Astor House Rolls

1.45h
Prep Time
20m
Cook Time
1h 47m
Ready In


"This is New York's version of the Boston "Parker House roll," soft, chewy dinner rolls that, according to nineteenth-century guidebooks and diaries, were served warm, wrapped in a white napkin in restaurants from the beginning of the Delmonico era to the roaring Nineties."

Original is 12 servings

Nutritional

  • Serving Size: 1 (90 g)
  • Calories 286.6
  • Total Fat - 14.6 g
  • Saturated Fat - 8.9 g
  • Cholesterol - 37.8 mg
  • Sodium - 335.9 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate - 33.5 g
  • Dietary Fiber - 1.1 g
  • Sugars - 1.7 g
  • Protein - 5.1 g
  • Calcium - 34.3 mg
  • Iron - 0.5 mg
  • Vitamin C - 0 mg
  • Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl. Stir in the pinch of sugar. Set aside to proof until foamy, 3 minutes. (If the yeast doesn't bubble up, discard the mixture and start again with fresh ingredients.)

Step 2

Combine the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, the flour, and salt in a large bowl. Stir. With a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut 6 tablespoons of the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the milk and yeast mixture, and mix until the dough forms a coarse ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Step 3

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Step 4

Butter 2 baking sheets. Turn out the dough onto a floured board and roll out 1/2-inch thick. Using a floured glass or biscuit cutter, cut out 24 rolls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 6

Cut the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in 24 pieces. Flatten each roll with the palm of your hand. Place a piece of butter on one side, fold the roll over into a half-moon shape, and pinch to seal. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Step 7

Place the rolls 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden, about 18 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Step 8

Makes 2 dozen.

Tips


No special items needed.

3 Reviews

Chef Potpie

Loved these rolls. The texture was not expected, kind of like a biscuit-like outer crust, and soft and buttery on the inside. Didn't stop us from slathering more butter on, though! Next time I'm going to try leaving out the second rise until after adding the butter pieces and forming the rolls, and letting them rise on the baking sheet before baking, just to see what happens. The house smelled wonderful, and we ate a bit more than we should have with butter and raspberry jam. ;)

5.0

review by:
(9 Mar 2021)

FoodieRanae

Yum these rolls can't be beat! So good with Kidney beans and beef patties with mushrooms and gravy.

5.0

review by:
(4 Apr 2020)

ellie

Great rolls - we made about 30, so kept out 8 for dinner and froze the rest for another day. We will be making these buttery rolls again. Thanks for sharing!

5.0

review by:
(8 Oct 2016)

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