Garlic bread rolls combine the soft sides of dinner rolls with the savory finish of garlic bread. Fresh garlic is warmed in butter before it enters the dough, and a second small batch of garlic butter is brushed on after baking. The two butter portions are listed separately so the final topping does not have to be borrowed from the dough.
These garlic bread rolls use instant yeast and rise after shaping in a 9×13-inch pan. Allow one to two hours for that rise, depending on room temperature. The rolls should become roughly doubled and close the spaces between them before they go into the oven.
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Why This Recipe Works
Milk, egg, and butter enrich the dough while the closely arranged balls help keep the sides tender. Garlic bread rolls get flavor inside as well as on top, which means the center of a roll is still seasoned even after the butter finish has been absorbed.
Briefly cooking the garlic softens its sharp edge. Stop while it is fragrant; deeply browned garlic can become bitter. Cooling that mixture a little before combining it with the yeast dough also avoids introducing unnecessarily hot fat.
Ingredients for Garlic Bread Rolls
Measure all-purpose flour lightly and keep the milk warm, around 110°F, rather than hot. For garlic bread rolls, the egg mixed into the dough is different from the beaten egg brushed over the tops. Place them in separate small bowls so the wash is not accidentally stirred into the dough.
The dough has four and a half tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon of garlic, and two tablespoons of parsley. The finish adds another two tablespoons of butter with its own garlic and parsley. Flaky salt is a final optional sprinkle; the dough already contains measured salt.
Dough Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled; extra flour only by the tablespoon if dough is unworkably sticky)
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk (warmed to 110°F)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (Melted)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Topping Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 egg (beaten, for brushing the tops; separate from dough egg)
- flaky sea salt (for finishing)
Garlic Butter Finish
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- cooking spray (as needed for the pan)
How to Make Garlic Bread Rolls
Melt the dough butter with its minced garlic over low heat for one to two minutes. Let it cool until warm. Mix the flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, and dough parsley, then add the milk, dough egg, and cooled garlic butter. Knead garlic bread rolls with a dough hook for about ten to twelve minutes, until smooth and elastic.
The dough should feel slightly tacky rather than leave a thick coating on your hands. If it is genuinely too wet to handle, add flour by the tablespoon and mix before deciding whether more is needed. Divide into twelve even pieces, shape into rounded balls, and place in the greased pan. Cover loosely and let them double, usually one to two hours.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Brush the risen garlic bread rolls gently with beaten egg, then bake for twenty to thirty minutes. Look for golden tops and a baked center roll. While they bake, warm the finishing butter with its garlic briefly, remove from the heat, and add the finishing parsley.
Brush the baked rolls with the fresh topping. Add a restrained sprinkle of flaky salt if desired, then rest ten minutes before separating. The listed total allows a two-hour rise; a warmer room may shorten it, while a cool one may require longer.
How to Serve
Serve garlic bread rolls with tomato soup, roasted chicken, a pasta dinner, or a mixed salad. Bring them to the table in their pan if convenient, or move them to a bread basket after their short rest. A towel keeps them warm without sealing in as much steam as an airtight lid.
They also work for small sandwiches once cool. Slice carefully and choose a filling that suits the garlic flavor. Strongly sweet spreads are less natural here than cheese, roasted vegetables, or cooked meat.
Storage
Cool garlic bread rolls before packing them. Because the finishing mixture contains fresh garlic in butter, refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within two hours and use within three to four days. Freeze cooled rolls for about a month if you want to keep them longer.
Warm refrigerated rolls in a covered oven dish at 325°F until hot in the center, checking after ten minutes. Keep them covered during most of reheating so the tops do not dry out. Do not store unused fresh garlic butter at room temperature.
Adapted from Cambrea Gordon’s Garlic Bread Rolls at Cambrea Bakes. This version retains the draft’s dough quantities and restores the separately measured garlic butter topping. Read the FDA advice on handling uncooked flour mixtures.
Tips and Variations
For softer garlic bread rolls, avoid adding flour merely because the dough is slightly tacky. Its texture becomes easier to handle as kneading develops the gluten. Lightly greased hands can help during shaping without altering the formula.
If the egg-washed tops brown quickly, loosely cover the pan with foil while the centers finish baking. The garlic topping should be prepared gently and used promptly. Instant yeast is specified here; active dry yeast needs activation and can change the rise schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there two butter portions?
Garlic bread rolls use one garlic butter mixture in the dough and a second on the finished bread. Keep both measured portions available.
Can I omit the egg wash?
Yes, though the tops will be less glossy. Keep the separate dough egg, which contributes to the bread itself.
What if the dough has not doubled after two hours?
Wait longer if the room is cool and the dough is still expanding. Check yeast condition and avoid a very hot proofing place.
Can these be frozen?
Freeze fully cooled garlic bread rolls tightly wrapped. Thaw covered and reheat gently before serving.
Should all rolls weigh sixty-seven grams?
Divide the actual dough weight by twelve if using a scale. This formula does not require a fixed gram weight for each ball.
More Recipes to Try
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Honey Garlic Chicken Breast
- Easy Garlic Bread Bruschetta
- Savory Cheese Quick Bread
Garlic Bread Rolls
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled; extra flour only by the tablespoon if dough is unworkably sticky
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk (warmed to 110°F)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter Melted
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Topping Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 egg beaten, for brushing the tops; separate from dough egg
- flaky sea salt (for finishing)
Garlic Butter Finish
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- cooking spray as needed for the pan
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch dish. Heat the 4½ tablespoons dough butter with 1 tablespoon garlic just until aromatic, around 1–2 minutes, and cool slightly.
- Combine flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Add warm milk, the dough egg, and cooled garlic butter. Knead about 10–12 minutes to form an elastic, lightly tacky dough.
- Round 12 equal portions and arrange in the dish. Cover without compressing the tops and allow to double in a warm room, approximately 1–2 hours.
- Preheat to 350°F. Apply the separate beaten egg wash and bake 20–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through in the center.
- Warm 2 tablespoons finishing butter with its tablespoon of garlic for 1–2 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in 1 tablespoon parsley, and brush onto the hot rolls. Finish with flaky salt if wanted; rest 10 minutes before serving.
