Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
These golden Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls are baked with garlicky richness in every bite, thanks to butter worked right into the dough. Soft, warm, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, they’ll steal the spotlight at weeknight dinners, holidays, or special occasions!
Best Dinner Rolls
Bread is our love language, and these dinner rolls do NOT disappoint. There is nothing better than a soft roll lathered with melty butter (yes, more butter please). Speaking from experience, these make a perfect sandwich too!
We’ve got some great options for dinner rolls. When you’re not making these, try our Brioche Dinner Rolls or my momma’s delicious Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls!
Why This Recipe Works:
- GARLIC INFUSED FLAVOR – Incorporating roasted garlic and butter directly into the dough ensures that every bite is flavorful, not just on the surface.
- SOFT, TENDER TEXTURE – The fat from the butter and the gentle kneading create a light, fluffy crumb.
- GOLDEN CRUST – Baking at the right temperature produces a beautiful, lightly crisp, golden exterior.
- GREAT SIDE DISH – These rolls pair well with almost any meal – from weeknight dinners to holiday feasts.
What You’ll Need:
- Garlic
- Butter
- Dry Active Yeast
- Granulated Sugar
- Whole Milk
- Egg
- Bread Flour
- Kosher Salt
When the rolls come out of the oven, brush some extra garlic butter on top along with a sprinkle of kosher salt.
How to make Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls:
Step 1
Make garlic butter. Slice the top off the heads of garlic to expose the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast in a preheated 400-degree oven until the cloves are soft and caramelized — usually around 40-45 minutes, but start checking at 30. Let cool slightly, then squeeze out the softened cloves.
Place softened butter on a cutting board. Use a fork to mash the roasted garlic cloves into the butter and then set aside.
Step 2
Activate yeast. In large standing mixer, combine the yeast and sugar. Add warm milk (warmed to 105-110 degrees F) and stir with a spatula. Let the yeast mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to get the yeast working. Add egg and stir again.
Step 3
Add “some” flour and salt. Attach a dough hook to the mixer. Then add two cups of flour, the salt, and start mixer to incorporate into the liquid.
Step 4
Add garlic butter. Then add four tablespoons of the garlic butter and let absorb into the mixture. Save the remaining garlic butter for later.
Step 5
Continue adding flour. Add more flour until you get just the right consistency (about 1.5 additional cups). The dough will pull away from the sides of the mixer when it is close to being ready. You want the dough to be soft but not too sticky.
Once you have enough flour added, let the mixer run for another five minutes. The dough may settle around the edges a bit again, but use the “sticky test” to make sure it’s ready.
Step 6
Add dough to a bowl. Grease a large bowl with oil and transfer dough to the bowl. Punch the dough down into a nice smooth ball. Place smooth side up in the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm corner of your kitchen.
Step 7
Let dough rise. Let the dough rise until doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 45 minutes up to more than an hour (depending on many factors including climate, season, and temperature of your home). Since this is enriched dough, it may take longer to rise than a normal dough – like our Chewy French Bread.
Step 8
Shape rolls. Use a knife to divide dough into 15 equal-sized pieces. Shape each into a round disk-like shape, using your hands to bring the outsides into the middle.
NOTE: I weighed my dough on a digital scale and tried to get each roll approximately the same size. But you can ballpark it if so desired!
Step 9
Place dough in pans. Add baking spray to a 9×13 cake pans. Place rolls into the pan, smooth side up. Then press the rolls down gently with your hands.
Step 10
Let rise again. Cover rolls with the clean towel and let rise again, about 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Be careful to avoid letting the dough rise too much or air pockets will form on the top.
Step 11
Bake rolls. Bake rolls in a 350-degree oven for approximately 22-23 minutes. You will know they are done when they are golden brown on top and lightly brown on the bottom. Remove pan from oven and brush the tops of the rolls with garlic butter. Add a sprinkle of kosher salt and some chopped herbs (like cilantro or parsley) on top.
Step 12
Cool rolls. Transfer rolls to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve rolls as a side to a holiday meal, as the base of a sandwich, or just eat bread with butter (like I love to do). Butter is always recommended in this kitchen, LOL.
Storing and Freezing:
- Store garlic butter dinner rolls in an airtight container or ziplock bags for 2-3 days.
