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Garlic–Herb Butter Rolls

By Mark Huxsoll

Published on August 23, 2021

Time

1 hour, plus 1 hour 50 minutes rising and cooling

Yield

Makes 12 rolls

Garlic–Herb Butter Rolls

Ingredients

Dough

¾ cup whole milk 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon, softened, for baking dish2 large eggs, divided2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour 2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon plus pinch table salt, divided

Garlic–Herb Butter

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 garlic cloves, minced¼ teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using a ceramic baking dish. If you choose to use a metal baking pan, check the rolls for doneness 5 minutes early in step 5. The slight tackiness of the dough aids in rolling it into smooth balls in step 3, so do not dust your counter with flour.

Instructions

    for the dough

  1.  Whisk milk, melted butter, and 1 egg together in bowl of stand mixer. Add flour and yeast. Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on medium speed until dough comes together and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down dough hook and bowl as needed. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap, and let dough stand for 15 minutes.
  2. Add sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and knead dough on medium speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to knead until dough begins to pull away from sides and bottom of bowl (dough will be sticky), 8 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer dough to greased large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  3. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish with softened butter. Turn out dough onto clean counter and divide into 12 equal portions (about 1¾ ounces or 50 grams each). Working with 1 dough portion at a time, cup dough with your palm and roll against counter into smooth, tight ball.
  4. Place dough balls in prepared dish in 3 rows of four. Cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat remaining egg with remaining pinch salt. Brush tops of rolls evenly with egg mixture (you may have some left over). Bake until rolls are deep golden brown and register 200 to 205 degrees in center, about 20 minutes.
  6. herb butter

  7. FOR THE GARLIC– Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and salt and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in parsley.
  8. Remove dish from oven and let rolls cool in dish for 15 minutes. Brush tops and sides of warm rolls with garlic-herb butter (use all of it). Let rolls sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm.TO MAKE AHEAD: Before second rise in step 4, cover dough balls with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let dough balls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding with step 5.
Garlic–Herb Butter Rolls
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Elle Simone.

Garlic–Herb Butter Rolls

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Time

1 hour, plus 1 hour 50 minutes rising and cooling

Yield

Makes 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough

¾ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon, softened, for baking dish
2 large eggs, divided
2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon plus pinch table salt, divided

Garlic–Herb Butter

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dough

¾ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon, softened, for baking dish
2 large eggs, divided
2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon plus pinch table salt, divided

Garlic–Herb Butter

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dough

¾ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon, softened, for baking dish
2 large eggs, divided
2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon plus pinch table salt, divided

Garlic–Herb Butter

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

UPDATE: This recipe has been slightly reformulated to be more failproof since its initial publication. The revision you see here was published in November of 2021. With this recipe, homemade rolls are worth it. We started by mixing together a simple yeasted dough. We chose to use a technique called autolyse, which helped the flour become fully hydrated, making for an easier dough to work with that rose more consistently. After the initial rise, we portioned the dough into 12 even pieces and rolled them into tight balls on an unfloured counter using our cupped palm. We let the dough balls rise for another 30 minutes before baking them. When the rolls came out of the oven, we slathered them with a mixture of butter, garlic, and parsley for a showstopping finish. The dough can be made and shaped ahead of time, helping fit these rolls into any schedule—even during the holidays. 

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using a ceramic baking dish. If you choose to use a metal baking pan, check the rolls for doneness 5 minutes early in step 5. The slight tackiness of the dough aids in rolling it into smooth balls in step 3, so do not dust your counter with flour.

Instructions

    for the dough

  1.  Whisk milk, melted butter, and 1 egg together in bowl of stand mixer. Add flour and yeast. Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on medium speed until dough comes together and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down dough hook and bowl as needed. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap, and let dough stand for 15 minutes.
  2. Add sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and knead dough on medium speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to knead until dough begins to pull away from sides and bottom of bowl (dough will be sticky), 8 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer dough to greased large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  3. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish with softened butter. Turn out dough onto clean counter and divide into 12 equal portions (about 1¾ ounces or 50 grams each). Working with 1 dough portion at a time, cup dough with your palm and roll against counter into smooth, tight ball.
  4. Place dough balls in prepared dish in 3 rows of four. Cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat remaining egg with remaining pinch salt. Brush tops of rolls evenly with egg mixture (you may have some left over). Bake until rolls are deep golden brown and register 200 to 205 degrees in center, about 20 minutes.
  6. herb butter

  7. FOR THE GARLIC– Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and salt and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in parsley.
  8. Remove dish from oven and let rolls cool in dish for 15 minutes. Brush tops and sides of warm rolls with garlic-herb butter (use all of it). Let rolls sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm.TO MAKE AHEAD: Before second rise in step 4, cover dough balls with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let dough balls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding with step 5.

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