Parmesan Bread Bites with Garlic Butter and Marinara Dipping Sauce Recipe
These Parmesan Bread Bites are soft, fluffy, and infused with aromatic garlic butter, Italian herbs, and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Made with homemade pizza dough, they bake to golden perfection and serve as an irresistible appetizer or snack when paired with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (including dough cutting and resting)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes (excluding initial pizza dough making and rising time)
- Yield: Approximately 30-35 bread bites
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Homemade Pizza Dough
- Flour (bread or all-purpose) – as needed for dough (about 3 to 3 ½ cups)
- Water – about 1 cup, warm
- Active dry yeast – 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet)
- Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
Garlic Butter
- Unsalted butter, room temperature – ¼ cup (4 tablespoons)
- Minced fresh garlic – 2 cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic salt as substitute)
- Salt – ⅜ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon)
- Italian seasoning – ½ teaspoon
- Dried parsley – 1 teaspoon (or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced)
Additional Ingredients
- Grated Parmesan cheese – 4 to 6 tablespoons (freshly grated recommended)
- Olive oil or non-stick cooking spray – for greasing the baking sheet
- Marinara sauce – for serving/dipping, warmed
Instructions
- Prepare the Baking Sheet: Generously grease a large sheet pan with olive oil or use non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking. Ensure the entire surface is coated and set aside.
- Prepare the Pizza Dough: Make your homemade pizza dough by combining flour, warm water, yeast, olive oil, and salt. Knead until smooth, then let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Once risen, gently punch down the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the Dough into Bite-Sized Pieces: Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into roughly 1-inch pieces sized evenly to ensure uniform baking.
- Arrange Dough Bites on Baking Sheet and Rest: Place the dough pieces spaced about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let them rest in a warm spot for about 30 minutes to rise again (proof).
- Prepare the Garlic Butter and Preheat Oven: In a small bowl, combine room temperature unsalted butter, minced garlic (or garlic salt), salt, Italian seasoning, and dried or fresh parsley. Mix well until creamy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Brush with Garlic Butter and Bake: Remove the towel from the baking sheet. Generously brush the tops of the dough bites with garlic butter. Reserve remaining butter. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown and slightly crisp on top.
- Second Butter Brush and Parmesan Sprinkle: Remove bread bites from oven and place on a wire rack. Immediately brush the tops with the remaining garlic butter (re-melt if thickened). Then sprinkle generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese while hot to allow slight melting.
- Serve Hot: Serve the Parmesan Bread Bites warm with a side of warm marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy their soft, garlicky, cheesy goodness fresh from the oven.
Notes
- Homemade pizza dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for longer storage. Bring to room temperature before shaping.
- Using freshly grated Parmesan cheese substantially improves flavor and texture compared to pre-shredded.
- If substituting garlic salt for minced garlic, adjust the additional salt to prevent oversalting.
- For fresh parsley substitute, double the amount called for dried parsley to maintain flavor intensity.
- Maintain spacing on the baking sheet to ensure even baking and prevent sogginess.
- Warm marinara sauce enhances the dipping experience by balancing rich buttery flavors.
Keywords: Parmesan bread bites, garlic bread bites, homemade pizza dough, appetizer, Italian appetizer, easy snack, cheesy bites, garlic butter bread
