Salted Honey Parker House Rolls

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These Salted Honey Parker House Rolls are iconic, light and fluffy. They’re baked up until perfectly puffy and brushed with honey butter and topped with flakey sea salt. Serve them with Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Cranberry Sauce and Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie.

Salted Honey Parker House Rolls plated.

Ingredients for Salted Honey PArker House Rolls

  1. Instant Yeast – I love using instant yeast for this recipe because it allows us to skip a step. No blooming of yeast!
  2. All-purpose flour – This is the perfect flour that gives us a good bread-y texture.
  3. Honey – The honey adds a delicious sweetness on top of the rolls.
  4. Eggs – They provide a richness to the dough that we just love.
  5. Milk – I love using whole cow’s milk for this recipe. It will work with almond milk but the fat and body is what makes these rolls delicious.

For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!

Ingredients.

How to Make Salted Honey Parker House Rolls 

  1. You’re going to start by buttering your 9×13-inch baking pan. This butter is gonna add a bit of extra flavor to the rolls. (Note: You can also use another baking dish size or multiple baking dishes –whatever can fit!)
  2. Mix together the dry ingredients. We have all-purpose flour, instant yeast and salt. 
  3. Melt the butter and pour in milk and honey. Whisk it until it’s smooth. Pour it into the center of the dry ingredients, along with the beaten eggs.
  4. Mix it all together. And knead it for a few minutes in the bowl. And then add it to a floured surface and knead it a few more times. 
  5. Pour it to a greased bowl. And allow the rolls to rise for about 30 to 40 minutes. 
  6. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. If you are the type to use a food scale when baking, I weighed them out and they need to be about 64 grams each. Shape them and put them in the pan and allow them to rise for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. 
  7. Brush them with egg wash and bake ‘em! When they come out of the oven, brush them with the honey butter and top them with flakey sea salt! YUM! 
Instant yeast into flour mixture.

Recipe FAQs

Do these need to be made with instant yeast? Can they be made with active dry yeast?

You can make these with active dry yeast by activating the dry yeast in the lukewarm milk. To do so, warm the milk and honey over medium low-heat (don’t add the butter yet). Add it to a small bowl. Pour and mix in the active dry yeast and let it stand for 5-8 minutes. It will foam up and be very alive. Pour in the melted butter and proceed with the recipe.

Can these be made ahead?

These are best the day of. But you can make them the day ahead. Refer below to some alternatives on how to make them ahead. We have options!

Can I make these without honey?

These have been tested with honey and the best results will be with honey. But you could replace it with two tablespoons of granulated sugar.

How do I reheat these rolls?

To rewarm them, wrap them in foil in a 200 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. You can serve them with softened butter. 

What if I don’t have flakey sea salt for the topping?

You can simply use kosher salt or your favorite salt. Just use a pinch after you apply the honey butter.

Can I stuff them with something or add a different topping?

These French Onion Rolls are filled with gruyere and caramelized onions. These Garlic Twist Rolls have garlic, herbs and butter in them.

rolls rising in the pan.

How to Make these Rolls Ahead

There are lots of options to make these ahead. Here are some scenarios that work great.

  1. Make the dough the day ahead – Make the dough, store the unassembled dough in the fridge sealed with plastic wrap or a lid. Assemble the day of.
  2. Make the dough and assemble the rolls – Make the dough, let it rise, assemble the rolls and then transfer the unbaked rolls to the fridge. Be sure to brush the top with a bit of oil so they don’t dry out and cover with plastic wrap. Bake the day of.
  3. Make the dough, assemble and bake off – This is my least favorite option because I like these freshly baked. But you can do this the day ahead. Store the cooled rolls in a sealable plastic bag and store them at room temperature. Warm them up just before serving.
Salted Honey Parker House Rolls on counter

Tips and Tricks 

  • Store these rolls – You can store these rolls in a sealable plastic bag and stored at room temperature. 
  • Jarred Yeast – If you’re not using the package of instant yeast and instead have a jar, you’ll be using 14 grams total of instant yeast. (Each envelope weighs 7 grams.)
  • Rewarm the Rolls – To rewarm them, wrap them in foil in a 200 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. You can serve them with softened butter. 
  • Instant Yeast vs. Active Dry Yeast – You can use active dry yeast by adding the active dry yeast to the warm milk and honey mixture (don’t add the butter yet). Allow it to bloom and activate and get all foamy, about 10 minutes, then mix in the melted butter. 
  • Rub dough with olive oil – Be sure to rub the surface of the dough with a bit of olive oil or cooking oil. 
  • Cover tightly – And be sure to wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap if letting it rise in the fridge overnight or else the dough could form a crust. These are best the day of. 
Salted Honey Parker House Rolls plated.

What to Serve with These Rolls

These deserve delicious sides and desserts to accompany them. Here are some favorites:

If you make these Salted Honey Parker House Rolls, please leave a 5 star review below!

4.91 from 228 votes

Salted Honey Parker House Rolls

Prep: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Rising Time: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8
These Salted Honey Parker House Rolls are so fluffy and light. They’re baked up until perfectly puffy and brushed with honey butter and topped with flakey sea salt. 