- For longer storage, freeze the rolls. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to three months.
Recipe FAQs:
Roasted garlic keeps in the fridge for up to a week, or you can freeze cloves for longer storage.
Very different—roasting makes garlic sweet, nutty, and caramelized with no sharp bite. It blends beautifully into bread without overpowering it.
Use at least one whole head of roasted garlic for the dough, and another head mixed into the butter for brushing. The double layer ensures every bite has flavor.
To prep garlic butter dinner rolls ahead of your meal, make the dough, let it rise, then shape into rolls and place in pan. You can refrigerate them overnight after shaping, take them out about 1½–2 hours before baking so they have time to warm up and finish their second rise.
Other Yeast Bread Recipes:
If you enjoy baking with yeast, try one of these delicious bread recipes next!
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For the garlic butter:
- 2 heads garlic
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter – softened to room temp
Remaining ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk – warmed to 105-110 degrees F
- 1 large egg
- 3 ½ cups bread flour (about 455 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- extra salt and herbs
Instructions
- Make garlic butter. Slice the top off the heads of garlic to expose the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast in a preheated 400-degree oven until the cloves are soft and caramelized — usually around 40-45 minutes, but start checking at 30. Let cool slightly, then squeeze out the softened cloves.Place softened butter on a cutting board. Use a fork to mash the roasted garlic cloves into the butter and then set aside.2 heads garlic 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Activate yeast. In large standing mixer, combine the yeast and sugar. Add warm milk (warmed to 105-110 degrees F) and stir with a spatula. Let the yeast mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to get the yeast working. Add egg and stir again.1 Tablespoon active dry yeast, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 cup whole milk, 1 large egg
- Add “some” flour and salt. Attach a dough hook to the mixer. Then add two cups of flour, the salt, and start mixer to incorporate into the liquid.3 ½ cups bread flour (about 455 grams), 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add garlic butter. Then add four tablespoons of the garlic butter and let absorb into the mixture. Save the remaining garlic butter for later.
- Continue adding flour. Add more flour until you get just the right consistency (about 1.5 additional cups). The dough will pull away from the sides of the mixer when it is close to being ready. You want the dough to be soft but not too sticky.Once you have enough flour added, let the mixer run for another five minutes. The dough may settle around the edges a bit again, but use the “sticky test” to make sure it’s ready.
- Add dough to a bowl. Grease a large bowl with oil and transfer dough to the bowl. Punch the dough down into a nice smooth ball. Place smooth side up in the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm corner of your kitchen.
- Let dough rise. Let the dough rise until doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 45 minutes up to more than an hour (depending on many factors including climate, season, and temperature of your home). Since this is enriched dough, it may take longer to rise than a normal dough – like our Chewy French Bread.
- Shape rolls. Use a knife to divide dough into 15 equal-sized pieces. Shape each into a round disk-like shape, using your hands to bring the outsides into the middle.
- Place dough in pans. Add baking spray to a 9×13 cake pans. Place rolls into the pan, smooth side up. Then press the rolls down gently with your hands.
- Let rise again. Cover rolls with the clean towel and let rise again, about 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Be careful to avoid letting the dough rise too much or air pockets will form on the top.
- Bake rolls. Bake rolls in a 350-degree oven for approximately 22-23 minutes. You will know they are done when they are golden brown on top and lightly brown on the bottom. Remove pan from oven and brush the tops of the rolls with garlic butter. Add a sprinkle of kosher salt and some chopped herbs (like cilantro or parsley) on top.extra salt and herbs
- Cool rolls. Transfer rolls to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve rolls as a side to a holiday meal, as the base of a sandwich, or just eat bread with butter (like I love to do). Butter is always recommended on this website, LOL.
Notes
- To prep garlic butter dinner rolls ahead of your meal, make the dough, let it rise, then shape into rolls and place in pan. You can refrigerate them overnight after shaping, take them out about 1½–2 hours before baking so they have time to warm up and finish their second rise.
- Store garlic butter dinner rolls in an airtight container or ziplock bags for 2-3 days.
- For longer storage, freeze the rolls. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to three months.
The garlic flavor in these is just right! Well done!
Thank you!