Feather Rolls

While I loved the Parker House Rolls, they turned out to be a little crusty and dense for some of my family members.  My mom asked me to make rolls that were lighter and softer so I went looking for a recipe that was and I found the PERFECT SOFT ROLL RECIPE!!!!     It is a no knead recipe and I found it in the 1959 revised edition of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. These rolls turned out so light and airy and delicious that Cowboy Carter (my nephew) ate about 3 full-size rolls and 3 baby rolls. These rolls were a big hit in my family, and they are so quick and easy to make! I will definitely be making them for the Boone Family dinner on Sunday.

 I will just say that I doubled the recipe and forgot to make sure that I had enough muffin tins for the rolls so some of the rolls where made by just dropping the batter on a cookie sheet which made them look more like biscuits than rolls and some of them were made in a mini muffin pan (the baby rolls). What can I say? I am a big picture person, not always a details person. J

Feather Rolls

1 cup warm milk (not hot)

1 package yeast

4 tablespoons soft butter or oil

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

Put milk and yeast in mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir well. 

Add butter, sugar, salt and egg. Mix until thoroughly blended. Stir in the flour. Dough will be sticky and gooey. 

Cover the dough and set aside in a warm place. Let rise until double, about 45 minutes.

Prepare muffin tins with butter. Stir down dough. Fill muffin tins half full. Set aside and let rise until muffin tins are full. 

Bake in 350º oven until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

                

Parker House Rolls

This recipe is one of my favorite recipes for rolls. The recipe originated at the Parker House,  a hotel in Boston.  I made them just yesterday for my mother. She works in a doctors’ office and the office was planning on having a special lunch today.  She asked me to make four dozen rolls! I had to find a recipe that was easy to multiply.

After preparing the rolls, I had to taste one. J My nephew was with me. He helped shape the rolls, and when I tasted one, I gave him a bite. He immediately asked for another one so they are 4-year-old approved!

Parker House Rolls

7 ½ teaspoons dry yeast (3 packages)

3 cups milk

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

6 tablespoons sugar

6 eggs, beaten

12 cups unbleached flour

6 teaspoons salt

Extra butter melted for glazing rolls and greasing baking sheets

Sprinkle yeast into 1 ½ cups of the milk in the bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Warm the remaining milk in a saucepan with the butter and sugar. Stir until the butter has melted. Cool until lukewarm, then beat in the eggs until evenly combined.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast and the butter mixture. Mix in the flour to form a soft, sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead until smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Knead in extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky. Resist adding too much flour, as the dough should not be dry, but soft.

Put the dough in a buttered bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Punch down dough, then let rest for 10 minutes.

Shape the rolls as desired. Place the rolls on a buttered baking sheet. Proof until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425º. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Bake rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

 This recipe will make about 4 dozen rolls depending on the size of the rolls.