Ingredients 

Rolls:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, (for the baking pan)
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , (562 g)
  • 2 envelopes Instant Yeast , (1/2 ounce or 4 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, (melted)
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks

For Egg Wash:

  • 1 large egg, (beaten, for egg wash topping)

For Honey Butter:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • Flakey sea salt

Instructions 

To Make the Dough:

  • Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan or something comparable and set aside. You can even use multiple baking pans if needed.
  • *Note, this recipe uses a stand-up mixer but if you don’t have one, you can simply mix the ingredients together with a spatula and knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes!
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer (with the hook attachment), add the flour, yeast and salt. Mix until combined.
  • In a small pot, set over medium-low heat, warm the milk, butter and honey, until butter is melted, being sure it’s not too hot (it should be lukewarm) or else the yeast won’t rise. If it does get a bit too hot, simply let it stand at room temperature until it cools down.
  • Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, add the egg and egg yolks and beat until combined. Next, add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and knead with machine on medium speed for about 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
  • The dough will be quite wet and that’s ok! Rub a medium bowl with about a teaspoon of oil, (I used olive oil), and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 30-40 minutes. Alternatively, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to rise in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.

To Assemble the Rolls:

  • Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. If you want them to be the same exact size, you can weight them out. Each piece of dough should weigh about 64 grams. 
  • Roll the dough into balls, stretching the dough and pinching it under the ball of dough to make sure it has a smooth top.
  • Transfer them to the buttered pan and allow them to rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They should have doubled in size and should be puffy and supple.
    *Note: if you let the dough rise in the fridge overnight, you can assemble them straight from the fridge but they may need to rise for a bit longer (since the dough will be quite cold). It may take about 1 1/2 hours for them to rise after assembled!
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash and transfer to the oven to bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

To Make the Honey Butter:

  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the honey. Mix together until smooth.
  • When the buns come out of the oven, immediately brush the tops with the honey butter mixture and sprinkle with flakey sea salt.

Notes

To Store and Reheat these Rolls: 
  • You can store these rolls in a sealable plastic bag and store them at room temperature. 
  • To rewarm them, wrap them in foil in a 200 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. You can serve them with softened butter. 
  • If you don’t have flakey sea salt, feel free to top them with a pinch of kosher salt. 
Instructions on How to Use Active Dry Yeast (vs Instant Yeast):
  • If you don’t have instant yeast, you can use active dry yeast by adding the active dry yeast to the warm milk and honey mixture (don’t add the butter yet). Allow it to bloom and activate and get all foamy, about 10 minutes, then mix in the melted butter and proceed with the recipe. 
  • The substitution for instant yeast to active dry yeast (for this recipe) is 1:1 (14 grams of total yeast). 
If Using Instant Yeast from a Jar (vs. packets): 
  • If you’re not using the package of instant yeast and instead have a jar, you’ll be using 14 grams total of instant yeast. (Each envelope weighs 7 grams.) 
To Make Ahead: 
  • To make these ahead, you can make the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. The following morning, divide and assemble the rolls, let the rolls rise until puffy (about 1 1/2 hours) and bake. 
  • Before you put the dough in the fridge to rise, be sure to rub the surface of the dough with a bit of olive oil or cooking oil. 
  • And be sure to wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap if letting it rise in the fridge overnight or else the dough could form a crust. These are best the day of. 

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 601mg | Potassium: 59mg | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 464IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, Bread
Cuisine: American
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

This recipe was originally posted in November of 2020. It has since been updated to help you all achieve an *even* better result.

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Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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273 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Just completed this recipe and it was amazing. The buns took longer than I typically would expect them to rise but I was pleasantly surprised with the end result.

  2. 5 stars
    Hi I just made these and they are sooo good! However, I think I did something wrong. My rolls were not as light and fluffy, more dense. I noticed that my dough was not as wet as you had mentioned. Do you know where I may have gone wrong? I still ate three of them immediately so it wasn’t all that bad. Looking forward to making them again! thank you!

  3. 5 stars
    OMG! These were incredible. Easy to make (although I was super concerned at exactly how wet and sticky that dough got!) and not terribly time-consuming. My husband’s first bite, he exclaimed: these tastes just like my grandma’s rolls! So these have a fabulous nostalgia factor too!

    1. I haven’t tried it but I don’t see any reason they can’t be made, cooled to room temp and then frozen (if wrapped in a few sheets of plastic wrap!)

  4. hi! I think I want to try to make these for thanksgiving – curious about if this dough can be made ahead? or until what step can we do the recipe before we finish the rolls the day of? thank you! 🙂

    1. Yes, I would say to make the dough the night before and then cover it and stick it in the fridge. Let it rise overnight in the fridge and then remove it, assemble the rolls, let them rise and then bake ’em!

  5. Do you think you can still make this without a stand mixer? Any advice?

    Thank you for all of your delicious food and beautiful aesthetic!

    1. Yep absolutely you can make them without a stand-up mixer. It’ll just take some muscle to knead it for about 10 minutes. You want to knead it until it’s a smooth dough. And thanks for the nice words!

  6. Hello! Ive been waiting for my carb day to make these rolls lol buuuut as my luck would have it, while gathering the ingredients I realised I didn’t have a second sachet of the instant yeast 🙁
    Can I sub in fleischmann activeDry yeast instead? And how long will I have to proof the dough at both stages? THANK YOU!

    1. hi! sorry for my delayed response but yes you can! you’ll just want to activate the active dry yeast in the lukewarm milk. AND then add in the melted butter. you don’t want to add the fat to it because sometimes it can prohibit the yeast activation.

      1. Thank you! Tried to order some from my local store but they’re out of it too haha! Will just make do with the active dry yeast!
        Take care

    1. From the website: realsimple.com – If you want to try using bread flour as a substitute for all-purpose flour in recipes for yeast doughs that call for all-purpose flour, your breads and pastries will get a welcome extra little lift.

      1. hi wynell! i would not suggest to change out the flours like this. real simple doesn’t know what they’re talking about in this instance lol. no offense but different flours have different hydration levels and you simply won’t end up with the product that is pictured. it will absolutely come out drier if you swap in bread flour without adjusting the other ratios.