Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread
Recipe: Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread
Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread is an easy to make, fun savoury bread full of garlic and basil flavours. Ideal for any dinner get together like Thanks Giving, Christmas or just when friends and family get together for a meal. Don’t need to slice the bread. Serve the whole loaf and everyone can pull apart a slice or two.
Memories
The first time I made basil garlic bread was way back in Oct 2012. I had gone to Nairobi and came back with a whole bunch of fresh basil from my niece’s garden. Besides using some for pasta and pesto, I decided to use some for making bread. Back then I added the garlic and chopped basil to the dough.
A few days ago was discussing with hubby that I need to bake a bread recipe ready for Sunday Funday group. Living in Canada means I don’t bake breads that often as the variety of good breads I get from the local supermarket and the boulangeries is simply mind blogging. So hubby goes “just get a baguette and make garlic bread”. I think he missed the word bake.
I have this whole list of recipes that need redoing. Basil Garlic Bread is one of them. So put on my thinking cap and decided to make a pull apart bread by adding basil garlic butter to the recipe.
Sharing Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread With Sunday Funday Group
Amy who blogs at Amy’s Cooking Adventures. This is what she suggested for this Sunday “Break out the flour and make a yeast bread! Make loaves or buns or even croissants or homemade pizza dough – if it’s got yeast, it’s fair game! Scared of yeast? Use frozen bread dough for your creation.” For sure I got the white flour out after a long time. And working with yeast, well that doesn’t scare me at all. Amy am glad you suggested this theme as I got the opportunity to redo my old Basil Garlic Bread post.
First posted on 05/10/2012, redoing with better photos and making it into a more interesting and fun Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread
When To Serve Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread
- For sit down dinners and lunches like Thanks Giving, Christmas, family get together.
- Picnics
- Parties.
- Game Nights or Girls Night with some creamy soup like Tomato Carrot Soup or Potato Leek Soup.
Some Yeast Bread Recipes You May Like
Check Out Yeast Bread Recipes By Members Of Sunday Funday
- Basil Garlic Bread by Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Buckwheat Dinner Rolls (Gluten-Free) by Cook with Renu
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread by Food Lust People Love
- Keto Eggless Almond Four Yeasted Bread by Sneha’s Recipe
- No Knead Ciabatta Bread by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Shirin Chorek by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek) by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Ingredients Required For Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread
Flour
I have used all purpose flour | plain flour |maida. When in India we need to add about 1-2 tbsp of vital wheat gluten as the flour available there is not ideal for breads. Need flour for the dough and little for dusting the worktop.
Yeast
I have used Instant Dry Yeast. If you use active dry yeast then you need to ferment the yeast in warm milk or water. Add sugar to the measured warm liquid. Sprinkle the yeast granules on top. Cover the container and allow the mixture to ferment for 10 minutes. Add this foamy creamy mixture to the dough.
Sugar
Usually added to allow the yeast to ferment. Generally any sugar would work, white or brown. Also a bit of sugar balances the flavour of the bread so I don’t recommend skipping it.
Salt
As this is a savoury bread, we add some salt. I have used normal table salt.
Milk
Any dairy milk of your choice. Heat it till it is warm. Can opt to replace it with water. I like to use milk as it makes the bread more softer. For vegan version, omit milk and add water.
Water
Normal tap water. Warm it up. Warm enough so that when you dip your pinky finger it is comfortable and not too hot.Amount of water required will depend on how much liquid the flour absorbs. Sometimes a bit more is required. I used ½ cup.
Olive Oil
Add some to the dough to make the bread less tough. Also need some for rubbing over the dough and greasing the bowl.
Butter
I have used salted butter. For vegan version can replace the butter with vegan butter.
Basil
Ideally, fresh basil adds so much flavour and aroma. However, if you don’t have any opt for dried basil. I used about 10-12 basil leaves, finely chopped. If you are using dried basil, add about 1 -1½ tsp.
Garlic
Use fresh garlic according to your taste. We love the bread a bit more garlicky so I have used 3 big cloves. Peel and mince or finely chop the garlic.
Watch How To Make Basil Garlic Pull Apart Bread
BASIL GARLIC PULL APART BREAD
Ingredients
FOR THE BREAD DOUGH
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup warm milk
- ½ - ¾ cup warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
FOR THE GARLIC BASIL BUTTER
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- 10-12 large basil leaves
- ¼ cup salted butter soft
- extra flour for dusting
- extra oil for rubbing on dough and bowl
Instructions
PREPARATION OF THE BREAD DOUGH
- Mix flour, sugar and salt together into a big bowl.
- Add the instant yeast and mix well.
- Rub oil into the flour.
- Add the warm milk and water.
- Bring everything together into a shaggy dough.
- If you are going to knead the dough by hand then dust the worktop with some flour.
