Homemade Pull Apart Garlic Bread Recipe

Just to put out the proper disclaimer right off the bat…I am not a baker.  I don’t really make cakes, muffins, cookies, or any of that.  I got a wild hair and decided to make some bread on a rainy Sunday afternoon with my daughter.  After tweaking the recipe a few times and getting in some well-earned practice, I think we have a recipe that is worth the effort.

Good luck!  Leave a comment if it turns out great (or if you have any tips for the rest of us).

Thanks

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time:  30 minutes

What you need:

• For the bread:
  • 1 package (2lbs) bread flour (I used regular all-purpose flour on my first attempt and it worked out fine)
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons of regular white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (melted but not scorching hot)
  • 1 cup of milk (1 or 2% is fine, use whatever you have)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of butter for greasing pan
• For the bread topping:
  • 8 tablespoons of melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano (you can double this if you are using dried oregano)
  • 6 cloves of minced fresh garlic
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • Fresh grated parmesan cheese (about a ¼ cup)

1. Add your cup of warm water to your mixing bowl (you should use one with a hook, if you don’t have one, you can mix by hand but it is going to be a workout…).
2. Next, add your sugar and yeast, mix well and let stand for about 10 minutes.
3. Mix in butter, salt, and milk.
4. At this point, add your flour, a little at a time and mix well.   Keep adding until the dough is smooth, you may not need all of your flour.  A good way to know is when the dough sticks to the bottom of the mixer but it does not stick to the sides.  You will know it when you see it.
5. Take the dough, separate or cut it into two equal size pieces.
6. In a second bowl, combine the 8 tbsp of butter, oregano, garlic, and salt (leave the parmesan to the side).
7. Use your one tablespoon of butter and grease two bread pans (or any pan you want to use).
8. Place each piece of dough in the pan, cover and let rest for about an hour to an hour and a half.  During this time they should rise and fill up your pans. 
9. Spread your mixed butter/garlic/oregano over the top.  Get the dough good and covered but save some of the mixture for dressing the bread when you are finished.
10. I like to take a serrated knife and cut 3 diagonal slits in the top of the bread just before putting them in the oven.
11. Have your oven pre-heated to 350 degrees and add your bread.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  You will see the tops of your loaves turn golden brown.   30-35 minutes usually gets you perfectly done.  If you are not sure, you can use a thermometer an check the dead center of your bread, your temp should be right at 200 degrees.
12. When you pull the bread from the oven, I like to let it sit in the pan for about 5 minutes.  You should be able to flip the pan over and the bread should fall right out.  Place each loaf on a plate and drizzle with the rest of your butter/garlic/oregano.  Lastly, sprinkle as much parmesan on while it is still hot so it will make a nice melted crust.

Ok, all done, you can pull the bread apart and dip in some nice olive oil (add some fresh ground black pepper).  Or you can slice and spread with more butter. 

I hope this worked for everyone, leave a comment if you don’t mind.

Thanks

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