The Best Garlic Bread Bites

These garlic bread bites are super delicious and make an easy appetizer. They’re light and fluffy, coated twice in fresh garlic butter, and topped with fresh parsley and flaky salt.

These fluffy little buns are so easy to make, They can be made into 20 slider-sized buns or 25 bite-size buns. Serve these garlic bread bites at your next dinner party for a perfect appetizer or side dish to the main course. They’ll be such a hit!

a bitten garlic bread bun.

The dough

The homemade dough for the garlic bread bites is made from a lightly enriched dough – a bit like a fancy pizza dough with the addition of milk and butter. This makes it more tender and flavorful. It’s an easy recipe that makes a soft dough that can be worked by hand or in a mixer. It starts off slightly sticky as the butter is worked in but will quickly gain strength and suppleness.

For another yummy garlic bread, try these soft garlic butter rolls.

The ingredients

The dough for these garlic bites is made from basic ingredients. The full amounts will be listed in the printable recipe card below but here is a run-down.

  • All-purpose flour – with a protein level of at least 11%
  • Water
  • Milk
  • Instant yeast or active dry yeast (instant yeast will rise faster.)
  • Granulated sugar – not much, just some to feed the yeast.
  • Salt
  • Butter– room temperature unsalted butter or salted butter. You can reduce the salt in the recipe a little if using salted butter. Butter is also used as the coating for the garlic bread.
  • Fresh garlic – Lots of garlic, minced finely. This is part of the butter topping.
  • Fresh herbs – Parsley gives a pop of green freshness. You can substitute or add chopped chives or cilantro (coriander) too if you wish. Or, if you’re a basil fan try this pesto bread next!
  • Flaky salt – this gives the perfect salty finish and enhances all the flavors.
a ripped garlic bread bun.

Equipment

If you have a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook you can use that, but this recipe can easily be made by hand.

A 9×13 inch baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet for baking the garlic bread bites. The 9×13-inch baking dish will give a pull-apart style of bread.

a pastry brush brushing garlic bread bites.

Baker’s schedule

These garlic bread bites can be made in less than 4 hours. The dough undergoes two rising times – Once in a bowl, and once again once shaped.

Overnight option – For an overnight option, the dough can undergo its first rise in the refrigerator. It will rise much slower and not as much when undergoing a cold rise. This is normal. The dough will have a chance to rise much more when it undergoes its second, shaped rise, in a warm spot.

risen dough balls.

Method

The dough

Combine the milk and the water and warm them until they are lukewarm (to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C). Pour it into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix in the yeast and the sugar. If you’re using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy. This will show that your yeast is still active and viable. If using instant yeast this step can be skipped.

Add in the flour and salt and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine them into a thick and shaggy dough.

Tip this dough out onto a lightly floured workspace and knead it for a couple of minutes until it forms a smoother dough. This can be done with a stand mixer and dough hook too.

Place butter into the middle of the dough and tuck it in. Now knead or mix the dough for around 8 minutes, working in the butter, until it becomes strong and smooth. The butter will initially make it a little sticky but keep kneading until it gathers strength.

First rise

Place the dough into a lightly greased medium bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel, lid, or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm space until doubled in size. This will take around 1 hour – 1 1/2 hours depending on temperature.

The dough can also undertake a slow rise in the fridge overnight.

a bowl of risen dough.

Shaping

Punch down the dough and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured workbench. If the dough was refrigerated it will feel stiff and cold. You can let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes first for easier shaping.

Roll the dough into a 10inch /25cm log and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the log into 20 even pieces, around 1/2 inch (1.25cm) wide.

Alternatively, roll the dough into a 12.5inch / 32cm log and cut it into 25 pieces at 1/2 an inch wide.

Shape each piece into a little ball and place them into a greased or parchment paper-lined baking dish or large baking sheet. Let the dough balls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.

a hand holding a dough ball.

Garlic butter

When the dough has about finished rising for the second time, make the garlic butter. Firstly, peel the garlic cloves and mince them or use a knife to finely chop them. Secondly, combine butter and garlic in a saucepan and melt them together. If using unsalted butter, add a generous pinch of salt to the butter.

