History is the secret ingredient

By Valerie Phillips
Deseret Morning News

The rolls were created sometime around 1856 in the kitchens of Parker House of Boston, the longest continuously operated hotel in America. While staying in Boston a couple weeks ago, I tracked down the Parker House — now the Omni Parker House — not far from the Boston Common and other Freedom Trail stops. I talked to the concierge and learned more about the hotel's part in culinary history.

Opened in 1856 by Harvey D. Parker, it was also where Boston Cream Pie was invented. It was a backdrop for politics and literature, too.

Parker House rolls are a tradition at many Thanksgiving feasts. And while you're making yours, you can reflect on the history behind these puffy yeast rolls with their creased, folded-over centers.

Ho Chi Minh, the communist leader of North Vietnam, was a Parker Restaurant pastry chef from 1911-13. Civil-rights activist Malcolm X was a busboy (he was then known as Malcolm Little) in the early 1940s. It's where John F. Kennedy gave his first public speech (at age 7 at his grandfather's birthday), announced his candidacy for Congress and proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier. John Wilkes Booth stayed there the week before he shot Lincoln (Booth's brother, Edwin, was in Boston performing in a play).

In the hotel's early days, it was the stomping grounds of the country's literary giants, known as the "Saturday Club" — including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes. This is where Henry Longfellow drafted "Paul Revere's Ride," and Charles Dickens gave his first reading of "The Christmas Carol."

The only account I could find of how Parker House rolls came about was in "The Dictionary of American Food and Drink," by John F. Mariani. It says the kitchen's German baker (identified only as "Ward") was in a fit of pique over a guest's belligerence and threw some unfinished rolls into the oven. The results were a light, fluffy bun that became a standard item on American tables — also known as "pocketbook rolls" because of their look.

Parker House press information says its recipe was kept secret until 1933, when it was requested by President Franklin Roosevelt. However, I found a recipe for them in the "1896 Boston Cooking School Cookbook," and in the first "Joy of Cooking" published in 1931, so people must have made up their own versions. The original recipe from the Parker House kitchens uses pounds and ounces, making it hard for a home cook to use. I found two modern-day versions — one from the 1995 "Joy of Cooking," and one using frozen bread dough from Rhodes International. (You can't get much easier than frozen dough; just thaw, shape and bake!)

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

20 frozen dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Flour

Flatten each roll with the palm of your hand. Brush center with melted butter. Fold in half, pressing edges together slightly. Dust top with flour and place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. — Rhodes International

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 tablespoons warm water

Add:

1 cup whole or low-fat milk, warmed to 105-115 degrees
5 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt

Mix 1 minute by hand.

Gradually stir in:

2 cups bread flour

Then add:

1 1/2 cups more bread flour

Knead about 10 minutes by hand or with dough hook. Transfer to oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in volume, 1-1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down, knead briefly, then refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 18 pieces about 1 ounce each. Roll dough pieces into balls, loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest 10 minutes. Grease a baking sheet. With a rolling pin or a dowel, roll just the center of each round to create an oval. Edges should be slightly thicker than the center. Brush tops lightly with melted butter and fold the ovals in half so the two ends meet. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush tops with melted butter or milk. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Makes 18 rolls. — "Joy of Cooking"