This sourdough pull apart bread is filled with rich garlic and herb butter and a little cheese. It’s made with a lightly enriched dough.
The dough for this sourdough pull apart bread is lightly enriched with egg and butter. It’s a sticky dough initially so I make it in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to make things easier. You could do it by hand too, and stretch and fold the dough to bring strength though I haven’t done this myself yet with this recipe.
It’s a really fun bread to put together and later rip apart and eat. The dough is rolled into little flat rounds, filled with garlic and butter and cheese and folded in half. Then these rounds are all stacked together snuggly in a loaf pan. Once baked, they can be pulled apart.
Baker’s schedule
Here is a rough outline of the baker’s schedule to get an idea of the timings. You can adjust these to suit your environment.
- Evening before -Feed your starter
- Day 1 – 9 am – Mix the dough
- 9:30 am – Let it rise in a warm spot until it has bulked out by at least half (approximately 5-8 hours, depending on the temperature)
- 4:30 pm – Refrigerate the dough overnight.
- Day 2 – The following morning – Shape the bread and let it rise again in a warm spot for 4-5 hours until doubled in size, then bake.
Method
- Fit a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
- To the bowl of the stand mixer combine milk, sugar, sourdough starter, egg, flour and salt.
- Mix on low speed to form a thick dough. Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time.
- Mix for around 10 minutes until the soft dough is smooth and strong and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to container with a lid, or cover a bowl tightly. Let the dough rise by at least 50% before refrigerating overnight.
- Mix softened butter with garlic and chopped herbs.
- Cut the proofed dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls.
- Roll each into a flat round and spread on garlic butter and a little cheese.
- Fold them in half.
- Place the half circle into a lined loaf pan. Continue with the remaining dough and pesto, snuggly stacking the layers of dough.
Let them rise again until doubled in size, then brush with egg wash and bake until deep golden brown.
Storing
Leftover sourdough pull apart bread can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. After day 1, reheat it in the microwave before eating to soften it up, as the enriched bread will stiffen on the following days.
More sourdough recipes to try
Sourdough Pull Apart Bread
This sourdough pull apart bread is filled with rich garlic and herb butter and a little cheese. The perfect appetizer or snack.
Sourdough starter
- 25 g starter
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g water
Dough
- 180 g whole milk
- 30 g granulated sugar
- All the sourdough starter around 110g active starter
- 350 g all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 55 g unsalted butter room temperature
Filling
- 85 g unsalted butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped. Or use rosemary or thyme
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or use a teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 50 g grated cheese parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar cheese, Edam…
Egg wash and topping
- 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water
- Melted butter
- Flaky salt
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Mix sourdough starter, flour, and water in a small bowl until well combined. Then tip it into a clean jar to rise. Let this rise overnight until doubled in size.*
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine milk, sugar, sourdough starter, egg, flour and salt. Mix into a thick and slightly sticky dough.
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Add in the softened butter and mix again for around 10-15 minutes on medium speed until the dough is silky and strong and passes the window pane test.
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Shape into a ball and place in a container with a lid, or a bowl and cover it.
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Let the dough rise in a warm spot (ideally around 25°C/77°F) for anywhere from 5-8 hours depending on temperature until it’s bulked out by at least 50%. You can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough into a turned-off oven alongside a dish of boiled water. Replace the water as needed when it cools down.
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After this rise, ensure the dough is covered tightly and refrigerate overnight.
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The following day, remove from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the softened butter, herbs, garlic and salt for the filling.
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Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
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Pull the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 12-inch (30cm) long log and cut it into 12 equal 1-inch pieces with a bench scraper or knife. If you want them even, weigh the whole dough first and divide it by 12.
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Shape each piece into a little ball. Roll each ball into a circle around 4 ½ inches (11cm) in diameter.
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Spread each piece with garlic butter, leaving a little border around. Add a sprinkle of cheese, then fold the dough circle in half.
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Place the half circle into the loaf pan with the edges facing up. Continue with the remaining dough and filling, stacking the layers of dough. They will need to be squished in.
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Cover the pan and let the dough rise again in a warm spot until doubled in size, around 4-6 hours depending on temperature.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk together egg and water for the egg wash and use a brush to brush this all over the top of the bread.
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Bake for around 40-50 minutes until deep golden brown. If the top of the berad is browning too fast, loosely cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. After baking, brush the hot bread with melted butter and sprinkle a bit of flaky salt.
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Leftover sourdough pull apart bread can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. After day 1, reheat it in the microwave before eating to soften it up, as the enriched bread will stiffen on the following days.
*if your environment is warm overnight, you can increase the starter feeding to 1:3:3 (eg 20g starter 60g flour and 60g water) or or 1:4:4.
Calories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 7gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 412mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5g