Erin’s Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread

Step 1

Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and mix with a small spatula to combine. It’s ok if it’s a bit clumpy. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Step 2

In a liquid measuring cup, heat milk in the microwave until it reaches a warm room temperature (about 110 degrees F)

Step 3

Add the bread flour, dry milk, sugar and salt to the mixing bowl. Add the warm milk, egg, butter and sour cream. Bring the ingredients together into a shaggy dough with a rubber spatula before mixing on low speed with the dough hook for 4 minutes or until a soft dough comes together around the dough hook.

Step 4

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until the dough is very smooth.

Step 5

Grease a medium bowl lightly with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and use both hands to gently turn the dough around so it’s coated slightly on all sides. Gently tuck the dough under itself so it’s slightly rounded. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour until lit’s visibly puffy and almost doubled in size.

Step 6

To make the filling, first roast the garlic. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut the top of both heads of garlic. Place the heads in the center of a generous piece of foil, cut side up. Drizzle each head with a few slugs of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of fine sea salt. Bring the foil up around the garlic to seal and place the heads on a small baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the cloves are tender and caramelized, 35-45 minutes. Let rest until cool enough to hands before squeezing the close into a medium bowl. Turn off the oven.

Step 7

Stir the remaining filling ingredients into the garlic and set aside.

Step 8

Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan, add a layer of parchment paper that hangs over two edges and grease the parchment paper as well.

Step 9

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a 1/2-thick rectangle. It doesn’t have to be a perfect rectangle. My rectangle of dough was 20-inches long and 12-inches tall. Cut the long side of the dough into 6 equal strips and cut the short side of the dough into 3 or 4 sections, creating squares.

Step 10

Spread the squares generously with the roasted garlic butter. Stack the squares side my side in the prepared pan. Pour any remaining filling over the slices within the pan.

Step 11

Loosely cover the pan and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 1 hour into the rise time, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 35-40 minutes until puffed and golden. Let cool just slightly and serve from the pan.