Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

The ultimate Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread. This light, soft bread is layered with the most delicious roasted garlic butter and cheese. This bread has crispy edges and an inside that is fluffy, cheesy, and garlicy. Not to mention it is both easy to make and looks super impressive. What’s not to love?

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Table of contents

Recipe Intro: Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Recipe Run Through

How To Make Roasted Garlic Butter

How To Shape Cheesy Garlic Bread

Tools I Recommend

Recipe Video

Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

This bread is best served straight from the oven while still warm. I’m sticking with the classic mozzarella for the cheese, but feel free to use whatever cheese you prefer.

Recipe run through

• Prepare the tangzhong – Tangzhong is a Japanese baking technique I often use in my recipes. It involves pre-cooking a portion of the recipe’s flour and liquid, causing the mixture to thicken and gelatinize. The Tangzhong causes the bread to remain softer with an extended shelf life. 
  To make the tangzhong: Add milk and flour to a small pot. Heat up over medium heat while stirring with a whisk. Once the mixture has thickened and reached the temperature of 150°F/65°C, it is ready. Next, transfer the tangzhong to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that touches the entire surface of the tangzhong. Cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.

• Make the main dough – Add all the ingredients, including the tangzhong, excluding the butter, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Knead until the dough comes together, around 10 minutes at low-medium speed.

• Add butter – While the mixer is still on, add the butter. Continue kneading the dough for 10-20 minutes until it has a smooth surface and fully pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

• First proof – When finished kneading, roughly pre-shape the dough into a round with your hands and a bench knife. Next, transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and proof for 1 1/2 – 2 hours at around 78°F/26°C. The dough should double during this time. As always, I like to use my Brød and Taylor proofer to manage the temperature.

Roasted Garlic Butter

While the dough is proofing, you want to make the roasted garlic butter. The process is straightforward but takes about an hour. Here’s how:

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1. Chop off the top of a garlic head, leaving the cloves exposed.
2. Drizzle with olive oil, flaky salt, and pepper.
3. Cover with a lid or wrap the whole garlic head in aluminum foil.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F/180°C for 45-60 minutes, until the garlic cloves are soft as butter.
5. Allow the garlic to cool completely.
6. Squeeze the garlic cloves into a bowl.
7. Add softened butter, chopped parsley, and a sprinkle of salt.
8. Mix with a fork until smooth.

How to shape Cheesy Pull-apart garlic bread

When you have made the roasted garlic butter, and your dough has doubled in size, you’re ready to shape the Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread. Here’s how:

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1. First, lightly flour your work surface and the top of the dough. 
2. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 12×12-inch square
3. Evenly spread garlic butter on top using an offset spatula.
4. Add grated mozzarella.
5. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 even pieces.
6. Lastly, stack the dough pieces and arrange them in a 7×3.4-inch bread pan (or a loaf tin of similar size).

• Final Proof – After shaping, allow the dough to proof for 30-45 minutes until nice and puffy. Finally, brush the top of the cheesy pull-apart garlic bread with egg wash, sprinkle extra cheese on top, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F/180°C for 35-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at 200°F/95°C.

• Serve – This bread is best served fresh from the oven while still warm.

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• Digital Kitchen Scale is essential for exact measurements.
• Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to easily knead your dough.
• Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer – to perfectly manage the temperature during proof.
• Rolling Pin – to roll out the dough during shaping.
• Offset Spatula – to spread out the garlic butter.
• Pizza Cutter– to cut the dough into even pieces.
• Bread Tin – this bread tin is my favorite and fits perfectly for this recipe.

Watch Me Bake

Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Elise

The ultimate Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread. This light, soft bread is layered with the most delicious roasted garlic butter and cheese. This bread has crispy edges and an inside that is fluffy, cheesy, and garlicy. Not to mention it is both easy to make and looks super impressive. What's not to love?

4.7 from 55 votes

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Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Proofing Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Yield 1 loaf

Calories 219 kcal

Ingredients

Tangzhong

• 20 g bread flour
• 80 g whole milk

Main Dough

• 300 g bread flour
• 15 g granulated sugar
• 6 g sea salt
• 6 g instant dry yeast
• all the tangzhong
• 90 g whole milk room temperature 77°F/25°C
• 40 g cream cheese full fat
• 50 g egg (1 medium egg)
• 20 g unsalted butter softened at room temperature

Roasted Garlic Butter

• 1 head of garlic
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch flaky sea salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 70 g unsalted butter
• 1 ½ tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 pinch flaky sea salt

Toppings

• 100 g grated mozzarella or other meltable cheese
• + a little extra mozzarella

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions

Tangzhong

• Mix flour and milk in a small pot. Heat up over medium heat. Stir until the mixture thickens and reaches a temperature of 150°F/65°C.
  20 g bread flour, 80 g whole milk
• Transfer to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that touches the entire surface of the tangzhong. Cool to room temperature before continuing with the main dough.

Main Dough

• Add all ingredients, except butter, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  300 g bread flour, 15 g granulated sugar, 6 g sea salt, 6 g instant dry yeast, all the tangzhong, 90 g whole milk, 40 g cream cheese, 50 g egg
• Knead for 10 minutes until the dough starts to come together.
• Add the softened butter.
  20 g unsalted butter
• Continue kneading at medium speed for 10-20 minutes until the dough has a smooth surface and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Place the dough on your work surface and roughly pre-shape the dough into a round using your hands and a bench knife.
• Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm spot, ideally at 78°F/26°C.
• Proof the dough for 1 ½-2 hours or until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, make the garlic butter:

Roasted Garlic Butter

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
• Chop off the top of a garlic head, leaving the cloves exposed.
  1 head of garlic
• Drizzle with oil, flaky salt, and pepper.
  ½ tbsp olive oil, 1 pinch flaky sea salt, 1 pinch black pepper
• Wrap the garlic head in aluminum foil or place it in a small, oven-safe casserole with a lid.
• Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the garlic cloves are soft as butter.
• Allow the garlic to cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.
• Squeeze the garlic cloves into a bowl and add softened butter, chopped parsley, and a sprinkle of salt. Mix with a fork until smooth.
  70 g unsalted butter, 1 ½ tbsp chopped parsley, 1 pinch flaky sea salt
• Set aside at room temperature.

Shape

• Once the dough has doubled in size: lightly flour your work surface and the top of the dough. Next, roll out the dough to a 12×12-inch square.
• Spread garlic butter on top and add grated mozzarella.
  100 g grated mozzarella
• Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 pieces. Please see the images above for reference.
• Arrange the dough pieces in a 7×3.4-inch bread pan (or a loaf tin of similar size).
• Cover the bread pan and proof for 30-45 minutes until the dough is nice and puffy.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
• Whisk together an egg and water to make the egg wash.
  1 egg, 1 tbsp water
• Lightly brush the top of the bread with egg wash.
• Sprinkle a little extra mozzarella on top of the bread.
  + a little extra mozzarella
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature is at 200°F/95°C.
• Serve warm!

Notes

Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings) Disclosure: The nutrition facts are automatically calculated. I can not guarantee the accuracy of the data. Please don’t consider it a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 165mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 94IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe? Let me know!Mention @breadbyelise or use the tag #breadbyelise