Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Baked until golden brown and served pull-apart style, this soft, flavorful, and delicious pull-apart garlic bread is completely irresistible. Made from scratch, this Pull apart Garlic Bread is perfect for bakers of all skill levels. It has a golden-brown crust and a pillowy, soft interior that’s fragrant with fresh garlic and herbs. Plenty of garlic and herb oil infuse each layer, flavoring this loaf from the inside out. Slightly sweet, the nearly effortless homemade dough comes together in mere minutes in a stand mixer. This is an easy recipe for homemade, soft, and delicious pull-apart bread with garlic and herbs. Don’t be scared by the amount of garlic. It might sound like a lot, but it’s totally worth it and not overwhelming.

I know this bread might look like it takes hours to make, but trust me, it’s simple. It is a simple milk-based bread dough; kneaded to perfection and proofed, rolled out, and spread with plenty of garlic oil. The dough is then cut into small squares and stacked, one on top of the other, and arranged in a loaf pan. It is proofed again and baked. This bread is all about 30 minutes of prep and waiting. A little waiting for rising and a little waiting for the baking. Set aside at least 4 hours from start to finish, but keep in mind most of that time is hands-off as the dough needs to rise twice.

This pull-apart garlic bread is a perfect addition to every party, gathering, or meal. This bread fits the bill for a snack, appetizer, or alongside dinner. You can slice the loaf or tear off pieces. 

Ingredients to Make the Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

For the dough:

• Active dried yeast – 1 tablespoon
• Sugar – ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon
• Warm water – ½ cup
• Milk, warm – ½ cup
• All-purpose flour – 4 & ½ cup
• Butter – 3 tablespoon
• Salt – 1 teaspoon

For the garlic and herb oil:

• Garlic – 16 cloves
• Italian seasoning – 1 teaspoon
• Chilly flakes – ½ teaspoon
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Hot oil – 5 tablespoon

How to Make the Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

1. Proof the yeast: Take ½ cup of warm milk in a small bowl. To the milk, add 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix it well and let it sit for 5 minutes until frothy. If it doesn’t get frothy, then the yeast is not good; you’ll have to start over with fresh yeast.
2. Make the dough and first proofing: In a large bowl pour the yeast mixture; add in ½ cup milk, ¼ cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt and mix well. To this add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until you’re not able to mix anymore. Add more warm milk as required to form a dough. Invert the contents to a clean work surface and knead well. Or knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. While kneading, add 3 tablespoons of butter to the dough. Keep kneading. On adding the butter, the dough will appear very sticky and you might be tempted to add more flour. But, do not add more flour. Keep kneading and the dough will come together. Knead well for 12-15 minutes or till the dough is springy to the touch. When you are done kneading, you should be able to stretch the dough into a thin film without tearing. Oil the bowl well, keep the dough in it and cover and let it prove in a warm spot in the kitchen for 2 hours.
3. Make the garlic and herb-infused oil: While the dough is proofing, go ahead and make the garlic and herb-infused oil. In a small bowl, take 16 -20 cloves of garlic chopped finely, ½ teaspoon of chilly flakes, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and ½ teaspoon of salt. To this add 6 tablespoons of boiling hot vegetable oil. Mix thoroughly.
4. Shaping the dough and adding garlic: After 2 hours, the dough must have doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface to avoid sticking. Roll into a large rectangle. Using a spatula, spread the garlic herb oil mixture evenly over the dough. Cut the dough into small squares. Stack them, one on top of the other, and arrange them like standing in a well-greased loaf pan. (watch the video). Cover it loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 and a half hours.
5. Baking the bread: Preheat the oven to 180 C. After 1 and a half hours, the dough must have risen well. Transfer the loaf pan to a preheated oven at 180 C. Bake at 180 C for 40 to 45 minutes. Cover the top loosely with aluminum foil halfway through the baking to prevent over-browning. Once out of the oven apply salted butter generously on top of the bread. Pull apart layers of bread and enjoy warm.

Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Recipe by EmilyCourse: BreadsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

slices

Prep time

30

minutes

Baking time

45

minutes

Calories

0.052

kcal

Proofing Time

4

hours 

Total time

5

hours 

15

minutes

Soft, flavorful and delicious pull apart garlic bread

Ingredients

• For the dough:

• Active dried yeast – 1 tablespoon

• Sugar – ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon

• Warm water – ½ cup

• Milk, warm – ½ cup

• All-purpose flour – 4 & ½ cups

• Butter – 3 tablespoon

• Salt – 1 teaspoon

• For the garlic and herb oil:

• Garlic – 16 cloves

• Italian seasoning – 1 teaspoon

• Chilly flakes – ½ teaspoon

• Salt – ½ teaspoon

• Hot oil – 5 tablespoon

Directions

• In a small bowl, take ½ cup of warm milk. To the milk, add 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix it well and let it sit for 5 minutes until frothy. If it doesn’t get frothy, then the yeast is not good; you’ll have to start over with fresh yeast.
• In a large bowl pour the yeast mixture; add in ½ cup milk, ¼ cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt and mix well. To this add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until you’re not able to mix anymore. Add more warm milk as required to form a dough. Invert the contents to a clean work surface and knead well. Or knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
• While kneading, add 3 tablespoons of butter to the dough. Keep kneading. On adding the butter, the dough will appear very sticky and you might be tempted to add more flour. But, do not add more flour. Keep kneading and the dough will come together. Knead well for 12-15 minutes or till the dough is springy to the touch. When you are done kneading, you should be able to stretch the dough into a thin film without tearing.
• Oil the bowl well, keep the dough in it, and cover and let it prove in a warm spot in the kitchen for 2 hours.
• While the dough is proofing, go ahead and make the garlic and herb-infused oil. In a small bowl, take 16 -20 cloves of garlic chopped finely, ½ teaspoon of chilly flakes, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and ½ teaspoon of salt. To this add 6 tablespoons of boiling hot vegetable oil. Mix thoroughly.
• After 2 hours, the dough must have doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface to avoid sticking. Roll into a large rectangle.
• Using an offset spatula, spread the garlic herb oil mixture evenly over the dough. Cut the dough into small squares. Stack them, one on top of the other, and arrange them like standing in a well-greased loaf pan. (watch the video). Cover it loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 and a half hours.
• Preheat the oven to 180 C.
• After 1 and a half hours, the dough must have risen well. Transfer the loaf pan to a preheated oven at 180 C. Bake at 180 C for 40 to 45 minutes. Cover the top loosely with aluminium foil halfway through the baking to prevent over-browning.
• Once out of the oven apply salted butter generously on top of the bread. Pull apart layers of bread and enjoy warm.

Recipe Video

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