Parker House Rolls

Parker House Rolls originated in a hotel called Parker House on the east coast. What makes these rolls special is all  of the butter! It's almost like a brioche dough but fluffier. They do take some time to make so if you're planning this as part of a dinner party I would make them early in the day, pre bake them, and then heat them up right at serving time. Serving the Parker House Rolls slightly hot with melted butter on top is the best way to go. I also like to top my rolls with a sprinkle of sea salt to add a little more flavor. 

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup potato flour or you can use more all-purpose flour but potato flour is better
3 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 large egg
4 Tbsp. butter, melted; for brushing on rolls
 
 
Directions:
 
1. Add your milk to a small saucepan and heat until it reaches 105-110 degrees. Remove pan from heat. Add the yeast and sugar and stir until combined. Set mixture aside for about 5 minutes so the yeast can bloom and “wake up”.
 
2. In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer with a hook attachement, combine all of the ingredients (except the 4 Tbsp melted butter), mixing to form a shaggy dough.
 
3. Knead the dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (7 to 8 minutes) until it's smooth.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl Allow it to rise for 90 minutes on the countertop at room temp; it'll become quite puffy, though it probably won't double in bulk. Note that the dough takes quite awhile to get going; after 1 hour, it may seem like it's barely expanded at all. But during the last half hour, it rises more quickly.
 
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface. Divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, roll or pat the dough into an 8" x 12" rectangle. Brush the dough all over with a light coating of the melted butter. You'll have butter left over; you'll need it for the other half of the dough, as well as for brushing on top of the baked rolls.
 
5. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, to make two 4" x 12" rectangles. Working with one rectangle at a time, fold it lengthwise to about 1/2" of the other edge, so the bottom edge sticks out about 1/2" beyond the top edge. You'll now have a rectangle that's about 2 1/4" x 12". Repeat with the other piece of dough.
 
6. Cut each of the rectangles crosswise into four 3" pieces, making a total of 8 folded rolls, each about 2 1/4" x 3". Flip the rolls over (so that their smooth non-folded side is facing up), and place them in a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough, making 16 rolls in all. You'll arrange 4 rows of 4 in the pan, with the longer side of the rolls going down the longer side of the pan. Gently flatten the rolls to pretty much cover the bottom of the pan.
 
7. Cover the pan, and let the rolls rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temp on the countertop, until they're puffy but definitely not doubled. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
 
8. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown and feel set. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. Pull them apart to serve.