Parker Brownies Recipes

THE BEST PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high until it just starts to simmer, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter and the sugar until melted. Set aside to cool.
• Put the warm water in a small liquid measuring cup and stir in the yeast. Let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the milk mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and half the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining flour, mixing until a smooth ball forms. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to knead the dough until very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Coat a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray, then place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 60 to 75 minutes.
• Melt the remaining 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Set aside.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper then spray the paper.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto the prepared surface. Pat into an even thickness.
• Use a chef's knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 24 pieces, then shape into balls to create small rolls. Place in the prepared baking dish in rows of 4 by 6, then brush the tops of the rolls with 4 tablespoons of the melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven 350 degrees F.
• Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the rolls lightly with flaky sea salt. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter. Serve warm.

THE PALMER HOUSE BROWNIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9x12-inch rimmed baking sheet.
• Place butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.
• Combine sugar and flour in a medium bowl.
• Add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture and mix well, about 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
• Pour batter into the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle walnuts on top, pressing down slightly into the batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges start to crisp and brownies rise about 1/4 inch, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Mix water, apricot preserves, and unflavored gelatin in a saucepan to make the glaze. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
• Remove brownies from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before spreading a thin layer of the glaze on top with a pastry brush.

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

Steps:

• Spray a half sheet pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
• Place the milk, sugar, yeast, flour, egg yolks, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine on low speed for 1 minute. Change the paddle attachment to the dough hook and rest the dough for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add 2 ounces of the room temperature butter and mix on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and you are able to gently pull the dough into a thin sheet that light will pass through, about 8 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll and shape with hands to form a large ball. Return dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm, dry place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and roll into a 16 by 3-inch log. Use a bench knife to cut the dough into 1 3/4-ounce portions, about 16 rolls. Using your loosely cupped hand, roll each portion on the counter until they tighten into small balls. Working 1 at a time, use a rolling pin to roll each small ball into a 3-inch circle or oval. Use the side of your hand or a small dowel to make an indentation across the middle of the circle. Place a small pat of chilled butter into the center of the indentation, then fold in half and gently press to seal the edges. Place the rolls, top-side down, onto the prepared sheet pan, spacing them evenly. Melt the remaining 1 ounce butter and brush the tops of the rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, dry place to rise until doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the plastic wrap and bake until the rolls reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
• Remove the pan to a cooling rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
• For Brown and Serve option:
• Assemble rolls as above, but bake as follows.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Bake until the outside of the rolls just begin to set but have not browned and the internal temperature is 185 degrees, about 30 minutes. Remove and cool on the pan for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the rolls from the pan and place on a cooling rack until they are room temperature, 30 to 40 minutes. Place the rolls in bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
• To Finish:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Thaw the rolls for 60 to 90 minutes.
• Spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray. Place the rolls on the prepared sheet pan and bake until the rolls reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. Rotate the pan halfway through baking, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan to a cooling rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

PARKER BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300.
• Line the bottom of an 8 inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper.
• In saucepan over very low heat, melt the butter and add unsweetened chocolate,Stir until completely mixed and melted. Set aside to cool.
• Mix remaining ingredients in large bowl and when butter chocolate mixture is cool, add it as well. Mix completely.
• This batter will be very very thick -- almost like modeling clay.
• Press into pan and bake for 28 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and after cooling in pan for 5 minutes, remove brownies to a cooling rack.

PARKER BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300° F. Butter an 8-inch square pan. Line the bottom of the pan with wax paper, then butter and flour the paper. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring to blend. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, egg, salt, flour, walnuts, and vanilla. Spread in the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and peel the wax paper from the bottom. Transfer to a cutting board and cut in squares. Dust brownies with confectioners' sugar if desired.

KATHARINE HEPBURN'S BROWNIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, nuts and salt. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
• Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch-square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey. Let cool, then cut into bars.

EVERYTHING PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

Steps:

• Prepare the rolls: In a medium pot, heat the milk and 4 tablespoons butter over medium until the mixture is just warm to the touch (about 95 degrees) and the butter is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine the flour, milk powder, sugar, yeast and salt with 1 egg and the warmed milk mixture. Mix on low for 3 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. The dough may not double in size, but it should be noticeably puffy.
• Divide the dough into 12 even pieces (about 71 grams each). Gently round into balls: Cup your hand and fingers around a piece of dough then roll it on your work surface until it forms a tight ball. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
• In a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch pan, arrange the balls in three rows of four. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until noticeably puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the everything-bagel seasoning: Toss together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion and kosher salt.
• In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg. Brush the surface of each roll with the beaten egg and sprinkle each generously with everything-bagel seasoning (about 2 teaspoons per roll).
• Bake the rolls for 10 minutes, then brush the surface of the rolls generously with the melted butter. Bake until the rolls are evenly golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Brush the baked rolls generously with the remaining melted butter. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Store leftover rolls at room temperature in a resealable plastic bag. (See tip for reheating instructions).

JACKIE'S FAMOUS PARVE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Stir in one ingredient at a time. Sounds silly, but it is very important!
• Bake for 40 minutes.