Buttery Garlic And Herb Fan Rolls Recipe

If you're a fan of warm, soft rolls that are bursting with flavor, you're in for a treat! With their beautifully folded shape, these buttery garlic and herb fan rolls by recipe developer Annabelle Randles are not only visually stunning, but they are also packed with an irresistible combination of garlic and herbs. Each soft and pillowy layer melts in your mouth, and the rolls can be served as an appetizer or a side dish with soup or a main course. However you serve them, add them to your bread basket and know that they will disappear very quickly.

What's more, this unique bread recipe is fun and easy to make. The simple dough comes together with all-purpose flour, which gives the rolls a soft and tender crumb. The dough is then rolled out by hand, brushed with garlic butter, stacked, and cut into squares to create a fan shape. Finally, the squares are baked in a muffin pan, giving these rolls their signature shape and texture. 

To make these buttery garlic and herb fan rolls, you will need some all-purpose flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, Italian seasoning, whole milk, egg, butter, garlic cloves, and parsley. As for equipment, be sure you have a rolling pin and a 12-hole nonstick muffin tin on hand.

To make the dough, stir together flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and Italian seasoning in a mixing bowl.

Add milk, egg, and butter.

Knead dough in the bowl until it is elastic and supple, about 5 minutes if using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or 10 minutes if kneading by hand.

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave dough to rise in a warm room for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, grease a nonstick muffin tin with butter and set aside.

Make the garlic butter: Melt butter in a pan and stir in salt, garlic, and parsley. Set aside.

Once the dough has risen, punch it with your fist to deflate it.

Cut the dough in half to make 2 dough balls.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first dough ball into a 12x12-inch square.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the square into 6 (12x2-inch) strips.

Brush the tops of 5 strips with garlic butter (you won't use it all in this step), leaving 1 strip unbuttered.

Stack the buttered strips on top of one another (buttered side-up), finishing with the unbuttered strip.

Using a sharp knife, cut the stack into 6 even squares measuring 2x2 inches. Set aside.

Repeat steps 9-13 with the second dough ball. You should have a total of 12 (2x2-inch) squares of stacked dough and roughly 6 remaining tablespoons garlic butter to use in step 19.

Add 1 dough square, turned on its side so the stacked layers show, to each cup in the muffin tin.

Cover muffin tin with a clean kitchen towel and leave rolls to rise in a warm room for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until rolls have doubled in size.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F.

Bake rolls until golden, about 20-25 minutes.

Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven, brush the tops generously with garlic butter. Let cool slightly before serving.

Whether you are planning a cozy family dinner or hosting a festive holiday feast, these buttery garlic and herb fan rolls are versatile and pair well with a variety of savory dishes — and make a nice change from classic dinner rolls or garlic bread. These rolls are perfect for dipping into warm soups, such as tomato basil soup, creamy potato soup, or a hearty minestrone. Randles also likes to serve these with all types of pasta dishes, including homemade 4-cheese lasagna.

Because fan rolls pull apart so easily, you can also serve them as part of a shareable spread, such as on a cheese board or with dips and spreads like hummus, spinach and artichoke dip, olive tapenade, or muhammara. Further, their garlicky flavor complements fish and seafood dishes, Caesar salad, or grilled or roasted vegetables alike. These rolls are also perfect for soaking up juices and gravies from dishes like roast chicken, beef stew, pot roast, or vegetarian bean stew.

There are many ways you can customize this recipe. One word of caution though, if you are thinking of adding more garlic: Randles advises keeping any extra garlic separate from the yeast during the initial stages of dough preparation. Garlic contains allicin, a potent antimicrobial that can sometimes interfere with yeast and prevent the dough from rising properly.

Feel free to experiment with different herbs in the garlic butter mixture. Try adding basil, cilantro, dill, or tarragon. The Italian seasoning in the dough can also be swapped for herbes de Provence. For a spicy variation, add a pinch of red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika, or finely diced jalapeños to the garlic butter mixture.

You can also make cheesy fan rolls by adding shredded cheese, like cheddar or Parmesan, to the dough or sprinkling it on top of the rolls before baking. If you would like to make vegan rolls, you can swap the butter for a plant-based alternative.