Garlic Butter Rolls

Garlic butter rolls are everything you want in a dinner roll!  Loaded with wonderful flavor from garlic, parsley, and butter, these rolls are baked until golden on the outside, and light, and airy on the inside.  They’re the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal, but are so easy you can make them any night of the week!

Who doesn’t love a good dinner roll?

These garlic butter rolls are a favorite in our home because not only do they taste fantastic, they’re also incredibly easy to make.

These rolls are perfect alongside holiday roasts like spiral ham, stuffed pork loin, and leg of lamb.

Just be sure to make enough because they go fast!

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Mince a 1/4 cup of flat-leaf parsley and 5 cloves of garlic.  Heat a sauce pan to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 6 tablespoons (84g) of butter.
2. Add the garlic and parsley and cook until the garlic turns fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Pour the garlic butter into a measuring cup and allow it to cool for 3 minutes.

3. In a medium-sized bowl add 3 3/4 cups (500g) of bread flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of instant dry yeast and mix until incorporated. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add 1 1/4 cups (300g) of whole milk and 1 large egg and mix on low speed while gradually adding the dry ingredients a little at a time until combined, about 1 minute.  
4. Remove the paddle attachment and replace with the dough hook and mix on low speed.  Add 1/2 of the garlic butter to the dough and continue to knead on low speed for 5 minutes or until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.  Reserve the remaining garlic butter for later.  Note: if you do not have a stand mixer, you can knead by hand for about 10 minutes until smooth.
5. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours. Note: to help the dough rise, place the bowl in a warm place like the top of the oven or near a sunlit window.
6. After the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375f and set the rack to the middle level. 

7. Place the dough on a floured work surface and shape it into a rough square.
8. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to divide the dough into 20 roughly equal-sized portions.  Note: the 20 portions do not need to be exact, and some may be smaller than others.  If you want exact, break out your scale.
9. Roll each portion of dough into a ball and place them seam side down into a large buttered baking dish (9×13 or 10×15 works well). 
10. Cover the balls with plastic wrap or a towel and allow them to rise for an additional 30-40 minutes in a warm spot.

11. Once the balls have risen, remove the plastic covering and baste with a bit of the warmed garlic butter from earlier.  Bake the rolls for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.
12. Baste the rolls with more garlic butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Top tips

• Yeast. I usually use SAF instant yeast because there is no need to dissolve it in warm water and it works well for all bread and pizza recipes.  It just makes things easier!  
• Mixing. If you don’t have a stand mixer, don’t worry. You can just use your hands to knead the dough.  While the stand mixer needs about 5 minutes with the dough hook, kneading by hand will take about 10 minutes.  Just knead until smooth.
• Warmth.  The dough for the garlic butter dinner rolls will rise more efficiently if it’s kept in a warm place.  The top of a stove, while the oven is on, is a great place. 
• Size. One of the things I love about homemade dinner rolls is that they’re not uniform in size.  However, if you want them to be exact, you can weigh each ball of dough and adjust accordingly.
• Sea salt. Flaky sea salt is a wonderful topping for these garlic butter rolls and I highly recommend using it as a finishing salt.

More wonderful sides

While we often spend the most time on the main course, the sides are not to be overlooked as they really do complete the meal!  Here are a few other sides we love!

• Baked cauliflower – with cheese and breadcrumbs.
• Scalloped potatoes – with a creamy green onion sauce.
• Baked artichoke hearts – with seasoned breadcrumbs.

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