Garlic Butter Dough Balls
, Updated Nov 09, 2025
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Easy homemade Dough Balls with garlic butter. Better than the ones at Pizza Express and perfect for sharing or serving as a side dish.
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Dough balls with garlic butter dip is my favouite thing to order at our neighborhood pizza restaurant. You KNOW they are impossible to resist when still warm… Just me?
If you wanted to enjoy these amazing garlic dough balls at home you can make them, really easily, by following my dough ball recipe. I guarantee you will fall in love with these – they are such a great party appetiser but can also be served as a side dish.
Here’s what you will need
You can prepare garlic ball dough using an electric hand mixer, a stand mixer, or by kneading it by hand for a bit of a workout! Let’s take a look at the key ingredients for this easy recipe:
- Strong white bread flour – this high-protein flour helps with gluten formation when kneading the rough.
- Rapid rise yeast (also known as quick-rise yeast, fast-acting yeast, or bread machine yeast) – this type of dried yeast granules doesn’t require activation, you simply mix it in with the flour before adding any liquid
- Sugar, salt and garlic powder for flavor
- Oil, use good-quality olive oil or sunflower oil
- Water – tepid water will speed up proofing
- Softened unsalted butter, dried or fresh parsley, olive oil, salt and garlic powder for the garlic dip
How to Make Garlic Dough Balls
- Mix with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat until the dough forms a ball around the hook. Alternatively knead by hand until the dough is elastic and forms a ball.
- Measure the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar and salt and stir to combine. Pour the water and olive oil into the bowl.
- Drizzle a little oil into the bowl and turn the dough to coat in the oil. Cover with a clean cloth and place someplace warm to rise until doubled. This can take 1-1 ½ hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
- Punch the dough down to deflate and turn out onto your worktop.
- Briefly knead and then pinch out small balls between your fingers or divide into 12 pieces. You can weigh the dough if you like and then divide by 12 or eyeball it.
- Roll the dough between your hands to form a smooth ball and repeat until you have 12 dough balls. Place on a lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven or 350°F (180°C) and bake until the dough balls are risen and golden 12-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the garlic butter. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together with a spoon.
- Brush the garlic butter over the warm dough balls and sever them with the garlic butter dip and your favorite pasta dishes,
Storing and Freezing
Dough balls can be stored wrapped in a linen towel at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven or an air fryer to refresh before serving, brushing with extra garlic butter if desired.
You can also freeze the raw dough balls them after the second rise for up to three months. Bake straight from frozen following the instructions in the recipe card. Leftovers can also be frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, for up to three months. Reheat in the air fryer or the oven before serving.
Recipe Notes
- PREPARE AHEAD: Store the shaped dough balls in the refrigerator to allow for a slower proofing. Place them on the kitchen counter them to complete the rising before baking. You can also prepare the dough and refrigerate it overnight, shaping it the next day.
- HOW TO TELL YOUR DOUGH IS READY TO BAKE: Use the “poke test” to check if your dough is ready. To do this, gently poke the dough with your finger and observe how fast the indentation fills back in. If it springs back quickly, the dough is not ready yet. If it fills in slowly then, hurray, the dough is ready. If it does not fill in at all, the dough is over-proofed.
- HOW TO ROLL YOUR DOUGH: Pop your dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to gently cup it and roll it around in a circle, turning it slightly as you roll – you’re aiming for a smooth, round ball with a smooth, surface.
Tried my dough balls recipe? Let me know how they turned out! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and a comment below – or tag @supergolden88 and shere your creations on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Dough Balls with Garlic Butter
Video
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) water slightly warm
- 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
- Measure the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, salt and garlic powder. Stir to combine.2 cups (250g) bread flour, 2 ¼ tsp (1x7g packet) rapid rise yeast, 1 ½ tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder
- Pour the water and olive oil into the bowl and knead with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat until the dough forms a ball around the hook. Alternatively knead by hand.½ cup (125ml) water, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Drizzle a little oil into the bowl and turn the dough to coat in the oil. Cover with a clean cloth and place someplace warm to rise until doubled. This can take 1-1 ½ hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
- Punch the dough down to deflate and turn out onto your worktop. Briefly knead and then pinch out small balls between your fingers or divide into 12 pieces.
- Roll the dough between your hands to form a smooth ball and repeat until you have 12 dough balls.
- Place on a lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake until the dough balls are risen and golden, 12-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the garlic butter. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together with a spoon.½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, 3 cloves garlic , 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp sea salt flakes, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Brush the garlic butter over the warm dough balls and sever them with the garlic butter dip.
Notes
- Dough balls can be stored wrapped in a linen towel at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven or an air fryer to refresh before serving, brushing with extra garlic butter if desired.
- You can also freeze the raw dough balls them after the second rise for up to three months. Bake straight from frozen following the instructions in the recipe card.
- Leftovers can also be frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, for up to three months. Reheat in the air fryer or the oven before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
