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These cast iron garlic butter dinner rolls are easy to make, baked sky high, and slathered with garlic herb butter. Fluffy, airy, and buttery, this garlic butter dinner roll recipe is the perfect side to any dish you make!
Yeast
For these garlic dinner rolls, we are going to use active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water in order to ‘activate’ the yeast.
- Warm the water up to 110F-120F. The warm water will help the yeast dissolve and ‘wake it up’ from it’s dormant packaged state. Microwave the water for about 1 minute.
- Add the whole packet of active yeast to the warmed water.
- Add sugar to the yeast, this also helps activate the yeast and keeps the bread moist while baking. Whisk the water, yeast, and sugar together.
- Allow the yeast to activate for 5 minutes.
Making dough
- In an electric stand mixer with a dough hook or dough capable blender, add: milk, eggs, melted butter, kosher salt.
- Add in bread flour and bloomed yeast. For these dinner rolls, use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. Bread flour contains more protein, which produces more gluten giving you an airy, fluffy, bread.
- On medium-low with a dough hook (or dough blade), knead for 4-5 minutes until a ball of dough is formed.
- If it’s still sticky you can add more bread flour if needed.
First rise
- Grease a bowl with butter and add dough ball
- Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Remove the towel from the dough after the 90 minutes. The dough should have doubled in size.
- Deflate the dough by pressing your fist into the middle
Forming dinner rolls
- Lightly flour a clean countertop, this will help the dough not stick
- Press dough into a circle
- Cut dough into 12 pieces using a bench scraper or large kitchen knife
- Take 1 dough piece and begin tucking and pinching dough into a ball
Second rise
- Grease the inside of your cast iron pan with butter
- Place dough balls with the seam side down.
- Cover with towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise a second time for 1 hour. The rolls will expand and fill in most of the gaps.
- Brush melted butter over the top of the dough balls and in the crevices.
Baking dinner rolls
In an oven at 375F, bake the dinner rolls for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. I rotate the cast iron skillet halfway through, so the rolls get evenly browned.
Garlic herb butter
In a small bowl, add together: unsalted butter, freshly chopped parsley, and minced garlic. Right after removing the cast iron dinner rolls from the oven, brush the garlic herb butter over the tops of the rolls. Grate fresh parmesan and sprinkle flakey sea salt over the top of the garlic butter.
Cast iron garlic butter dinner rolls
Serve the garlic butter dinner rolls fresh and warm. Using a spatula, remove whole circle of dinner rolls and place on a plate. Each roll will pull apart from each other, revealing the fluffy and airy interior.
Storing dinner rolls
- If you can resist eating these garlic dinner rolls fresh out of the oven, they will keep in a bag at room temperature for 3 days.
- After baking, you can freeze the rolls by separating them, then storing in a freezer safe bag.
- To reheat, place in oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
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Cast Iron Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
Dinner Rolls
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 cup whole milk (room temperature)
- 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted, divided)
- 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for greasing bowl and cast iron)
Garlic Herb Butter
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Flakey sea salt
Equipment
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Instructions
- In a microwave safe container, heat 1/3 cup water to 110F-120F (about a minute). Add in packet of yeast and tablespoon of sugar, and whisk to dissolve. Let the yeast bloom for 5 minutes.
- Using a stand mixer or electric mixer with dough blade, add in: room temperature milk, 3 tbsp melted butter, 2 eggs, and kosher salt. Mix in half the flour with a silicone spatula, then attach dough hook. Add in rest of bread flour and bloomed yeast. Knead on low-medium for 4-5 minutes until a smooth ball forms. If dough is still sticky, add a bit more flour.
- In a large bowl, butter the bottom and sides of the bowl and add the ball of dough. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and place somewhere warm. Allow dough to rise for 90 minutes. Dough should double in size.
- After dough has risen, deflate the dough by pressing your fist into the middle. Lightly flour your clean countertop and gently press into a circle. Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut dough into 12 even sections.
- Take one piece of dough and begin tucking and pinching dough into a ball (see in-post for photos). Repeat with all dough pieces. In a butter greased cast iron skillet, place dough balls seam side down, side by side. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise a second time for 1 hour. The rolls will expand and fill in most of the gaps.
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Brush 1 tbsp melted butter over the top of the dough balls and in the crevices.
- Bake the dinner rolls for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Rotating the cast iron skillet halfway through, so the rolls get evenly browned.
- In a small bowl make the garlic herb butter. Whisk together: 3 tbsp melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley.
- Right after removing the cast iron dinner rolls from the oven, brush the garlic herb butter over the tops of the rolls. Grate fresh parmesan and sprinkle flakey sea salt over the top of the garlic butter.
- Serve the garlic butter dinner rolls fresh and warm. Using a spatula, remove whole circle of dinner rolls and place on a plate. Each roll will pull apart from each other, revealing the fluffy and airy interior. Enjoy!
Notes
Yeast
- For these garlic dinner rolls, we are going to use active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water in order to ‘activate’ the yeast.
- The yeast will bubble and begin growing in size during the 5 minutes. If your yeast doesn’t bubble or grow, check the date it may not be good anymore.
Flour
- Use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. Bread flour contains more protein, which produces more gluten giving you an airy, fluffy, bread.
Storing
- If you can resist eating these garlic dinner rolls fresh out of the oven, they will keep in a bag at room temperature for 3 days.
- After baking, you can freeze the rolls by separating them, then storing in a freezer safe bag.
- To reheat, place in oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
