There’s no better accompaniment on your dinner table than these Garlic Parmesan Skillet Rolls! These homemade rolls are so soft, and baked away in an ultra garlicky butter sauce with fresh parmesan cheese.

DO I NEED TO USE A STAND MIXER?

While a stand mixer will make the process easier, it is not required to make these rolls! While the yeast rises, mix the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, and combine everything well using either your hands or a wooden spoon.

Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand until a slightly sticky dough ball forms, adding small amounts of flour as needed. It really is a great workout!

WHAT TYPE OF YEAST SHOULD I USE?

We used active dry yeast for these garlic parmesan skillet rolls. If you have instant yeast on hand, that will work as well. When using instant yeast, you don’t need to proof it! Simply throw all the ingredients together in the bowl and begin mixing.

If you haven’t used your instant yeast in a while and you aren’t sure if it’s still alive, you can still proof it in the warm water. If it foams up nicely, you’re good to go.

WHY DIDN’T MY DOUGH RISE?

Sometimes bread dough just doesn’t rise, and it can be so frustrating. Don’t worry- it happens to the best of us! Here are a few reasons why this could happen:

Old Dead Yeast: Yeast is a living organism and over time it will lose activity. This can happen even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. If you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.

Yeast Is Too Hot: If using active dry yeast, it needs to be dissolved in either warm water or milk. If you heat up your liquid too much, this will kill your yeast. Yeast is pretty picky. It doesn’t like cold and it doesn’t like too hot. Between 100 and 110 degrees F, or just warm to the touch, is perfect for proofing yeast.

The Room Is Too Cold: Yeast prefers a warm, draft free environment, usually between 75 and 90 degrees F. There really is little wiggle room on either side. As I said, yeast is picky. To rise my dough, I usually preheat my oven to 175 or 200 F degrees then immediately turn it off. Let that cool for about 5 minutes then place your dough in there. This way your dough will be nice, warm and happy and will rise in half the time.

Not Enough Time To Rise: Sometimes you just have to wait it out. I’ve had dough that really took 3 hours to double in size. Patience is key. If the recipe says to let it rise for 1 hour until doubled in size and yours hasn’t, just give it more time. Don’t forget that a slower rise results in a more flavorful bread. If you’re in a rush, you can always use my tip above by warming up the oven first.

WHAT OTHER TOPPINGS CAN I USE FOR THESE ROLLS?

Want to switch it up from garlic and parmesan? No problem! Begin by brushing the rolls with butter, or if you want shiny rolls, brush with egg wash. Now you can top these guys with anything you want! Try out some everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, chili flakes, big flaked sea salt, or leave them plain.

CAN I FREEZE GARLIC PARMESAN SKILLET ROLLS?

Yes you can! These rolls can be frozen either before or after baking- it’s totally up to you. Give them a good 2 hours to thaw if you freeze them before popping them in the oven to bake.

If you freeze them already cooked, they should thaw out in a minute or two in the microwave.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH GARLIC PARMESAN SKILLET ROLLS: