Brioche dinner rolls are the ultimate side dish to any lunch or dinner. These rolls are classic, buttery, and simply delicious. Perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Easy to dip in numerous sauces or make little sandwiches with the leftovers. A meal just isn’t complete without a delicious roll right? The true kicker to these rolls is a hint of brown butter with garlic…nom..nom..nom
Why Brioche Dinner rolls?
Don’t be intimated by bread, it’s actually rather simple to make. Instead, of a basic dinner roll we went in for an explosive taste profile. This recipe is about making the incredible eggy/buttery brioche bread, with a twist. What’s the twist? These rolls have roughly 3 eggs and a tasty garlic butter. Those sudden changes really make the dinner rolls stand out from all the rest.
We know many people say they have the best dinner rolls….But, no disrespect, these ARE the BEST ROLLS for ANY PARTY PERIOD! These rolls are crowd favorites and easy to manipulate for other recipes. What do you mean? The dinner rolls could be used to make remarkable sliders. Since brioche bread is filled with egg yolk and butter goodness it’s rich and flavorful. Brioche dinner rolls are fantastic statement makers suitable for any occasion….especially holiday dinners/parties.
Why are these Pull-apart Rolls the best?
- Made at home with love and care.
- Every bite contains a richness filled with garlic, butter, and all that goodness.
- They’re soft and fluffy.
- The smell is heavenly.
- Once you taste one…you’ll always want more.
How do you make brioche dinner rolls?
These dinner rolls are amazing…they come out flawless. We want to ensure your success with bread making, so below is your guide to making brioche dinner rolls.
First Step: Making Brown Butter with Garlic
Let’s talk about the difference between brown butter and burnt butter. Sometimes people have this misconception that brown butter means burnt butter. There is a difference between brown and simply burnt butter. Brown butter is that beautiful caramel color. The color comes from cooking the milk solids inside the butter for a few minutes. If you didn’t know butter contains 80% fat and 20% a mixture of milk solids/water.
When you allow the butter to cook for a few minutes you’ll start to notice a pleasant smell. The smell is a combination of roasted nuts and caramel. If the butter cooks for just a few minutes more. You’ll notice an unpleasant smell and unfortunately the butter is now burnt. There’s a fine line between the brown and burnt butter. It’s important to watch the butter carefully in order to avoid an undesired product.
How do you make brown butter with garlic? Using a small or medium sized saucepan add 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Melt this butter over medium heat. In order to see the color of the butter, I recommend using a light colored pan or turning on the light over the stove. Whisk the pan around occasionally. The butter will begin to brown when foam occurs. Once you notice a nutty scent, remove the butter from the heat. Add in the finely grated garlic. Transfer the garlic butter to a small container and allow it to fully cool down (solidified) before using.
Second Step: Making the dough
Can’t make bread without dough. Since this recipe is about making brioche rolls, the dough can be rather sticky. We suggest using an electric stand mixer like The KitchenAid to knead the dough. Doing it by hand is completely possible as well, but we are just lazy. The trick to the perfect dough is using the right milk temperature and just the right amount of salt. If the milk is too hot, the yeast will become damaged and dead. Leading to an undesirable structure and taste. If too much salt if added, the yeast will become dehydrated. Bottom line, make sure you use milk that’s warm to the touch (120 degrees F) and use the amount of salt listed.
How to make the dough light and fluffy?
The trick to a light and fluffy dinner roll is tangzhong. This technique leads to an incredibly fluffy and light bread/roll. What on earth is tangzhong? It’s a Japanese yeast bread technique, that cooks a small portion of the flour and liquid before making the dough. The cooked sticky gluey mixture is added into the dough after the yeast milk mixture is incorporated. What’s really going on with the dough? After adding the tangzhong mixture, the rest of the dough develops more gluten. Which simply means the liquid (milk and/or water) is quickly absorbed into the dough. Leaving you with a well hydrated non-sticky fluffy dough.
Since the dough has retained more water, once baked the dinner rolls are phenomenal. The end product is moist, soft, and stays fresher longer than other rolls.
Third Step: 1st Rise of the Dough
Once kneading the dough, you want to transfer the dough to a clean large greased up bowl. Garlic butter and a mild oil (such vegetable oil) are added to the bowl to prevent the dough from sticking. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm area until the dough doubles in size. Why does the dough need to rise? Just like relationships, after having an intense conversation, you need a break. Allowing the dough to rest, helps the yeast do its role. During the rising process, the yeast ferments the sugar and develops the dough. This step helps improve the flavor and structure of the soon to be dinner rolls.
Fourth Step: Weighing and Shaping the Brioche Dinner Rolls
After the dough doubles in size, punch it like you mean it. Literally remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough down. For this step, a scale as well as bench scraper is highly recommended. The bench scraper ensures even cuts of the dough. The scale is used to double check each little ball weighs the same. To make life easier, grab your kitchen scale and weigh the entire bread dough. Simply, take that number and divide it by 15. That’s how much each little dinner roll should weigh.
