Kind of on purpose, but also kind of an accident.
Parker House Rolls are dubbed “America’s first soft dinner roll”. These delicate, butter bread rolls are irresistible. Learn the Parker House rolls history and how it was kind of an unintentional, accidental creation.
Parker House Rolls History
Parker House rolls were first created in the Parker House Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1870s. The prestigious hotel was founded by Harvey D. Parker in 1855, the same year the hotel chefs created the iconic Boston Cream Pie. Today, the hotel is known as the Omni Hotel.
The hotel’s pastry chef at the time was a German baker whose temper got the best of him while making bread dough. He angrily threw unfinished rolls of dough into the oven and left it. When he returned, he found the tossed dough became like a dented, pocketbook bread roll that was perfectly light and puffy on the inside while crispy and butter on the outside. And that was the birth of the Parker House Roll.
By 1876, it was a standard item on the menu. Soon after, the rolls became the hotel’s side business as they sold it to other restaurants, hotels, and stores. It was so loved that even French composer Jacques Offenbach sang its praises while eating, “Parker rolls, Parker rolls, how I love you!”
The popularity of the Parker House rolls produced many recipes from its fans, including Fannie Farmer in her 1896 Cooking School Cook Book. However, the exact recipe was top secret until 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt requested it for a White House state dinner.
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