These fluffy Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls are the perfect rolls for holiday feasts and get-togethers. They’re baked until golden brown and topped with an herby garlic butter and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
These homemade garlic butter dinner rolls are completely made from scratch and are sure to impress your dinner guests! The dough is enriched to create a pillowy, chewy texture similar to brioche rolls and the herbed garlic butter and flaky sea salt make it hard to have just one.
There’s no hand kneading thanks to the magic of a stand mixer and we have plenty of step-by-step photos to help you along the way!
For more holiday side recipes, check out our Dukkah Roasted Carrots and Gochujang Sweet Potatoes.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft Texture: We love when bread rolls have that flaky skin on the edges when you pull them apart, and these garlic butter rolls don’t disappoint. They check all the boxes of a perfect dinner roll with their warm, fluffy interior and golden tops.
- Perfect the Holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. wouldn’t be the same without a warm dinner roll to soak up all that delicious gravy.
- Great for Sandwiches: Add some meat and cheese inside for an elevated slider. We like to stuff them with ham and Swiss cheese.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- Bread Flour: It has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour which helps to create structure and yield a chewier texture.
- Yeast: You can use either active dry yeast or instant yeast.
- Granulated Sugar: A few tablespoons of sugar feeds the yeast which helps with gluten development and rising. It won’t make the rolls sweet so no need to worry about that.
- Fine Sea Salt: For flavoring the bread.
- Milk: Whole milk is best for fat content but 2% will work just fine. Heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop until it reaches 105-115°F or 40-46°C.
- Egg: Set it out 1-2 hours beforehand or place it in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll need one whole stick (113 g) for the entire recipe.
- Olive Oil: For greasing the proofing bowl.
- Garlic: You’ll need 2 cloves for the herbed garlic butter.
- Italian Parsley: Use fresh parsley for better flavor and color.
- Flaky Sea Salt: We like to finish off the rolls with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for more flavor and texture.
Kitchen Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Oven Thermometer
- Mixing Bowls
- Silpat or Marble Slab (optional)
- Bench Scraper
- 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) Baking Pan
- Pastry Brush
Step-by-Step Instructions
This section provides a general overview as well as any pictures to guide you through the recipe. The full detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
STEP 1: Combine the dough ingredients. In the bowl of stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Whisk the milk and egg together in a liquid measuring cup until smooth and add it to the flour along with the butter.
STEP 2: Mix the dough. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and mix on low for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until a sticky cohesive dough forms.
STEP 3: Proof the dough. Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and proof for 1-1 ½ hours until doubled in size.
STEP 4: Divide into 12 pieces. Punch the dough down to release the air then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the top with a bit more flour and use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. They should weigh about 63-65 grams each.
STEP 5: Shape into spheres. Shape each piece by folding the sides into the center and pinching to create a seam. Place the ball seam side down and cup your hand around it, swirling in a circle to create a sphere.
STEP 6: Proof once more. Place the dough balls into a buttered 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour until puffy.
STEP 7: Bake. Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes until nice and golden brown. While they’re baking, combine the melted butter with the garlic and parsley.
STEP 8: Brush with garlic butter. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush with the herbed garlic butter and sprinkle the tops with flaky sea sea salt.
Expert Tips
- Check the expiration date of your yeast. Without live yeast, the dough will lack gluten development and won’t rise.
- Proof the dough in a warm spot. This will help speed up the proofing process. You can put it in direct sunlight or under a stove light. Just make sure it’s not on a very hot surface as that could cook the bottom of the dough.
- Sprinkle the dough with a bit of flour. Before cutting the dough into pieces, we like to sprinkle the top with a bit more flour since it’s a sticky dough. Doing this will prevent the bench scraper from sticking and make it easier to cut.
FAQ
No, if you opened it within the last 4-6 months and it’s not expired, it should work just fine by adding it with the rest of the ingredients. We’ve tested these rolls multiple times with both active and instant yeast and the results were the same.
Yes, you can sprinkle a bit of freshly grated parmesan or gruyere on top just before baking and omit the flaky sea salt.
They go great with a holiday feast like Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as pasta and tomato soup. You can even use the leftovers for sliders.
Baking in Grams
All of our baking recipes are carefully tested using grams so that you get a beautiful and delicious baked good every time. While we provide cup measurements, we can’t guarantee that they’ll produce good results. There’s more room for error when using cups, and how you pack your ingredients can make a significant difference. This is why we recommend measuring by weight so you’re guaranteed for success in the kitchen! All you need is a kitchen scale and you’re good to go!
Storage and Freezing
Storing: Cool the rolls to room temperature then place in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 3-5 days.
Freezing: Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight freezer-safe container. You can keep them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
📖 Recipe
Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) Baking Dish
- Marble Slab or Silpat
- Bench Scraper
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 375 g (3 cups + 2 tbsp) bread flour spooned and leveled
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast*
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 250 ml (1 cup) warm whole milk 105-115°F (40°-46°C)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 85 g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter softened and cut into 5 pieces
- Olive oil for greasing
For the Garlic Butter:
- 42 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter softened, divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Italian parsley finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine then fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the warm milk and egg until smooth. Add to the stand mixer bowl along with the butter.
- Mix on low speed for 1 minute then scrape down the sides with a silicone spatula.
- Increase to medium speed and beat for 5 minutes until a sticky cohesive dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It's ok if it sticks to the bottom.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for 1-1 ½ hours until doubled in size.
- Generously grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan with ½ tbsp (7 g) of softened butter. Punch down the dough to deflate it and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and use a bench scraper to divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. To ensure all of your rolls are the same size, weigh them using a digital scale. They should be around 63-65 g each.
- Shape each piece into a smooth ball by folding the edges of the dough into the center and pinching to create a seam. Place the dough seam side down onto your work surface (the top should be smooth). Cup your hand around the dough and swirl in a circle to create a sphere. Gently arrange and space out in the prepared baking pan.
- Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a large tea towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, melt the remaining 2 ½ tbsp (35 g) of butter. Mix in the garlic and parsley.
- As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush them with the garlic butter and sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt.
Notes
- Yeast: As long as your yeast is not expired and opened within the last 4-6 months, there's no need to activate the active dry yeast. Just throw it in with the rest of the ingredients as you would the instant yeast.
- Proofing: Place the dough in a warm spot to help with proofing. Direct sunlight or under a stove light will work.
- Storing: Cool completely before storing in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 3-5 days.
Amy A says
I made these last night. Not only was it easy but my teenage boys polished them off before they could even cool down! I love the step by step pics, especially because I don’t make a lot of bread from scratch. It is nice to see what it should look like. I paired them with your Meatballs Al Forno recipe for the win!
fancifuleats says
Wow, thanks so much for sharing! Happy to hear that dinner was a success!
Debbie says
These are the best rolls I’ve ever had.! They were delicious for dinner and also for making a breakfast sandwich. Thank you so much Celeste and Nadine 🙂
fancifuleats says
Happy you enjoyed them! 😊