Garlic Butter Dough Balls Recipe: Soft, Cheesy Pull-Apart Rolls

Easy homemade dough balls with garlic butter — even better than those from Pizza Express. These soft, golden bites are ideal for sharing or serving as a side dish.

Post may contain affiliate links. For more information, check my disclosure

Dough balls with garlic butter are my favourite thing to order at the local pizza place — warm, pillowy and impossible to resist. If you’d like to enjoy them at home, this straightforward recipe produces soft, fluffy dough balls with a rich garlic butter glaze. They work brilliantly as an appetizer for a party or a comforting side to pasta.

Here’s what you will need

You can make the dough by hand, with an electric hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. The ingredients below create a simple, reliable dough and a flavourful garlic butter topping:

• Strong white bread flour — high-protein flour helps build gluten for a light, chewy texture.
• Rapid rise yeast — also called quick-rise or fast-acting yeast; sprinkle directly into the dry ingredients.
• Sugar, salt and garlic powder for seasoning.
• Olive oil (or sunflower oil) for the dough and the bowl.
• Tepid water to encourage a good rise.
• For the garlic butter: softened unsalted butter, minced garlic (or garlic powder), dried or fresh parsley, olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

How to Make Garlic Dough Balls

1. Measure the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, salt and garlic powder, then stir to combine.
2. Pour in the tepid water and olive oil. Knead with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, an electric hand mixer, or by hand until the dough forms a smooth, elastic ball.
3. Lightly oil the inside of the bowl, turn the dough to coat, cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size — about 1 to 1½ hours depending on kitchen temperature.
4. Punch the dough down to release the air and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

5. Briefly knead, then divide the dough into 12 even pieces. You can weigh them or estimate by eye.

6. Roll each piece between your palms to form a smooth ball. Place the balls on a lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and allow them to rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
7. Bake for 12–15 minutes until risen and golden.

7. While the dough balls bake, mix the garlic butter: combine softened unsalted butter, minced garlic (or garlic powder), dried parsley, garlic powder, a pinch of sea salt and a splash of olive oil in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.

8. When the dough balls are warm from the oven, brush them generously with the garlic butter and serve immediately alongside your favourite pasta or as a dipping snack.

Storing and Freezing

Store baked dough balls wrapped in a linen towel at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven or an air fryer to refresh them, and brush with extra garlic butter before serving.

You can freeze raw dough balls after the second rise for up to three months; bake them from frozen following the same instructions, allowing a little extra time if needed. Cooked leftovers freeze well too — wrap them in plastic and foil and keep for up to three months. Reheat in the oven or air fryer until warmed through.

Recipe Notes

• Prepare ahead: Refrigerate shaped dough balls for slower proofing and shape the dough ahead of time if you prefer. Bring refrigerated dough to room temperature to finish rising before baking.
• Poke test: Gently press the dough with a finger. If it springs back quickly it needs more proofing. If the indentation fills back slowly, it’s ready. If it doesn’t fill in at all, it may be over-proofed.
• How to roll: On a lightly floured surface, cup the dough in your hands and roll in a circular motion to create a smooth, even ball with a taut surface.

Tried this recipe? Leave a review and a comment to let me know how your dough balls turned out — and feel free to share a photo on Instagram or Pinterest using the tag #supergoldenbakes.

5 from 2 votes

Dough Balls with Garlic Butter

By
Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

Easy homemade dough balls with garlic butter. These copycat Pizza Express garlic dough balls are perfect for sharing or serving as a side dish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Proofing: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Servings: 12

Equipment

• Digital scales
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Garlic press
• Stand mixer (optional)
• Cordless hand mixer (optional)

Ingredients

Dough Balls

• 2 cups (250g) bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 2 ¼ tsp (1x7g packet) rapid rise yeast
• 1 ½ tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ cup (125ml) slightly warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the bowl

Garlic Butter

• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Measure the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, salt and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
2. Pour in the water and olive oil. Knead with a stand mixer, electric hand mixer or by hand until a smooth dough forms.
3. Lightly oil the bowl, turn the dough to coat, cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1–1½ hours.
4. Punch down the dough, turn out onto a work surface and briefly knead. Divide into 12 pieces and roll each into a smooth ball.
5. Place the balls on a lined baking sheet, allow to rise for 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden.
6. Meanwhile, mix the garlic butter ingredients in a small bowl until combined.
7. Brush the warm dough balls with garlic butter and serve immediately.

Notes

Storing and Freezing

• Store baked dough balls wrapped in a linen towel at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.
• Freeze raw dough balls after the second rise for up to three months and bake from frozen. Leftovers can be frozen as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 187 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 19 g |
Protein: 3 g |
Fat: 11 g

Nutritional information is approximate and depends on ingredients and serving sizes.