These Garlic Butter Rolls are ridiculously soft, squishy, and buttery, with a full stick of butter in the dough and even more brushed on top after baking. Gently simmered garlic infuses the butter with a mellow, savory sweetness, while fresh herbs and flaky sea salt make the perfect finishing touch.
Simple, relatively quick (as far as homemade bread goes), and full of flavor, these buttery little rolls are a low-effort, high-reward kind of bake. They’re made with an extra-rich dough that gets its flavor from butter gently infused with thin slices of garlic. The garlic mellows as it simmers, leaving behind a sweet, savory flavor without the sharp bite of raw garlic.
After baking, the rolls get another generous brush of garlic butter, plus a sprinkle of fresh herbs and flaky sea salt if you’re feeling fancy. They’re incredibly soft and squishy, making them just as lovely alongside dinner as they are split open for sliders or breakfast sandwiches.
If you’re looking for your dream dinner roll, this is it.
👉 Want a version that’s more classic? Try Soft & Buttery Buttermilk Rolls.
Recipe highlights
- Quick & easy. Simple technique, pantry ingredients, instant yeast power.
- Extra buttery. Melted garlic butter in the dough and brushed on top for max flavor.
- Soft & chewy. The exact texture I dream about when I imagine homemade rolls.
- Beginner-friendly. I’ve simplified this recipe to make it as unfussy as possible.
- Versatile. Use the rolls for breakfast, lunch, snacking, dinner… they’re all winners.
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: ~30 mins • Proof: ~2 hrs • Bake: 15-20 mins
🍴 Yield: 15 rolls
💪 Skill level: Beginner
😋 Flavor notes: Butter, sweet garlic, rich yeasty bread. Pairs well with: Soft butter, breakfast, brunch, salads, soups, stews, pasta, roasts, gravy.
How to make homemade garlic butter rolls
For full instructions and ingredient measurements, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick overview on how to make these buttery dinner rolls:
- Make garlic butter: Melt butter over low heat with sliced garlic until butter is fully melted. Strain out garlic (save it for later) and whisk into milk.
- Mix the dough: Add egg, sugar, salt, yeast and flour to form a shaggy dough.
- Knead: Knead in a stand mixer until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (8-10 minutes).
- First rise: Let the dough rise in a warm spot until puffy and doubled (45-60 minutes).
- Shape rolls: Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, shape into balls, and place them in a buttered baking dish.
- Second rise: Let the rolls rise again while the oven preheats (30-60 minutes).
- Bake: Bake until golden brown, then brush generously with more garlic butter while warm. Optional: sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs and flaky sea salt.
Pro baking tips for perfect dinner rolls
Make sure the butter/milk mixture is warm. Aim for about 100–110°F. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast. If it’s too cold, the dough may rise slowly.
Let your dough rise somewhere warm. Yeast loves warmth. If your kitchen is chilly, set the dough near a sunny window, in an oven with the light on, or even on top of your fridge.
Avoid adding too much flour. Too much flour can make the rolls dry instead of soft and pillowy. The dough should feel slightly tacky to the touch, but shouldn’t stick to your hands. Start with the minimum amount of flour (3 ½ cups / 420 grams), then add more, one tablespoon at a time, only if needed. Resist the urge to keep adding flour just because the dough looks a little sticky!
Let them cool (a little). Tempting as it is to tear into these rolls right away, giving them at least 20 minutes to rest after baking helps the structure of the bread set properly.
Serving suggestions
Garlic butter rolls are excellent at any meal. A few of my favorite ways to enjoy them:
- Served warm with soups and stews
- Used for mini sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, or sliders
- Dipped in olive oil + balsamic
- Split and slathered with butter (yes, more butter) and sea salt
- Served as a side (particularly good with big entree salads, roasts, cozy comfort meals, pasta dishes, and festive dinners)
These savory rolls are perfect for the holidays: think Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
Storage & reheating
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They stay pretty dang soft for days!
Reheat in a medium oven until warm (350°F for 5–10 minutes).
More savory bread recipes
If you love savory bakes, you’ll also enjoy these recipes:
- Soft & Buttery Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Savory Nettle Ricotta Rolls
- Sourdough Bacon Cheddar Scones
- Soft & Buttery Buttermilk Rolls
- Garlic Herb Sourdough
- Sourdough Discard Naan
If you made these Garlic Butter Rolls, please leave a star rating and comment below. I’d love to hear what you think or answer any questions. Thank you!
Garlic Butter Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment (or you can knead by hand)
- 13×9 inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons 1 package instant yeast
- 3 ½ – 4 cups (420 – 480 grams) all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Optional: chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives), flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Make garlic butter: Melt 4 oz butter slowly over low heat with thinly sliced garlic until butter is fully melted and garlic softens a bit. Strain out the garlic and set it aside to reserve for later. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk strained butter with 1 cup milk and make sure the mixture is warm (about 100-115° F). If necessary, re-warm it lightly to get to the right temperature range. This helps the yeast activate and will make your rolls rise faster.
- Mix the dough: Whisk in 1 egg, 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 ¼ tsp yeast and 3 ½ cups (420 grams) flour until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead: Connect the dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl (8-10 minutes).If dough is too wet and sticky, you can add some more flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, to achieve the right texture. Avoid over-flouring. The dough should look somewhat shiny and feel tacky and soft without sticking to your fingers.
- First rise: Scape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, tossing to coat. Then cover and let rise in a warm spot until puffy and roughly doubled (45-60 minutes).
- Shape rolls: Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces*, shape each into a ball by rolling a few times on a lightly floured surface, and place them in a buttered 13×9-inch baking dish.
- Second rise: Cover and let the rolls rise again until puffy and touching, 30-60 minutes. When they're getting close to ready, preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).
- Bake: Bake until golden brown on top, about 15-20 minutes.
- Brush with garlic butter: Melt 2 Tbsp salted butter. Mince the reserved garlic from step 1, stirring it into the melted butter. Brush this garlic butter generously over the rolls while warm.
- Optional but highly recommended: Sprinkle rolls with chopped fresh herbs and flaky sea salt.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
