Building a Starter & Baking Parker House Rolls at Home
There’s something deeply satisfying about baking with a sourdough starter. It’s part science, part ritual, and part intuition—and once you’ve worked with one, it’s easy to understand why people keep starters alive for decades. At Shookhill Secret, we’ve been baking bread with sourdough starters for over twenty years, and our current starter is more than six years old. It lives quietly in the refrigerator, gets fed regularly, and shows up whenever we’re in the mood to bake something comforting and familiar.
That said, we’re also the first to say this: maintaining a sourdough starter is not for everyone—and that’s perfectly fine. Baking should feel enjoyable, not stressful. Whether you want to dive deep into sourdough or simply dabble, there’s room for both approaches.
What Is a Sourdough Starter, Really?
At its most basic, a sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast from the environment. Over time, with regular feedings, it becomes active enough to leaven bread naturally—no commercial yeast required. The result is bread with more depth of flavor, better texture, and that subtle tang sourdough is known for.
Starters are wonderfully forgiving. They don’t need perfection, just consistency. And once established, they can be incredibly resilient.
Two Ways to Get Started
If the idea of starting from scratch feels intimidating, here’s some good news: you don’t have to.
Option One: Borrow a Starter
This is our favorite shortcut. If you know someone who bakes with sourdough, ask for 30–40 grams of their starter. That small amount is enough to get you going and often produces faster, more reliable results. We share ours with friends in the area all the time!
Option Two: Make Your Own Starter
If you’d like to create one from scratch, it’s surprisingly simple.
Basic Sourdough Starter Recipe
- Day 1: Mix 50g bread flour with 50g water in a larger glass jar with a lid. We use King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour. Stir, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature.
- Days 2–5: Discard half the mixture each day. Feed with 50g flour + 50g water. Stir and loosely cover.
- By day 5–7, your starter should be bubbly, active, and slightly tangy-smelling.
Once it reliably doubles within a few hours of feeding, it’s ready to bake with.
Feeding & Maintaining Your Starter
We keep things simple. If baking frequently, keep your starter at room temperature and feed daily. If baking occasionally, store it in the refrigerator and feed weekly. The goal is to keep it healthy—not perfect.
And remember: if sourdough feels like too much work at any point, it’s okay to step back. You can still bake beautiful bread with commercial yeast.
Our Favorite Way to Use a Starter: Parker House Rolls
When it comes to gatherings (like our Superbowl slider sandwiches), holidays, or cozy dinners at home, Parker House rolls are a go-to. Soft, buttery, and comforting, they’re the kind of roll everyone reaches for twice. Using sourdough starter adds depth of flavor without making them overly tangy.
Sourdough Parker House Rolls (Overview)
These rolls are enriched with milk, butter, and eggs, making them tender and lightly sweet. The dough is folded before baking—classic Parker House style—which creates that signature soft center.
We typically make the dough earlier in the day (or even the night before), let it rise slowly, shape the rolls, and bake just before serving. The aroma alone is worth it.
Whether you use a long-loved starter, one borrowed from a friend, or a brand-new starter you made yourself, these rolls are a beautiful introduction to baking with sourdough.
Why We Love Sourdough—Without the Pressure
Sourdough baking doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can bake occasionally, feed your starter when it suits you, and still enjoy the process. And if today isn’t the season for starters, that’s okay too. Baking should feel grounding, not demanding.
For us, sourdough is about slowing down, using simple ingredients, and sharing something warm with the people we love. And honestly, that’s what Parker House rolls, and baking bread in general, are all about.
Parker House Rolls
Ingredients
- 700 g all purpose flour
- 250 g warm water
- 300 g sourdough starter or discard
- 20 g instant yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 110 g honey
- 60 g salted butter softened
- 2.5 tsp salt
Instructions
- To make the dough: Combine all dough ingredients except for the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed for a minute or two until the flour is all absorbed, then mix on high or medium high speed for about 10 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough that is close to passing the windowpane test. At this point you can add the softened butter and mix for a few more minutes until all combined. The dough should be smooth, strong, and slightly shiny. Shape it into a ball in the mixing bowl and cover. Let rise until it's nearly doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours
- To shape the rolls:
- Divide dough into 24 rolls depending on the size you want. For a standard size, use approximately 65g each (this will make 24 rolls). Shape each roll. To smooth it out, cup your hands and pull the dough ball towards you to tighten the outer layer & create a smooth, round ball. Place the dough balls on a silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Cover & let rise until noticeably puffy, about 1 1/2 hours. Proof the rolls in a warm location - place in the oven with the light on to help them rise if your house is cold.
- Toward the end of rising, preheat oven to 375F & make an egg wash to add an extra golden shine to the tops of the rolls. Mix one egg w/ a splash of milk or cream until you have a smooth liquid, then brush over the buns before baking.
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until tops are golden. The center of the roll should be at 190F on a thermometer.
