Soft, fluffy dough balls baked tear-and-share style in the oven. Serve with your favourite dip, make mini sliders (roast beef and gravy works well), brush with garlic butter, or use to mop up the last of your pasta sauce.
These dough balls come together from just six pantry ingredients and produce a soft, pillowy interior you’ll want to pull apart right away. Using milk instead of water enriches the dough and yields a richer, fluffier roll than a basic bread roll.
They’re irresistible — you’ll be surprised how fast a batch disappears.
Table of Contents
- 📋 Ingredients
- How to make it
- Pro Tip
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- 🍲 More fantastic breads
- ? Frequently Asked Questions
- Dough Balls Recipe
📋 Ingredients
Dry Ingredients – strong white bread flour, salt, caster sugar and instant yeast.
Wet Ingredients – unsalted butter, warm milk and a little oil.
How to make it
Full recipe and detailed steps are in the recipe card below.
- Place the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, keeping salt and yeast on opposite sides. Salt can inhibit yeast when in direct contact, so separate them before mixing.
- Add the butter and warm milk, then mix with a dough hook until the dough comes together. Continue on low for about 7–10 minutes to develop a smooth, elastic dough. If kneading by hand, oil your board and hands — the dough will be sticky and oil prevents sticking without drying the dough with excess flour.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and prove in a warm place until doubled in size. After rising, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it to knock out large air bubbles.
- Weigh or divide the dough into roughly equal small portions (about 30 g each) and roll into smooth balls. Arrange them in an ovenproof dish with a little space between each, cover and let them prove for another 30–40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (fan). Bake the dough balls for 20–25 minutes until golden on top. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter while still warm, and allow to rest briefly before serving.
Pro Tip
Brush melted butter on the dough balls while they’re still warm to give them a shiny finish and help keep the crumb soft.
The contrast between a golden, buttery exterior and a soft, slightly sweet interior makes these dough balls an ideal appetizer or side dish.
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🍽️ What to serve it with
- Serve alongside creamy or spicy dips such as beer cheese, arrabbiata, pesto or garlic butter.
- Use the dough balls to mop up rich pasta sauces like penne arrabbiata, creamy bolognese, gorgonzola pasta or beef ragu.
🍲 More fantastic breads
Asian
Char Siu Pork
Asian
Curry Ramen with Spicy Pork
One Pot
Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
Dinner
11 Quick Spring Dinners that are ready in 30 mins
Pork
Pork Tenderloin in Creamy Dijon Sauce
Street Food
Chicken Souvlaki
? Frequently Asked Questions
These are best served fresh and warm, but they will stay soft for a day or two if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
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Dough Balls Recipe
Ingredients
Dough Balls:
- 500 g (4 cup + 1 tbsp) strong white bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 25 g (3 tbsp) caster sugar
- 10 g (3 tsp) instant yeast
- 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 330 ml (1 1/2 cups) warm (but not hot) milk
- 1 tbsp oil
Also:
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)
Instructions
- Place the flour in a mixer bowl with the dough hook. Add salt and sugar to one side and the instant yeast to the other (keep them apart until mixing).
- Add butter and warm milk. Mix on medium then continue for 7–8 minutes until the dough becomes soft, smooth and slightly tacky.
- Oil a large bowl, transfer the dough, cover and prove in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold to remove large air pockets.
- Divide into portions of about 30 g, roll into balls and arrange in an ovenproof dish with a little space between each. Cover and prove for 30–40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (fan). Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden.
- Brush with melted butter while hot and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Can I make dough balls ahead?
They’re at their best fresh from the oven, but will stay soft for a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutritional information is approximate, per dough ball (based on 30 dough balls).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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