Once all the dough is weighed out, it’s time to shape the rolls. Lightly dust a clean surface with bread flour, not too much or this will lead to dry tough dinner rolls. Take one roll at the time (hahaha), sorry…Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough in tight circles. The motion should be similar to washing your car, but done in smaller circles. More directions on this technique are explained in the recipe below. Once all the rolls are perfectly shaped, it’s time for the next step.
Fifth Step: Proofing the Dinner Rolls
Once all the dinner rolls are smoothly shaped, transfer them to a lined parchment paper. Using parchment paper just makes it easier to remove the rolls once baked. Another tip: spread oil on your baking pan before adding the parchment paper. This just simply adds a little moisture during the proofing process. Spread out the brioche dinner rolls on the lined sheet. The dinner rolls should have a little distance between each other. Lightly cover the pan with parchment paper and allow the rolls to double in size. During this process, you’ll notice the rolls bonding together and becoming friends. Once this happens you’re ready to bake.
Sixth Step : Egg Wash & Baking the Dinner Rolls
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl whisk together one egg and a few tablespoons of whole milk. Once thoroughly whisked, brush the egg wash over each unbaked brioche dinner rolls. The egg wash provides a nice sheen to the rolls. Bake the rolls until golden brown 20-30 minutes, depending on oven variation.
Seventh Step: Finishing Touch to an amazing Brioche Dinner Roll
Final step to these dreamy brioche dinner rolls is garlic butter and flaky sea salt, which could be purchased on Amazon or certain grocery stores like Whole Foods. Minutes before the dinner rolls are ready, if solidified, reheat the garlic butter from earlier. As soon as the dinner rolls come up, brush the amazing brown butter over each roll. Quickly sprinkle from a high area (for even distribution) the flaky sea salt. Serve hot.
Looking for meals to serve with these delicious brioche dinner rolls?
Check out the links below:
Brioche Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 12 Tbsp European Unsalted butter divided and soften
- 2 cloves Garlic finely grated
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2½ Tbsp Sugar
- 1½ tsp Sea Salt
- 3 Tbsp Water
- 3/4 Cup Whole Milk plus 1 tablespoon
- 2½ cups Bread Flour plus 3 tablespoons
- 2¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast
- Neutral oil for the bowl
- Flaky Sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Before Making the Dough:
- Place 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter into a small bowl and set aside. Add the remaining unsalted butter into a small saucepan and cook for 5 minutes (with constant swirling) or until the butter begins to foam. Remove the butter from the heat and add in the finely grated garlic. Scrape the milk solids from the bottom of the saucepan along with the butter and garlic into a small bowl and allow it to cool down before using (approx 20 minutes).
- Using the same saucepan add in 1/4 cup of whole milk, 3 tablespoons of bread flour, and 3 tablespoons of water. Place the pan over medium heat and constantly whisk together the ingredients until a stiff paste is observed (approx 2 minutes). The paste resembles the texture of mashed potatoes. Scrape the paste into the bowl of an electric standing mixer.
- Lastly, in the saucepan add in the remaining 1/2 cup of whole milk. Heat the milk over medium heat until warm to the touch (not piping hot). Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 1 minute. Then stir in the active dry yeast and allow the mixture to mingle for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
Making the Brioche Dinner Rolls:
- Brush a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the garlic butter and 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Set aside 4 tablespoons of the garlic butter for brushing onto the brioche rolls once baked.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the yeast mixture, sugar, and 2½ cups of bread flour to the paste in the electric mixer bowl. Using the dough hook, mix of low speed until the dough looks shaggy. Increase the speed to medium and add in 2 eggs (one at a time) and the 1 egg yolk. Note: The remaining egg will be used later for the egg wash.
- Add in the sea salt and allow the dough to mix on medium speed until a massive ball is formed (approx 2-3 minutes). Decrease the speed to low and add in the 2 remaining tablespoons of garlic butter (one at a time). Once fully incorporated add in 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, again one at time. Increase the mixer speed back to medium and allow the dough to mix until smooth and soft (approx 8-11 minutes).
- Remove the dough from the mixer, form a nicely shaped ball and place the dough into the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in a warm area for 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size.
- Punch the dough and knead for 2 minutes to deflate the dough. Next, weigh the dough and based on that number divide the dough equally into 15 pieces (weighing 48-60 grams each). Working with one piece at a time, cover the rest with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. In a clean working space, fold the edges of the dough underneath and pinch the bottom to seal the roll. Turn the dough at 90 degree angles while constantly pinching and folding the dough. Continue this process until the dough looks smooth with only seams at the bottom of the roll. Place the palm on your hand directly on top of the roll and rotate the dough in a circular motion. Then, push the dough forward and backwards (push it away from you then bring the dough towards you). Repeat this process for 1 minute. Transfer this round dinner roll onto the lined parchment paper. Continue this process for the remaining 14 pieces.
- Spread out the dinner rolls on the baking sheet. The dinner rolls should have a little distance between each other. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to proof in a warm area (double in size) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. During this process, you'll notice the rolls bonding together and becoming friends. Once this happens you're ready to bake.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of whole milk together. Push the egg wash gently on top of the rolls. Bake the dinner rolls until deep golden brown 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer the pan onto a wire rack and brush the warm rolls with the remaining garlic butter (4 tablespoons). Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top.
- Serve warm. Enjoy.