When it comes to making bread, my first choice is Pull Apart Bread. I just love how simple it is to put together and bake Pull apart breads. I have been baking pull-apart breads with several flavor combinations and this Garlic Herb and Cheese Bread happens to be my first favorite. Anything with garlic is a winner in our house. But this bread just does not have the goodness of the garlic but also the flavor from the Italian herbs and the deliciousness of the cheese.
Why Bake this Italian Herb and Cheese Pull Apart Bread?
I have to say first and foremost, it is absolutely delicious. It is very convenient to bake for a crowd. Easy to serve, as it is a pull apart and people can pull out their own piece. The flavors and fillings can be adjusted based on personal preference. Kid-approved recipe. A great pair for the fall weather soups to dip and enjoy.
What kind of fillings can be used?
I have used garlic in the dough and herbs and cheese in the layer. We can skip the garlic in the dough if preferred.
I have used Italian mixed herbs, but we can use any kind of herb that we prefer.
We can make it as a sweet bread using cinnamon and sugar. The perfect example would be something similar to this Monkey Bread.
I have used the Mexican blend cheese in the recipe, but have used Gruyere in the past. So, play around with any cheese and flavor.
Herb oil would be a great alternative to layer inside the bread. In that case, skip spreading the butter and use the herbed oil.
Instant Pot for Proofing the Dough
I am a big fan of my Instant Pot but one of the things that I did not use it for is to proof the dough. And that I did for the first time now to make the dough for Garlic herb and cheese pull-apart bread and cannot be more happy. Instant Pot absolutely cut down the proofing time by half and that makes it easy for me to bake bread even more often now.
Ingredients Needed
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
Ingredients to make Herb And Cheese Pull Apart Bread – Makes one 9 X 4-inch loaf
For the dough
All Purpose flour - I have not yet tried this with whole wheat flour but will be trying it soon with 50% APF and 50% whole wheat flour.
Warm Milk - To proof the yeast and also to make the dough. We are using milk entirely to make the dough.
Active dry yeast - This is what I used today but Instant yeast will work as well. If using instant yeast, there is no need to activate the yeast in warm milk before using. We can use it directly in the dry ingredients.
Sugar - Just a little to activate the yeast.
Butter - We need softened butter to add to the dough. We can use salted or unsalted, but I have used unsalted butter.
Garlic powder - To flavor the dough.
Salt
Oil - to grease the bowl and the loaf pan.
For the filling
Melted butter - to brush the dough before layering the herbs and the cheese.
Provencal or mixed herbs - I used Italian Mixed herbs in the Pull apart bread recipe.
Crushed red chili flakes - I love this to spice the bread a little.
Grated cheese - I used a Mexican blend, but can use any cheese of your choice.
Step-by-step Process
Making the Dough
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of warm milk and sugar. Leave aside for about 5 mins, until the yeast gets activated and froths up.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 2 ¾ cups of flour, salt, garlic powder, and softened butter. With the dough hook on, mix it for a couple of minutes.
Now add the frothed-up yeast mixture and the remaining ¾ cup of milk and knead it to form a smooth, soft, elastic dough. Make sure the dough is not sticky. If the dough appears sticky add the remaining ¼ cup of flour in batches until it forms an elastic dough. Do not dump all the remaining flour, just add enough until it forms a soft dough.
Shape the dough into a ball and then place it in a well-oiled bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl, so that it is evenly coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for about an hour to 1 ½ until it is doubled in size.
I used my Instant Pot to proof the dough and it took me just 30 minutes to do the first proofing. I set it on yogurt mode and set it to low heat and timed it for 30 minutes. Make sure you use a glass lid to cover the IP and not the actual lid as it could get stuck under pressure.
If the dough appears not completely proofed, let it continue for 10 more minutes or until it is doubled.
Shaping the Bread
Dust the work surface lightly with flour and dump the raised dough. Deflate the dough and form a square with it. Now roll it out to form a 12 x 12 square.
Brush the surface with melted butter and evenly add the herb and crushed red pepper. Also, spread the cheese over the dough and using a rolling pin, slightly roll on top of the dough, so that the filling sticks better to the dough.
Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 6 even strips.
Lay each strip on top of another with the topping facing up. The strips need not be perfect, just make sure you evenly try to stack them.
Now with a very sharp knife, cut straight down the stack dividing it into 6 equal squares.
Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 4 loaf pan. Layer the square slices, cut side down into the loaf pan.
Wrap the loaf pan with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise again for about an hour.
Lightly brush the top with milk and bake it in a preheated 350 F oven for about 30 – 40 mins, until it is done and the top is golden brown.
Let it cool on a wire rack and then start pulling it apart and eating!
Knead the dough well for the best-textured bread. You can knead it by hand as well but make sure you knead until it is soft and pliable. Proof the dough until doubled in size. IP cut down the first proofing time by half. Grease the inner pot of the IP well before placing the dough for proofing. Use adequate herbs and seasoning to flavor the bread well. Bake the bread in the middle rack for the best result. Slice the dough with a sharp knife to avoid squishing the dough too much.
More Pull-Apart Breads to enjoy
Pull Apart Garlic Bread - If there is one bread you need to try immediately, it has to be this garlic pull-apart bread. Bake it and see it disappear right in front of your eyes. Monkey Bread - Pull-apart sweet bread is perfect for any occasion. Celebrations or holiday parties, this bread will be everyone’s favorite. Pull Apart Potato stuffed Pinwheel rolls - Be innovative and use the leftover soggy French fries to make the filling for this amazing pinwheel roll bread. Honeycomb Buns - These stuffed and pull-apart buns are so delicious and the choices of filling is unlimited. Make it sweet or savory and they will be loved equally. If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter
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