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Buttery cheese Garlic Rolls

This recipe for buttery cheese garlic rolls is one of my favorites. They’re pillowy soft, delicious, and perfect for any garlic bread lover.

This recipe has been modified on 23/February/26 as we’ve seen some people struggle with the dough.

This is a recipe we always come back to. Probably every couple of weeks, you will find cheese garlic rolls in my house, and I’m not going to complain about it.

It has pillowy-soft dough, delicious garlic butter, and lots and lots of cheese.

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Most of the ingredients you probably already have at home, or can easily find at your local grocery store.

Milk: make sure it is warm to be able to activate the active dry yeast.
Active dry yeast: it needs to be fresh, not expired, not old.
Honey: We will use it to feed the yeast. You can substitute by using sugar instead.
Flours: We are using a mixture of all-purpose flour and bread flour for this recipe.
Butter: added in the last 10 minutes of kneading, it will help the dough grow and keep its shape.
Eggs: room temperature, remove them from the fridge at least one hour before starting with this recipe.
Salt: needed to enhance the flavors and just make a very delicious cheese garlic roll.
Granulated sugar: helps the dough grow, get a nice color, and flavor.
Garlic: We are using so much fresh garlic for this recipe, but you can reduce it to whatever you like most.
Extra virgin olive oil: we will use it to cook the garlic.
Parmesan cheese: I like using it as it adds a nice saltiness to the dish and more flavor than mozzarella cheese.
Mozzarella cheese: It melts beautifully. You can substitute any other cheese that you like.
Parsley: fresh parsley, preferably.

How to make the garlic butter

In the older version of this, we used whole garlic heads, but this time we decided to peel the garlic and place it in a ramekin with oil and salt. The only difference I see is that when you roast the whole garlic head, you miss some of the garlic in the skin; this way, you can use all the garlic without wasting any.

Cover the garlic with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning and make sure it has time to cook until golden brown. Bake at 302 F (150 C) for about 1h and 45 minutes. This will give the garlic a super soft texture as it slowly cooks.

To make garlic butter for garlic rolls, you need to use soft butter. Leave it at room temperature for at least 1 hour before you use it.

Mash the perfectly cooked garlic with butter and chopped parsley. It will become a nice paste; you can add some of the leftover oil from the garlic, as it will hold a lot of flavor.

Best tips for cheese garlic rolls

Knead on low speed for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you can add the soft butter and knead for 10 minutes. Adding butter after with a strong structure when rising, it will have a soft and tender crumb.
Temperatures are very important, don’t proof the dough in a cold environment. We are using a dough proofer set at 80F (27C), and we let it proof for 1h and 30 minutes, and then, after shaping for 30 minutes.
Don’t rush the proofing time; it is necessary for a soft dough. If you don’t proof it, it will become a hard rock dough.
Use fresh parsley, I believe it makes a big difference in flavor and tastes just so much better.
Feel free to swap the chosen cheeses for any other of your liking.

Grab the right tools.

For this recipe, we are going to use tools that we normally have in our houses. We mention the use of a stand mixer, but if you don’t have one, you can do the same thing, using your hands.

Stand mixer bowl or a mixing bowl: here you will need to prepare the dough mixture and knead the dough until soft.
Ramekin: to cook the garlic until soft and golden brown. If you don’t have one, you can use any baking dish you can find.
Aluminum foil: cover the garlic to prevent it from burning before it’s even cooked.
A rolling pin: roll out the dough to prepare the garlic rolls
Knife: You will need a large knife to cut the dough into strips to prepare the rolls. There’s a different list of options on how to cut them below.
A fork or masher: mash the garlic easily.
Dough proofer: not necessary, but very convenient to use if you have it. I think it’s something worth investing in when you have lots of dough in your house.
Offset spatula or spoon: to spread the butter mixture over the dough.

Recipe elaborations and order

Start cooking the garlic; it takes a lot of time.
Prepare the dough.
Grate the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Chop parsley.
Prepare the garlic butter.
Assemble.

This is the order we followed, as we think it’s what makes the most sense. While the garlic is cooking, you can prepare the dough so you don’t have to wait for the garlic to cook. Prepare the ingredients that go inside the rolls while you wait.

For example, grate the mozzarella cheese and parmesan. And chop the parsley. Prepare the garlic butter and assemble.

How to prepare the dough

Start by preparing the sponge mixture. This mixture is active dry yeast, honey, and warm milk. You mix it and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and the top of the mixture should become foamy. In this step, if you notice the yeast didn’t react, it might be due to different things: temperature, milk too hot or too cold, or the yeast is old and not fresh, which means it won’t work.

If there’s no reaction from the yeast, it’s best to start from zero using another yeast.

Once you have the sponge, you can add the rest of the dough ingredients minus the butter, which we are going to be adding in the last 10 minutes.

How to cut cheese garlic rolls

There are different methods; everyone has their own favorite. I’ll tell you all the options you have that I know of so you can choose whatever is your preferred method.

Cut into strips. Roll out the dough, spread the garlic butter, add cheese, and then cut into strips. Roll each strip individually. I love using this method, so I have more control over the final shape of the roll. I don’t worry about squishing or flattening the rolls accidentally.
Traditional way, roll out the dough, spread the prepared garlic butter, add the cheese on top, roll the dough tightly into a log, and then slice with a knife. It’s fast and efficient. The only thing I don’t like about this method is how you squish the shape too much.
Using a kitchen twine or unscented dental floss. Roll out the dough, spread the garlic butter, sprinkle the cheese, roll the dough tightly into a log, grab a long piece of twine, and put it under where you want to cut the roll. Bring the tops together and cross them, applying pressure; this will cut the rolls.

Different fillings to try

Try using different cheeses; some people have tried this with blue cheese, and they have loved it. It’s always best to choose your favorite cheese for a recipe unless something else is requested instead.
Caramelized onions. We have a recipe where we did exactly this and it was SOOO good.
Birria…just wait, and you’ll find out soon!

How to enjoy the day after

We all know homemade enriched doughs are not the same as those of days gone by. The first day, it’s super soft and pillowy. The next day, it’s drier and just not soft. If you reheat it properly, you can have it taste fresh every day.

I personally recommend you freeze it. Any leftover bread rolls you have, freeze them and then microwave them from frozen to defrost. This is my favorite way of reheating any doughy dessert, donuts, rolls, or breads. It always tastes just like fresh.

If you choose to store it in the fridge, it’s good to enjoy it for up to 4 days. Make sure to reheat them every time before you eat the cheese garlic roll so it has the best flavor and texture.

*Any food you freeze needs to have a date and a name added to the container or freezer-safe bag. Make sure you are storing it in a bag or container made to go to the freezer so it can stay safe.

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