Let the butter come to a simmer and cook the garlic for around one minute. Remove the butter from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Finally, use a pastry brush to brush the bites generously with the melted butter. You can leave the bits of garlic behind, as you’ll add those onto the baked bread later (so it doesn’t burn in the oven.)

a brush brushing dough with butter.

Baking

Bake the garlic bread bites for around 22 minutes until golden brown. If you are serving the bread right away, use a pastry brush to brush them liberally with the remaining butter mixture, including all the minced garlic.

Sprinkle with flaky salt and chopped parsley.

a tray of baked garlic bread bites with green parsley.

Serving

If you’re not serving the garlic bread bites straight away, hold off from adding the remaining butter and toppings. When it’s time to serve, meltdown the remaining butter again and coat the bites. Then top with the herbs and salt.

Serve the bites alongside marinara sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Storing

Leftover garlic bites can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave to make them fluffy again as the days pass.

They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw on the bench and warm them up gently in the microwave.

Related recipes

mini garlic buns with parsley and flaky salt.
a bitten garlic bread bun.

The Best Garlic Bread Bites

Yield: 20-25
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

These garlic bread bites are super delicious and make an easy appetizer. They're fluffy buns coated in garlic butter and topped with herbs and flaky salt.

Ingredients

  • 160g (2/3 cup) milk
  • 120g (1/2 cup) water
  • 12.5g (1 Tablespoon) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast
  • 440g (3 1/2 cups*) all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 8g (1 ½ teaspoon) salt
  • 30g (2 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Garlic butter

  • 100g butter
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • Pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)

Topping

  • Fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • Flaky salt

Instructions

  1. Combine the milk and the water and warm them until they are lukewarm (to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C). Pour it into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  2. Mix in the yeast and the sugar. If you're using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy. This will show that your yeast is still active and viable. If using instant yeast this foaming step can be skipped and you can just continue with adding the flour.
  3. Add in the flour and salt and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine them into a thick and shaggy dough.
  4. Tip this dough out onto a lightly floured workspace and knead it for a couple of minutes until it forms a smoother dough. This can be done with a stand mixer and dough hook too.
  5. Place butter into the middle of the dough and tuck it in. Now knead or mix the dough for around 8 minutes, working in the butter, until it becomes strong and smooth. The butter will initially make it a little sticky but keep kneading until it gathers strength.
  6. Place the dough into a lightly greased medium bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel, lid, or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm space until doubled in size. This can take around 1 hour - 1 ½ hours depending on the room temperature.

Shaping

  1. Punch down the dough and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured workbench.
  2. Roll the dough into a 10inch /25cm log and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the log into 20 even pieces, around ½ inch (1.25cm) wide.
  3. For smaller bites, roll the dough into a 12.5inch / 32cm log and cut it into 25 pieces at ½ an inch wide.
  4. Shape each piece into a little ball and place them into a greased or parchment paper-lined baking dish or large baking sheet.
  5. Let the dough balls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.

Garlic butter

  1. When the dough has about finished rising for the second time, make the garlic butter. Peel the garlic cloves and mince them or use a knife to finely chop them.
  2. Combine the butter and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Let the butter melt and come to a simmer. Once simmering cook the garlic for around one minute. Remove the butter from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
  4. Finally, use a pastry brush to brush the bites generously with about 1/3 of the melted butter. You can leave the bits of garlic behind, as you'll add those onto the baked bread later (so it doesn't burn in the oven.)

Baking

  1. While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 190°C/374°F.
  2. Bake the garlic bread bites for around 20 minutes until golden brown.
  3. Once baked, if you are serving the bread right away, use a pastry brush to brush them liberally with the remaining butter mixture, including all the minced garlic.
  4. Sprinkle with flaky salt and chopped parsley.
  5. If you're not serving the garlic bread bites straight away, hold off from adding the remaining butter and toppings. When it's time to serve, meltdown the remaining butter again and coat the bites. Then top with the herbs and salt.

Notes

* the cup sizes given are for US-sized cups which are smaller than metric cups. For best results use a scale and measure in grams.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 129Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 59mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g

This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist

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