Garlic Parmesan Herb Dinner Rolls

We combined our famous dinner roll recipe with our fan-favorite garlic parmesan herb bread for the most heavenly creation to come out of the oven. It’s like the most delicious toasted garlic bread and the fluffiest, softest dinner roll had a baby. Your house is going to smell absolutely incredible as these bake!

These rolls go great alongside a bowl of Tomato Basil Soup or pasta like Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo.

Making homemade rolls might seem like a daunting task, but trust us—our foolproof method is perfect for bakers of all levels, even beginners. You’ll start by making a simple dough, and from there, it’s all about patience. After letting the dough rise, you’ll divide it into balls, bake, and top with homemade garlic butter. The result? Soft, fresh, and delicious rolls that are impossible to resist.

Ingredient Notes

• Warm Milk: Make sure the milk is between 100°F to 110°F. Heat it on the stove or in the microwave. Use a thermometer for accuracy or test with your finger—it should feel warm but not hot. Use whole milk, 2% or 1% for best results. Skim and dairy milk alternatives can also work.
• Instant Dry Yeast: Instant yeast doesn’t need to be activated beforehand. If you only have active dry yeast, adjust the rising times slightly as noted in the instructions.
• Granulated Sugar: Yup, just regular old sugar. Brown sugar can also be used if you want to add in that hint of molasses.
• Minced Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is our go-to, but pre-minced garlic from a jar works too. It just has a slightly more bitter flavor.
• Grated Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan cheese is best, but pre-packaged grated parmesan can be used.
• Dried Herbs: Feel free to experiment with any combination of dried herbs you’d like. This is our favorite tried and true combination.
• Salt: Stick with standard table salt for accurate measurements.
• Salted Butter: Make sure you use softened butter so it mixes in to the dough. If you only have unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt.
• Eggs: Grade AA large eggs will do.
• All-Purpose Flour: Start with 2 1/2 cups and gradually add more as needed. Bread flour can be used in the same amount for a slightly chewier texture, using the same amount.

Active Dry Yeast vs Instant Dry Yeast

Instant dry yeast can be added straight to dry ingredients and doesn’t require any waiting period or proofing. It also rises a bit quicker. Active dry yeast is a bigger size of granule and generally needs to be dissolved in a liquid before adding to a recipe. It activates a bit slower so expect 10-15 minutes extra in rise time.

Go By Feel

The exact amount of flour you add in bread making can vary a great deal so it’s important to go by feel. I like to say you can feel a soft roll just by touching the dough. The dough should be smooth and slightly tacky, but still very soft and pliable. If it is sticking to your hands or the sides of the bowl, you need more flour. If you add too much flour and the dough stiffens, your rolls will also get a little stiff so always add additional flour a small amount at a time.

No Mixer? No Problem!

You can knead your dough by hand! Start out by stirring with a spoon until it becomes too difficult to stir. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead it with your hands, gradually adding in more flour and folding, pressing, and working the dough (kneading) until you have a soft and smooth dough ball that is tacky, but not sticky enough to stick to your hands. 

Garlicky Golden Brown Tops

When baking, it’s best to keep an eye on these rolls. They’re ready when the tops turn lightly golden brown. Once they reach that perfect golden hue, remove them from the oven and brush the tops with garlic butter. Let the rolls rest in the baking pan for 15 minutes to finish cooking before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Need to make your dough ahead of time while you are busy doing other things? Make your dough as directed and let it rise for the initial 90 minutes. Shape the dough into rolls and place them in your 9×13 pan. Instead of letting them rise for an additional 60 minutes, cover the shaped rolls with plastic wrap and place the pan directly into the refrigerator. While it doesn’t stop it completely, the cool temperature of the fridge will slow the growth of your yeast. Your rolls will only rise slightly while refrigerated and you can hold them this way for up to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, remove them from the fridge and allow the rolls to rise at room temperature while your oven preheats, about 30 minutes. Continue to bake as directed.