Easy Pull Apart Garlic Rolls Recipe

Looking for a side dish that will have everyone singing your praises? These garlic rolls are hard to beat! They are soft and tender, and the garlic butter glaze makes them simply irresistible!

They are made in layers, so they are pretty, and also fun to eat. Not only are they wonderful for dipping in soup, we love them with any Italian recipe. But I’ve also served them with chicken and beef and my family gobbles them right up. 

I got this recipe for garlic dinner rolls from my sister in law Molly. She made them for a family dinner years ago, and we were all in heaven. I made sure to get the recipe, and they have been a family favorite ever since.

We actually call them Molly’s rolls, and my kids frequently request them. When I asked what type of rolls they wanted for Easter dinner this year, every one of them emphatically asked for “Molly’s rolls!” They were definitely the hit of the meal. 🙂

EASY PULL APART GARLIC ROLLS WITH BUTTER GLAZE 

The dough is really easy to make, only has a few ingredients, and you don’t even have to knead the dough. Don’t be intimidated by making them into pull aparts. It’s quite simple, just follow my directions below.

You don’t need to stress over the size of the pieces you are cutting. It all works out in the end. I use a small drinking glass, but you can use a biscuit cutter if you prefer.

It is so satisfying to pull apart the layers before shoving them in your mouth. I usually make 3-4 layers per roll, but you can make more or less depending on the size of pieces you cut. As long as you divide the dough evenly between 24 muffin cups, it will work.

(The printable recipe card is at the bottom of the post.)

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC ROLLS

Ingredients needed:

• warm water (between 110° and 115°)
• granulated sugar (feeds the yeast so the rolls will rise)
• instant yeast (I use SAF brand. If you don’t use instant yeast, you need to dissolve it in water first, and let the dough rise till doubled before forming it into rolls.)
• salt (It not only adds flavor, it regulates the yeast so that it doesn’t rise too fast.)
• soy lethicin (This ingredient is optional. It makes the dough extra soft and pliable, but you can omit it if you don’t have any.)
• bread flour (all purpose flour will also work)

Note: The dough doesn’t contain any oil or other fat, so that’s why I like to add the soy lethicin. It may seem like you are adding a lot of garlic butter to the rolls, but since the dough has no fat, it balances out.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray 24 muffin cups with non stick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Mix water, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add soy lecithin if desired.
3. Add about 2 1/2 cups of flour and beat until smooth and elastic (takes about 5 minutes). Stir in additional flour till you have a soft dough that is pliable and not sticky.
4. Let dough rest 5 minutes, then roll out on a counter sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
5. Cut dough into small pieces with the edge of a glass or cup. They do not need to be exactly the same size.
   
6. Place 3-4 cut pieces into prepared muffin cups. It’s fine if some have 3 and some have four. When you are finished, if you have extra dough, just cut it into small pieces and tuck it into the cups that don’t look as full. 
   
7. Whisk together the garlic butter ingredients and brush the tops of the rolls lightly with the mixture.
   
8. Let rolls rise for 20- 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
9. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. (The bottoms tend to brown quickly, I like to cook mine on an upper rack).
10. Brush the remaining garlic butter over the hot rolls. It may seem like a lot, but trust me, you want to use all of it. It will soak into all the nooks and crannies and make them taste amazing!
    

These rolls are best served hot out of the oven. Seriously, so good!

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING GARLIC BUTTER ROLLS

• If you aren’t sure if your yeast is good, test it by placing a small amount in 1/4 cup of warm water with about a half teaspoon of sugar. If after 10 minutes, it isn’t bubbling, you need to replace it.
• If you are new to bread baking and aren’t sure how warm your water should be, use a thermometer. If it’s too cool, your rolls won’t rise very quickly. Even worse, if it’s too hot, it will kill your yeast.
• You don’t want a sticky dough, but you just want to add enough flour so that it doesn’t stick to your fingers. If you add too much flour, your rolls will be dry.
• Soy lecithin makes the rolls extra soft, but you can leave it out, or add a couple tablespoons of oil instead.
• If you don’t use salted butter, you will want to add a pinch of salt to the garlic butter glaze.
• Yes, it’s true, canned parmesan cheese works better for these rolls. If all you have is freshly grated parmesan, you are going to want to chop it very finely.

MORE AMAZING YEAST BREAD RECIPES:

• White Italian Bread
• Naan Bread Recipe
• Rosemary Bread
• One Hour Dinner Rolls
• No-Knead Artisan Bread
• Soft Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
• Gooey Cinnamon Rolls
• Lemon Rolls
• Cornmeal Rolls
• Focaccia with Cheese

GARLIC ROLLS RECIPE

These homemade garlic butter rolls are soft, tender, and slathered in an amazing garlic herb butter both before and after baking. A perfect roll recipe for garlic lovers.