Description
This Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread is a decadent, soft bread loaded with rich garlic butter, fresh herbs, and gooey mozzarella cheese. Perfect for a snack or accompaniment to your favorite meal, this recipe combines tender homemade dough with a savory, cheesy garlic filling that you can easily pull apart to enjoy bite by bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 20g bread flour (for tangzhong)
- 80g whole milk (for tangzhong)
- 300g bread flour
- 15g granulated sugar
- 6g sea salt
- 6g instant dry yeast
- All the tangzhong
- 90g whole milk (room temperature, 77°F/25°C)
- 40g cream cheese (full fat)
- 50g egg (1 medium egg)
- 20g unsalted butter (softened)
Garlic Butter
- 1 head garlic
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 70g unsalted butter
- 1 ½ tbsp chopped parsley
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
Cheese and Egg Wash
- 100g grated mozzarella (plus a little extra for topping)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare the tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk 20g bread flour and 80g whole milk together until smooth. Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly until thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine 300g bread flour, sugar, sea salt, and instant dry yeast. Add the cooled tangzhong, 90g whole milk at room temperature, softened cream cheese, egg, and softened unsalted butter. Mix until a smooth dough forms, then knead for about 10 minutes until elastic and slightly tacky. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
- Prepare the garlic butter: Peel and finely mince the garlic head. In a small pan, heat olive oil and lightly sauté the minced garlic until fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and mix with softened butter, chopped parsley, flaky sea salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Shape the bread: After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle on a floured surface. Cut the dough into small squares (about 3-inch pieces). Spread a small amount of garlic butter on each square, sprinkle with grated mozzarella, then stack the squares on top of each other in a greased loaf pan, layering the garlic butter and cheese as you go.
- Proof the assembled bread: Cover the loaf pan with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for an additional 30-45 minutes until puffed up.
- Prepare the egg wash and bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the top of the loaf generously with the egg wash and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Cool and serve: Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before pulling apart to serve warm. Enjoy the soft, cheesy, garlicky goodness!
Notes
- You can prepare the garlic butter a day in advance to allow flavors to develop.
- For a stronger garlic flavor, increase the amount of garlic slightly.
- Use full-fat cream cheese and whole milk for a richer dough.
- Make sure the tangzhong is completely cooled before adding to the dough to avoid killing the yeast.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and reheat gently to maintain softness.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
