This is a recipe I've been dying to try since last Thanksgiving, finally about six months after Thanksgiving I tried it for a fancy Sunday dinner. Holy Cow they are so good I want to die! They are just delicious little salty, buttery puffs that you just want to keep eating. So, anyway, I wanted to put these on the blog for you all to try, before Thanksgiving comes around again this year. To me these would be the perfect roll for your Thanksgiving table. I don't know why I'm surprised most everything Alex Gaurnaschelli makes is full of butter and always delicious, so I didn't alter the recipe one bit it is pefect as is. One bite of these rolls will throw you right into the Holiday season.
Parker House Rolls by Alex Gaurnaschelli
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
12 T. melted butter
2 cups whole milk at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 T. salt
7 1/2 to 8 cups ap flour
to start pour yeast into bowl of your stand mixer and add 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let this sit for 10 minutes or until it is foamy. Next, beat in 3/4ths of the melted butter, the rest of the sugar, milk, eggs, and salt. Now turn your mixer to low and add the flour 1 cup at a time, when you get to 7 cups add in small amounts until the dough is able to make a nice ball around the dough hook. Realize you probably won't need 8 cups, I used about 7 and 1/4 cups. Now you wait, put some of the reserved butter in the bottom of a clean bowl and place the dough on top of the butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let raise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Now comes the fun part.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
1. Roll your dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a 9*16 rectangle (use a ruler).
2. Cut the rectangle into 3 strips lengthwise and then crosswise into 12 strips.
3. Fold each strip in half unevenly, so the top piece overlaps the bottom, fold that overlapping piece over and place it seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Place the rolls on the baking sheet in rows of 9 so they are just touching each other. You will have 2 baking sheets with 2 rows of 9 rolls each.
5. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees rotating half way through. Brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt immediately.
You can serve these right when they come out of the oven, or rewarm them for about 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven. You can also freeze the formed rolls before they are baked. They are perfect for a busy Thanksgiving day of cooking.
