Herb & Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

Herb & Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

The moment I saw   Aparna 's invitation on the facebook for bread baking every month, I knew I had to do this. Though a baking enthusiast, otherwise being a lazy person, the list of bookmarked recipes ( to be tried )go on piling. This was the best opportunity for me to come out of my shell and bake with others. Making  Herb & Cheese Pull-apart Loaf  was so much fun. I absolutely enjoyed it. Though I have baked quite a few breads earlier also, but this was differrent. 

The recipe was quite easy to follow and I used Food processor to knead the dough for the bread first time. It was not sticky and came out very well. I followed it the recipe making very few changes. The most important thing everybody at home loved it too.

Herb & Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

 Ingredients

For the Dough:

1/2 cup warm milk
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 3/4 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
25gm butter, soft at room temperature
3/4 to 1 tsp finely chopped garlic 
3/4 cup milk (+ a couple of tbsp to brush over the bread)

For the Filling

15 - 20gm melted butter
2 tsp dried mixed herbs/Oregano
Crushed black pepper/ red chilli flakes 
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese 

Method:

1.Dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm milk. Keep it aside for about 5 -10 minutes till the yeast mixture bubbles up.

2. In the food processor  bowl, Put 2 3/4 cup of flour, salt, softened butter, and chopped garlic  in the food processor bowl (or a large bowl) and pulse a couple of times to mix. 

3. Add the yeast mixture and the 3/4 cup of milk and knead till you have a soft, smooth and elastic/ pliable dough which is not sticky. Add a little extra flour if your dough is sticking, but only just as much as is necessary.

4. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it completely with oil. Cover and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until almost double in volume.

5. Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Punch  the dough, shape it into a square and roll the dough out into a larger square that is about 12’ by 12”. Brush the surface of the square with the melted butter. 

6.Sprinkle the herbs, pepper/ chilli flakes and then the grated cheese. Use a rolling pin to  lightly press the topping into the dough so that the topping doesn’t fall off. 

7. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 long and even strips. Lay each strip on top of the next, with the topping facing upwards, until you have a stack of the strips.

8. Using a sharp knife, cut straight down through the stack dividing it into 6 equal pieces (6 square stacks).

9. Grease and lightly flour a 9” by 4” (or 5”) loaf tin. Layer the square slices, cut sides down into the loaf tin. 

10. Cover the loaf tin dough with a cling and allow the dough to rise for an hour or so. You can put a little grated cheese at this stage if you want it to be more cheesy kind. Lightly brush some milk or egg wash over the top of the loaf.

11. Bake the dough at 180 C (350F) for about 30 to 40 minutes until it is done and the top is golden brown.