This Homemade Mini Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread recipe is super simple, yet makes the most delicious little garlic breads! Serve them along a special dinner party or as part of a backyard BBQ or summer potluck – everyone will ask you for the recipe!
The homemade biscuit dough comes together in a few easy steps. Then it gets coated in the most amazing garlic herb butter and in plenty of parmesan cheese.
These are perfectly portioned to feed a crowd. You’ll probably need to make a double batch, as kids and adults alike go crazy for these.
I don’t know about you, but garlic bread is such a childhood thing I grew up with.
Garlic bread and BBQs, it just belonged together.
Can you imagine my shock when I moved to the UK for a while and they served garlic bread with PIZZA?! I mean, what even.
So here I am today, singing the praises of having garlic bread at a backyard barbecue.
I KNOW you could totally make this with canned biscuits. And trust me when I say I’ve done it before.
But there’s something so special about making these form scratch, and really, biscuit dough is super simple to throw together.
Summer is like a couple weeks away. (What!) I hope in the middle of your busy everyday, you still find time to savor a few slow summer days with your kiddos.
And I hope you bookmark this recipe for a fun weekend out in the backyard. It makes 12 mini monkey breads, but I can assure you they’ll be gone in no time. Summer somehow turns normal kids into hungry lion cubs.
Or at least that’s what happens to mine ?
Recipe tips
Make homemade biscuit dough:
Biscuit dough is really simple, but it can feel intimidating.
There’s just a few simple things to remember, and you’ll get it right every time:
How to make flaky biscuits
As the first step, you’ll cut butter into the dry ingredients. Either use a pastry cutter or your fingers, until you get a crumbly mix.
You never want to knead biscuit dough, so when you add the milk, only stir until just combined. It’s okay if your dough looks like a hot mess, these flecks of butter are what make your biscuits flakey later.
Since nobody ever said “boy, I really like this bone-dry, sandy biscuit”, this dough is very wet.
It needs to be tossed in flour until it’s no longer sticky, but don’t overdo it. And always remember: No kneading, just tossing!
Chilling time
The dough needs to be chilled in order for the butter to harden up again. Otherwise it is too soft and cannot be rolled into balls.
If you think you dough is off before chilling, don’t be tempted to add a ton of flour. It will be fine once it’s chilled, promise.
Work speed
Once you start rolling the dough and dipping it in herb-y garlic butter and parmesan, try to work as fast as you can.
This will prevent the butter in the dough from softening too much before the monkey breads hit the oven.
Baking time
Don’t take your monkey bread out of the oven too soon – the oven door can make it look like they’re far darker than they really are.
Go for a nice golden color, don’t take them out while they’re still pale.
Watch the recipe video
Printable recipe
Homemade Mini Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread
Recipe details
Ingredients
For the biscuit dough:
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus a little extra
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons cold butter
- ¾ cup cold milk
For the coating:
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- 3 cloves garlic , finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup grated parmesan (or more!)
Instructions
- Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter. Pour in the milk and quickly stir into a sticky dough.
- Generously flour your work surface. Toss the dough in the flour (no kneading!) until it’s not sticky anymore. Cut into 12 equal pieces and chill in the fridge.
- In the meantime, mix the dried herbs, garlic, salt and melted butter in a medium bowl. Add the grated parmesan to a second bowl.
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 12 city muffin tin with a little of the butter-herb mix.
- Roll every piece of chilled dough into three small balls. Toss in the melted herb butter, then coat with grated parmesan. Add three coated dough balls in every muffin tin cavity.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
More recipe information
P.S: For more garlic butter parmesan goodness, try my One Pot Garlic Butter Parmesan Mushroom Pasta!
Audrey says
I don’t normally leave these comments, but I made these to go with my beef stew, and this monkey bread is easy and absolutely DELICIOUS. They exceeded my expectations. Before putting these in the oven, I added a sprinkle of shredded Italian cheese on the top of each one!
Nora says
Your comment is making me so happy, Audrey! Glad the monkey bread turned out so well for you. We usually make it for BBQs, but I love your idea of serving this with beef stew. I’ll have to give it a try soon!