Name: Cast Iron Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 185 min
Ingredients: 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); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted); 3 cloves garlic (finely minced); 2 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley; Freshly grated parmesan cheese; Flakey sea salt

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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!

Cast iron skillet with garlic butter dinner rolls surrounded by fresh parsley

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

adding milk, butter, flour, and yeast to make bread 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

rolling out dough and forming into balls with hands

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

dinner bread rolls in a cast iron skillet pre-bake

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

cast iron skillet filled with fluffy dinner rolls with salt and garlic butter in bowls on outside

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.