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close up overhead shot of garlic herb pull-apart bread

Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread (Vegan)

Savory and crave-worthy, this Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread is the perfect dish for a gathering. Who doesn't love some herby, garlicky, buttery goodness?!
4.7 from 49 votes
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Author: Sarah Sullivan

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • Loaf tin 8x4" or 9x5"
  • Bench scraper or knife

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3/4 cups plain unsweetened soy milk lukewarm (about 110℉)
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for the bowl
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 1/4 cups bread flour plus more for kneading
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, basil, or Italian seasoning

Filling

  • 5 tablespoons vegan butter softened (not melted)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or use any of your favorite fresh herbs
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic or 1 head roasted garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shredded vegan parmesan or mozzarella (optional)
  • olive oil or vegan butter to grease loaf tin

Instructions

Mix & Rise the Dough

  • Add lukewarm water and milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in active dry yeast and sugar. Allow to “proof” for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.
  • Add in olive oil, garlic powder, and dried rosemary (or other dried herbs) and whisk to combine.
  • Add in bread flour and salt and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix into a shaggy dough.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should spring back when gently poked. If the dough seems too wet and is sticking excessively to your hands or the work surface, gradually work in extra flour about 2 tablespoons at a time, until the correct consistency is achieved. (Avoid working in too much flour.)
  • When the dough is nice and elastic, shape it into a ball. Drizzle the inside of the mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning to coat with oil.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a slightly damp kitchen towel and place it in a warm area in your kitchen. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour, or until roughly doubled in size. (If your kitchen is very chilly, it may take a little extra time. On a very warm day, it can take less time. Judge by size rather than time.)

Shape the Loaf

  • Note: There are many different ways to shape pull-apart bread! For an alternate method, see the recipe notes.
  • Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle that’s roughly 12x16”.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter with the chopped rosemary, parsley, minced garlic, salt, and (optional) shredded cheese to form a paste.
  • Spread the garlic herb butter across the rolled out dough, coating the entire surface as evenly as possible.
  • Cut the dough into 12 pieces. (Each piece should be about 4x3”.) Stack all 12 pieces on top of one another.
  • Grease a standard loaf tin and transfer the stacks into the tin, making sure the slices of dough are evenly distributed.

Final Proofing & Baking

  • Lightly cover the loaf with the same plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel used previously. Let this loaf rise for about 30-45 minutes. It should rise somewhat and become slightly puffy, but don’t let it proof so long that it doubles in size (it would be over-proofed). In this time, preheat your oven to 350°F and place the rack in the lower middle position.
  • Once the loaf looks slightly puffy, with the dough risen to just about the height of the loaf tin, place it in the preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Because the dough is quite rich, it tends to brown quickly. If it seems like it’s getting too dark, loosely tent it with aluminum foil.
  • Carefully remove the loaf from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it to serve. It’s best enjoyed warm! I also love serving this with a side of marinara for dipping.

Notes

Herbs: Use this recipe as a base and sub in any of your favorite dried and fresh herbs. One of my favorite combos is dried Italian seasoning in the dough, and plenty of fresh basil in the garlic herb butter. Use whichever herbs you have on hand!
Alternate shaping method:
You can either divide your dough into 12 balls for 24 slices of bread, or 6 balls for 12 thicker slices.
  1. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With a knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 roughly even-sized pieces. (If you prefer thicker slices, divide into only 6 pieces.) Shape each piece into a ball by tucking the edges underneath. Place them seam-side down on your work surface and let them rest for about 10 minutes while you prepare the garlic herb butter. (This will allow the gluten to relax.)
  2. Prepare the garlic herb butter.
  3. Using a rolling pin, roll each of the dough balls out to a circle, roughly 1/4” thick and about 5" in diameter. It’s okay if the circles are slightly irregular in shape. (If you wanted thicker slices and you divided the dough into only 6 pieces in step 1, still roll them out to about 5" in diameter.)
  4. Divide the garlic herb butter evenly between the 12 discs of dough. Spread the butter across each piece of dough to cover it.
  5. Cut each dough circle in half, forming half-moon shapes. Stack 6 half-moons on top of each other. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces, creating 4 stacks, each with 6 half-moon pieces of dough. (This isn't strictly necessary; it's just to make the transfer to the pan easier and more uniform.)
  6. Grease a standard loaf tin and transfer the stacks into the tin, standing up.
  7. Proceed with the recipe as written.
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