Parker House Rolls Sure To Become Your Family Favorite

Dear Merri Lou: With the holidays coming I’m looking for a good white dinner roll recipe. Our family especially likes the rolls at Golden Corral. Please help! Thanks. Lisa, Spokane

Dear Lisa: You won’t find nicer people than those at Golden Corral, but they aren’t about to part with their recipe. So here’s one of America’s favorite rolls, created at the Parker House Hotel in Boston in the mid-1800s.

Parker House Rolls

From “Sheila Lukins USA Cookbook” (Workman, 1997).

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

3 to 3-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup nonfat milk, at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

The day before you plan to bake the rolls, prepare the dough. Stir the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Combine 3 cups flour, the sugar and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Mix the milk and egg together in a medium-size bowl. Add the 1/4 cup butter and mix.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients and the yeast. Using your hands, gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the liquid to form a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, incorporating the remaining 1/2 cup flour, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.

Generously grease a large bowl with butter. Add the dough and roll it around in the bowl to coat. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and knead it briefly (2 or 3 times). Butter the bowl again and turn the dough in it to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half. Press each half out to form an 8- by 5-1/2-inch rectangle (1/2 inch thick). Cut each rectangle into 4 pieces crosswise and in half lengthwise, for a total of 16 smaller rectangles. Brush the dough evenly with the melted butter. Fold each rectangle in half, but do not press down; you want a crease.

Grease two 9- by 5- by 2-3/4-inch loaf pans. Arrange rolls, seam side up and facing the same direction, in 2 rows in each pan (8 rolls per pan). Cover pans loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the rolls have doubled in volume, about 1-1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the wrap and bake the rolls in the center of the oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and cool the rolls slightly, in the pans, on a wire rack. Break the rolls apart and serve warm.

Yield: 16 rolls.

Nutrition information per roll: 164 calories, 5 grams fat (27 percent fat calories), 4 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrate, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 151 milligrams sodium.

Dear Merri Lou: A long time ago in every MCP pectin package there was a recipe for a French dressing, using Campbell’s tomato soup. Now, many years later, when I would love to have it, I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Can you help? Sincerely, - Jane, via e-mail

Dear Jane: Neither Campbell’s nor MCP were able to help me - perhaps a reader has the recipe? However, Campbell’s did provide the following.

Tangy French Dressing

1 (10-3/4-ounce) can condensed tomato soup

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

In small bowl or jar, mix all ingredients. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Stir or shake before serving.

Yield: 2 cups, or 16 (2-tablespoon) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 73 calories, 7 grams fat (86 percent fat calories), 3 grams carbohydrate, 105 milligrams sodium.

Dear Merri Lou: I lost my recipe for homemade doggie biscuits. I know it had oatmeal, and they were baked. Hope you can help me. - L., Mead

Dear L.: This recipe was super simple, and two little neighbor dogs thoroughly enjoyed it.

Canine Cookies

From “Eats ‘n Treats, for Pets & Their People” (Pet Sitters International, 1996).

2 cups water or milk

2 beef bouillon cubes

3-3/4 cups whole-wheat flour

2-1/4 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup drippings or oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat the water or milk and add the bouillon cubes, stirring to dissolve. Mix the flour, oats and drippings together. Work with hands until dough is stiff.

Place dough on greased cookie sheet. Press out to edges and score into squares. Bake at 325 degrees until brown, about 2 hours. Turn off heat but leave in oven until cool. Remove from oven and break into squares.

Yield: 12-15 good-size squares.

Nutrition information per each of 12 servings: 231 calories, 6 grams fat (23 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrate, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 256 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: Looking for a recipe? Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or e-mail to merrid@spokesman.com.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Merri Lou Dobler The Spokesman-Review