Parker House Rolls

Ingredients

• 2.5 teaspoons yeast dry
• 2 cups bread flour 
• 1.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 1.5 teaspoons salt 
• 3 tablespoons sugar 
• 1 stick butter unsalted
• 3 tablespoons water (105-110°F)
• 1 cup milk whole

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• plastic wrap
• baking pan
• wooden spoon
• aluminum foil
• chopsticks

Directions

1. Stir together warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Melt 3/4 stick butter in a small saucepan.
3. Add milk and heat to lukewarm. Stir together yeast mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, butter mixture, bread flour, and salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon until combined well, then stir in enough all-purpose flour to make a slightly sticky dough that forms a ball.
4. Butter a large bowl. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, kneading in more all-purpose flour if dough is too sticky, 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic but still slightly sticky. Form into a ball and put in buttered bowl. Turn to coat with butter, then let rise in bowl, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
5. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Divide dough into 20 equal pieces and roll into balls. Arrange evenly in 4 rows of 5 in pan and let rise, covered loosely, in a warm place 45 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk. Make a deep crease down center of each row of rolls using length of a floured chopstick or side of a ruler.
6. Let rolls rise, covered loosely, 15 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 375°F.
8. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cool slightly.
9. Brush tops of rolls with butter and bake in middle of oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
10. Let rolls cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool to warm.
11. You can make rolls 1 day ahead and keep, wrapped well in foil, at room temperature. Reheat in foil in a preheated 375°F oven 15 to 20 minutes.