- Transfer the dough onto the worktop and knead for 10 minutes.
- Alternately use the dough kneading machine. Let it run for 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a flour dusted worktop and shape the dough into a ball.
- Grease the bowl with some oil. Rub some over the dough ball.
- Return the dough to the greased bowl.
- Cover with cling film, a lid or a damp cloth and allow it to ferment for 1 hour 30 minutes or till it is double in size.
- The fermentation time will depend on how warm your kitchen is. It will be faster in a warm hot place.
PREPARATION OF BASIL GARLIC BUTTER
- Peel and mince or finely chop the garlic.
- Chop the basil leaves finely. Alternately can use dried basil.
- Add the basil and garlic to the soft butter.
- Mix well and keep on the side till required.
SHAPING THE BASIL GARLIC PULL APART BREAD LOAF
- Deflate the dough.
- Shape into a ball again gently.
- Roll it out a bit using a rolling pin. This makes it easier to divide the dough properly.
- Divide the dough into quarters using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Divide each quarter into 3 parts. So totally you will have 12 dough pieces.
- Alternately, you can weigh the dough using weighing scale and then divide the number by 12. That gives you a rough estimate how much each dough ball should weigh.
- Roll the 12 dough parts into small balls.
- Dust the worktop with some flour. Roll each dough ball roughly into 3 inch diameter circle.
- Using a knife, spread some basil garlic butter on each of the circles.
- Make a stack of 6 circles. That means you should have 2 stacks of 6 circles.
- Cut the stacks into halves.
- Grease a loaf tin with some olive oil. I have used 9.5 inches by 5 inches tin.
- Gently arrange the halved stacks in the tin with the cut side down and the curved side up.
- Make sure the unbuttered sides are at the ends.
- Cover the loaf tin with a damp towel and allow the shaped loaf to rise. This will take about 45-60 minutes depending on the weather.
BAKE THE BASIL GARLIC PULL APART BREAD
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Brush the top of the loaf gently with some milk. For vegan version, use vegan milk.
- Bake the loaf for 35 minutes or till the top of the loaf appears golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the oven.
- Using a spatula, run it around the sides of the pan so that the loaf comes away from the pan.
- Gently remove the bread from the tin.
- If there is any remaining basil garlic butter, brush the top of the loaf with it. Alternately, can use normal butter.
- Allow it to cool a bit of a wire rack.
- Serve it warm.
Notes
- Brush the top of the shaped dough with oil or egg wash.
- Use a mixture of herbs for a different flavour.
- Knead the dough on a kitchen work top or a board. If your worktop is made of granite or marble then do not knead the dough on it directly as it tends to be cold. Use a wooden board.
- For kneading technique press the dough down gently with the heel of your hand. Push it outwards gently. Then fold the dough into half. Turn the dough quarter circle and repeat. Do not push the dough out too much as it will break the gluten strands. You need the gluten strands for good crumb.
- The bread dough should not be too hard or too soft. It may stick to your fingers but should be able to work with it. If not then add a little flour. Don't get tempted to add too much flour.
Pin For Later
A Small Request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or comment on Pinterest @mayuri62
13 Comments
Beena.stephy
October 5, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Healthy bread
Amy’s Cooking Adventures
November 10, 2024 at 1:34 pm
All my favorite flavors! This looks heavenly!
mayurisjikoni
November 11, 2024 at 3:46 pm
Thank you so much Amy.
Karen’s Kitchen Stories
November 10, 2024 at 3:13 pm
This is one of my favorite “go to” bread recipes! The family loves it!
mayurisjikoni
November 11, 2024 at 3:46 pm
Thanks Karen, we too love such kind of breads especially when we have friends and family over for meals.
Wendy Klik
November 10, 2024 at 7:34 pm
This sounds amazing and it looks so lovely. I would be proud to serve this bread.
mayurisjikoni
November 11, 2024 at 3:45 pm
Thank you so much Wendy.
Renu
November 11, 2024 at 3:51 am
The bread has turned out so good, the top crust just wow, feel like grabbing it off the screen. We love garlic breads with soups and pasta and I tried your recipe and it came out good. Thanks for sharing.
mayurisjikoni
November 11, 2024 at 3:44 pm
Thank you so much Renu. Am glad you enjoyed the bread.
Sneha Datar
November 14, 2024 at 6:46 am
Love pull apart breads, these are so delicious and soft!
mayurisjikoni
November 19, 2024 at 4:22 pm
Thanks Sneha
Can I make without oven on gas top? How ?
February 24, 2025 at 4:53 am
Can I make without oven?
mayurisjikoni
February 24, 2025 at 6:58 am
Sorry I have not baked breads on gas top. I feel that the end result is never the same as baking in the oven.