the time,about recipes,how to do this and that,in the kitchen.My girls always are always asking questions,and they are 40 and down,grandkids love holidays!! All because of you “Ladies”,Thanks!!!
Abby
Pass me the rolls!! YUM…. this post really has me hungry for some bread and butter.
Silvia
Yummy indeed! May I ask, due to my aching wrists, would it be too wrong to knead the dough in a bread machine?
thanks
Petit Filoux
These are too cute, I’ve got to try them!!!
Sophie M
i have serious housewife tendencies as well! why work a normal job when you can bake delicious rolls all day long? yum.
Karen B
I am hugely in favour of dress-up. Especially if you have Mad Men visions :) Add to that the fact that I love dinner rolls and you’ve got a winning combination.
Memoria
These rolls look absolutely perfect!! I’m bookmarking this recipe. Thanks for another great recipe, Joy!