Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,283 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Parker House Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, coarse sea salt, butter, lard, egg yolks, and yeast to make a straight dough.
Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and let it rise again until it doubles in size.
Shape the rolls
After the second rise, divide the dough and roll it into small round balls.
Let the balls rest for 15 minutes, then shape them into ovals.
Place the shaped rolls on greased baking sheets or in Parker House roll pans.
Allow the rolls to rise until they double in size.
Bake
Brush the tops with a mixture of beaten egg and water.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until golden brown.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar share little aroma chemistry, yet 77,875 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Provides liquid that hydrates the flour and forms the dough's structure.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning to the crust.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and richer flavor.
- Lard
- Adds fat that softens the crumb and keeps the rolls tender.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness, color, and a tender texture to the dough.
- Fleischmann's yeast
- Produces carbon dioxide gas that makes the dough rise.
The step that matters
Let the rolls double in size before baking. Under-proofed rolls stay dense and tight, while the yeast's gas must fill the dough first. Judging the rise by volume rather than time gives the light, open crumb the rolls need.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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