Quick Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls (No Yeast)

8 garlic butter topped rolled assembled on a baking paper lined wooden board with bowl of garlic butter in the background and one roll torn open.

5 from 1 vote

Quick Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls (No Yeast)

These soft garlic butter dinner rolls are your no-fuss shortcut to warm, homemade garlic bread. Mix flour and yogurt, form into rolls, pop in the oven, and brush with a divine garlic herb butter. No yeast, no kneading, no rising time. On the table in just 45 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dinner rolls, garlic bread bites, yogurt dough rolls

Servings: rolls

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Equipment

1 Loaf tin 900g capacity (approximately 8"/21cm long, 4"/11cm wide, and 3" high/7cm). But you can make them on a regular sheet pan too. You’ll also need parchment paper.

Ingredients

For the garlic butter dinner rolls -

300 g self-raising flour approximately 2 cups (or use all-purpose flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder)
280 g thick Greek yogurt (1 cup + 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk or water for brushing

For the garlic butter -

3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter roughly ⅓ of a stick or 50g
4 cloves garlic crushed or grated
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
1 teaspoon flaky salt

Instructions

Prepare your loaf pan.
Start by lining your loaf pan (or sheet pan) with parchment paper and heating your oven to 350°F ( 180°C fan bake). The easiest way I’ve found to line a pan like this is to cut two strips of baking paper - one that covers the length of the tin, and one that covers the width. Have a look at the process photos above to see an example of this.
Mix the dough.
Add 300g (2 cups) self-raising flour, 280g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) of Greek yogurt, and 1 teaspoon of salt into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix it until little lumps start to form.
At this point, go in with your hands, squeezing any lumps of yogurt into the flour until a cohesive dough forms. It’s not a very smooth dough, so don’t worry if it looks a little rustic.

The dough shouldn't be super sticky, but it should feel a bit tacky. If it's VERY sticky, sprinkle it with a little extra flour and gently work it into the dough.

Shape the rolls.
Transfer the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Press it into a rough rectangle, then cut it into 8 pieces. You can use a scale if you want to be precise with this.
Roll each piece into a ball with your hands, then place them into the prepared loaf pan or lined sheet pan. 8 rolls should fit snugly in two rows of 4.

You want these rolls to be touching so you get that pull-apart effect. Alternatively, use a regular parchment paper-lined sheet pan and place the rolls close together. Or spread them further apart if you don’t want them to join together while baking.

Bake the rolls.
Brush the tops of the rolls with milk (or water), then pop them into the oven for 30 minutes.
Make the garlic butter sauce.
Set a small pan over low heat and add your butter. Let it melt, then add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of flaky salt. Cook, stirring for a couple of minutes, just to take the edge off the raw garlic.
Remove from the heat, then stir through the rosemary. Set aside.
Brush the rolls with garlic butter.
After 30 minutes in the oven, the rolls should be looking gorgeously golden brown on top and be pulling away from the edges. If they still look a little pale, keep them in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, then check again. Remove the pan from the oven, then brush the rolls all over with the garlic butter while they’re still hot.
Use the parchment paper to lift the rolls out of the tin and place them on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
You probably won’t use all the garlic butter, so I like to serve the rest on the side for dipping.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: Make sure you're using a thick Greek or Greek-style yogurt - runnier, plain yogurt can make the dough sticky and harder to work with, and you'll need to add more flour to help it come together. This will make the rolls dense and doughy. You can use fat-free Greek yogurt, sour cream, or whipped cottage cheese.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The rolls will last for 3 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature - just give them a quick 30 seconds in the microwave or a couple of minutes in the air fryer to freshen them up after the first day.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Once baked, I like to freeze them in zip-lock bags for easy storage. You can cook them from frozen in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C fan), or let them defrost on the counter overnight. Or, if they're unbaked, once you've shaped the rolls, place them on a tray and freeze until solid, then pop them into a freezer bag or container. You can bake them straight from frozen at the same temperature - just add roughly five or so minutes to the cook time.

LEFTOVER GARLIC BUTTER? The garlic butter sauce makes more than you'll need - but it's wonderful with so many things. Just reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, then drizzle over grilled chicken, salmon, make garlic butter potatoes, or use it as a quick pasta sauce.

If you like this recipe - you might like my series of recipes using this same 2-ingredient base dough. From pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls, two-ingredient dough Greek yogurt pizza, Greek yogurt bagels, 2-ingredient dough garlic naan, Greek yogurt donut holes and cheese and herb scones, it's amazing what this dough can be used for.

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