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We LOVE homemade Garlic Rolls! You can learn to make these quick dinner rolls in no time because they’re so simple – and they taste so good topped with a garlic herb butter!

dinner rolls on cookie sheet close together


BEST Garlic Rolls Recipe

It should come as no surprise that dinner rolls reign supreme in my house. If I can find a way to make homemade dinner rolls and serve them with any meal, I will. Whether we’re having soup or salad or just chicken, I always want some sort of soft dinner roll side dish.

Even on Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter when we’re hosting a huge meal with tons of side dishes, I have to make homemade rolls. Dinner isn’t complete without a soft and buttery roll on every plate.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • I’m showing you all the steps so you don’t have to be scared of making dinner rolls from scratch.
  • Since I’m using instant yeast it takes no time at all to make these.
  • The garlic herb butter on top is SO good!
collage of process photos for how to make homemade dinner rolls

Ingredients in Garlic Dinner Rolls

  • All-Purpose Flour – you’re going to start with 2 cups and add more when you’re mixing.
  • Sugar – Granulated sugar doesn’t make the dough sweet, it actually activates the yeast.
  • Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast – this is their name for instant yeast
  • Milk – using milk makes a nice soft and fluffy roll.
  • Warm Water – Using all milk would be a bit much, so we cut it with water.
  • Butter – I used unsatled butter. It helps the rolls be nice and moist and flavorful and we’re also using it for the filling and topping. It’s best if it’s room temperature.
  • Egg – a large egg helps the dough be nice and rich.
  • Italian Seasoning – for flavor
  • Garlic Powder – to make these garlic rolls! You can also use freshly minced garlic.

How to make Garlic Rolls

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. We’re starting with 2 cups of flour.
  2. Heat your wet ingredients (milk, water, and butter) to between 120°-130°F. It’s best to use an instant read thermometer to test your temperature but you can also use the “feels like hot bathwater” test. This takes about 60-90 seconds in the microwave.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, adding flour as needed to make a sticky dough. The dough will be slightly sticky to the touch when it’s done mixing.
  4. Knead your dough on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes, until it’s nice and elastic, then let the instant work it’s magic while it rests for just 10 minutes.
  5. This recipe makes a lot of homemade dinner rolls! Divide the dough in half, then cut each half into 18 rectangles.
  6. Stir together melted butter with seasoning and garlic. Brush the herb butter over the bread dough.
  7. Then it’s time to shape your dinner rolls and place them in the baking pan.
  8. Preheat oven to 400°F and let the dough rise until it doubles, about 30 minutes.
close up of dinner rolls

Expert Tips

  • This recipe is modeled after Parker House Rolls, a famous kind of dinner roll. Basically, each rectangle is brushed with butter and rolled into a tight spiral for baking.
  • Once the rolls are baked, brush them with more butter. These end up being the perfect garlic bread rolls!
  • If you want a more traditional roll shape, roll the strips into balls instead of folding them.
hand holding dinner roll

FAQs

What kind yeast do you use for quick dinner rolls?

This recipe uses Instant Yeast. Be sure to use that – not active dry yeast or bread machine yeast. Because we’re starting with instant yeast we mix the dry ingredients together first and there is less rise time.

Can I use bread flour?

You can use bread flour in this recipe if you prefer, but I never do because I always have all purpose flour on hand.

How do you make homemade dinner rolls soft and fluffy?

Don’t over mix the dough or add too much flour. Pay attention to how much is called for in the recipe and don’t add more than that. The fat in the egg and milk will also keep the garlic rolls nice and soft.

How do you make dinner rolls rise faster?

Luckily the rise time for these is only 30 minutes plus that 10 minute rest. But if you want to shave some time off the rise you can place the tray of rolls to rise on the top of the stove while you’re preheating the oven – the heat from the oven will help them rise faster.

pan of dinner rolls

Homemade Garlic Rolls Recipe

5 from 5 votes
Learn how to make easy homemade dinner rolls with garlic and herbs! These are our favorite easy dinner rolls because they have so much flavor from the butter and garlic and herbs.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield 36 rolls
Serving Size 1 roll

Ingredients
 

  • 4 ¾ to 5 ¼ cups (589-651g) all-purpose flour
  • cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 2 envelopes instant yeast
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ¾ cup (177ml) milk
  • ¾ cup (177ml) water
  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
  • 1 large egg

For the filling:

  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter melted
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
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Instructions

  • Place 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large mixer bowl. Whisk to combine.
  • Place milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter in a measuring cup. Heat in the microwave until very warm (120° to 130°F). Measure the temperature with an instant read thermometer or think hot bathwater if you don’t have a thermometer.
  • Pour wet ingredients into flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed.
  • Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.
  • Place dough on a floured surface. Knead on until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s done kneading when the dough will spring back when touched with two fingers.
  • Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
  • At this point, if you want to make the rolls ahead, place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
  • Divide dough in half; roll each half to a 12-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick.
  • Cut each into 6 strips. Cut each strip into 3 rectangles.
  • Stir together filling ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Brush each rectangle with melted butter mixture. Fold the dough over once and roll into a spiral. Arrange in rows, slightly overlapping, on greased baking sheets, with shorter seam of each roll facing down. Allow 1/4-inch of space between each row. Reserve any leftover butter mixture for after baking.
  • Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until done. Remove from sheets; cool on wire rack. Brush hot rolls with remaining butter mixture.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Recipe Video

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 94IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American

You can make copycat Parker House Rolls so easily – they make the best homemade dinner rolls, especially with butter, garlic and herbs! Your family will love these easy rolls!

Last Updated on November 20, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 Comments

  1. These are absolutely amazing!!! I didn’t have any Italian seasoning so I mixed my unsalted butter with salt, garlic powder oregano and thyme. Seriously easy! We will make these over and over!