Garlic Butter Bread Pull-Apart (Printable)

Soft, golden bread rolls generously coated in aromatic garlic butter, baked together for a pull-apart, shareable treat.

# Ingredient List:

→ Bread Dough

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2¼ tsp (1 packet) instant yeast
03 - 1 tsp sugar
04 - 1 tsp salt
05 - 1 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
06 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

→ Garlic Butter

07 - 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
08 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
09 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
10 - ¼ tsp salt
11 - ¼ tsp ground black pepper

→ For Topping

12 - 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

# How to Make:

01 - In a large bowl, combine flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Pour in warm milk and melted butter. Mix until a rough dough forms.
02 - Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 7–8 minutes until smooth and elastic. (Or use a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5 minutes.)
03 - Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
04 - Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix melted butter, minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
05 - Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.
06 - Dip each dough ball in the garlic butter, coating well, and arrange them in a greased 9-inch round cake pan or skillet. Drizzle any remaining garlic butter over the top.
07 - Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 20–30 minutes until slightly puffy.
08 - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
09 - Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if using.
10 - Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and cooked through.
11 - Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm, pull-apart style.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They bake as one beautiful thing but separate into individual, pull-apart moments of pure comfort.
  • The aroma while they're in the oven is so good it feels almost unfair to your family or guests.
  • You can prep them ahead and let them rise in the fridge, making last-minute entertaining actually possible.
02 -
  • Garlic butter burns at high temperatures, so resist the urge to bake hotter or faster—low and slow is what keeps it fragrant instead of bitter.
  • The second rise is shorter than the first because the dough is already tired, and over-proofing makes them gummy instead of pillowy, something I discovered through trial and error.
03 -
  • If your kitchen is cold, place the dough bowl on top of your refrigerator or near a warm appliance—dough rises faster when it's genuinely warm, not just room temperature.
  • The garlic butter should still be liquid when you dip the rolls, so if it starts to set up, gently rewarm it over low heat or set the bowl in warm water for a minute.
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