It’s almost impossible to resist these buttery, cheesy garlic rolls! Inspired by the amazing John’s Garlic Rolls from John’s Pizzeria in New York City, think of these as savory, cheesy, garlicy versions of a cinnamon roll, made with a pizza crust style dough. If you love garlic bread, do yourself a favor and put these Cheesy Garlic Rolls on your menu as soon as possible!
John’s Of Times Square
Every time we visit New York City we make at least one, and usually (many) more, stop at John’s Pizzeria. We cannot get enough of their food – mainly John’s Garlic Rolls and the pizza!
Pardon the photo quality, like many NYC restaurants, it’s DARK inside John’s.
Located in Times Square, John’s is located just steps from The St. James (Frozen), Majestic (Phantom), Shubert, Broadhurst and Hayes Theatres.
One of the cool things about John’s is that they have two pizza dough kitchen stations located right in the center of the seating area. Those stations make pizzas and garlic rolls, and not much else.
With a front row seat to the action, I realized that John’s Garlic Rolls are basically made the same way cinnamon rolls are.
So obviously I had to recreate them at home. Phoenix to NYC is a bit of a haul for dinner.
Cheese Stuffed Garlic Rolls
While one typically thinks of garlic rolls as a side dish, I’m quite content with these, paired with marinara sauce, as my main attraction. Pair it with a salad and a few meatballs or Breaded Chicken Parmesan and I am one happy girl.
Ingredients At A Glance
Full printable recipe below
- Flour
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- Water
- Yeast
- Garlic Powder (or fresh garlic)
- Parsley
- Salt
- Sugar
- Mozzarella
Instructions At A Glance
Full printable recipe below
-
Combine flour, yeast from packet, salt and sugar in a large glass bowl. Stir warm water and olive oil into the flour mixture. Stir together until a soft dough starts to form.
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Knead dough, then cover and let rest for ten minutes.
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On a floured surface, roll out dough, brush with butter the add toppings.
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Roll up dough tightly, cut into rolls, then place in pan and bake.
All in all these are a pretty great copycat of John’s Garlic Rolls. While they may lack the excitement of Times Square and the Theatre District, they more than delivery on taste!
Cheesy Garlic Rolls
Garlic Cheese Rolls
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Rolls
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (more as needed)
- 1 envelope Fleichmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup very warm water (110-120 degrees, no hotter)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Filling
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (salted or unsalted)
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, grated (freshly grated melts the best)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (more or less can be used to taste)
- 1 tsp parsley (chopped fresh or dried)
- 1/2 cup melted butter (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
- Combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, yeast from packet, salt and sugar in a large glass bowl. Stir warm water and olive oil into the flour mixture. Stir together until a soft dough starts to form. If dough is overly sticky, add additional flour, 1-2 tbsp at a time until a workable dough consistency is achieved and dough is not sticking to hands.
- If using a stand mixer, knead with dough hook attachment for 3-4 minutes. If kneading by hand, remove dough from bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface for 4-6 minutes, until smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers.
- Cover dough and let rest for ten minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll dough into an 18 x 12 inch rectangle. Brush softened butter evenly over dough. Evenly sprinkle garlic powder, then grated mozzarella, then parsley over butter.
- Roll up dough tightly, starting with the long side. Cut into 12 equal sized rolls. Place rolls, cut side down, into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. If desired, brush tops of rolls with 1/2 cup melted butter, and sprinkle with additional parsley.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least five minutes prior to serving. Careful, the cheese is hot!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
For another great roll recipe, try my Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls!
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
In the recipe you list garlic powder. In your pictures you show a bottle of garlic salt.
Which one is actually used?
Thanks
These look amazing never even thought to do this, I can’t wait to try them out on family and friends that already love my cinnamon rolls.
It still says good with tomato sauce in case you didn’t realize that. Do you happen to have a good marinara sauce recipe?
Can these be frozen?
Did you mean…..delicious served with marinara sauce?
Haha, YES. Fixing!