Aunt Dianne Parker House Rolls

It is a rare occasion when you can make a recipe that is so good, your name is part of the title.  Well, my mother accomplished it with this roll recipe.  It's been the standard for our family get-togethers for years.  On the rare occasion my mother did not make them, the cousins' would say "Where are Aunt Dianne's Rolls??" and it stuck.

The style of roll is called Parker House, which derives it's name from where they were invented, the Parker House Hotel in Boston.  There's a unique technique used in their creation.  You roll the dough out flat, cut out rounds, brush butter upon them, fold them in half and then coat them with butter again.  Not only does the butter give them a slightly crispy exterior and an awesome flavor, but the foldover point is the perfect separation, allowing you to easily tear it into two halves and insert whatever you'd like.

These make the perfect sandwich medium for the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner.  And if you make all the rolls you need and still have leftover dough, roll it flat and encase it in butter, cinnamon and sugar for some the best cinnamon rolls around.  Or if you don't like the sweet, roll it flat and use is as a pizza crust.

Like most bread, there is the requisite rising time (two hours), so don't think you can whip these up in less than 60 minutes.  You can make them the day before and place them in ziploc bags to maintain the freshness.  Then just place them back in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to warm them up.  They also freeze well for up to 3 months.

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Aunt Dianne's Parker House Rolls

2 cups milk
2/3 cup shortening (butter flavored if you have it)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon salt
4-5 cups flour

Pour the milk into a small saucepan and add the shortening and sugar.  Heat the milk over medium low heat until the shortening melts.  Remove from the heat and add the water so the mixture's temperature drops to around 95-110 degrees (perfect temperature for yeast growth).  If it's too hot, allow it to cool.  Once it's temperature is perfect, add the yeast and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.  Then slowly add the salt and flour and mix with the dough hook attachment until the dough ball stops sticking to the side of the bowl.

Knead the dough out on a floured surface for a few minutes.  In preparation for future steps, grease two large cookie sheets.  Then roll out about half of the dough to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and cut small rounds.  Place the rounds on the cookie sheet and brush the melted butter on top.  Then fold them over and press the edges together using one finger at the center of each seam.  Brush more melted butter on top.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.  Then cover them with paper towels and allow them to rise for 2 hours.

After the rising period, place them in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown on top.

Serve warm with any meal, or store in ziploc bags in the pantry for up to a week.  You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

So make a batch of these rolls for your next big dinner and give Aunt Dianne the credit.