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Jump to RecipeThis sourdough garlic pull apart bread is a joyful appetizer to share this holiday season. Each piece of sourdough bread is rolled in a butter garlic sauce – making each bite absolutely divine. Enjoy this meal at any time of year and make the bread into any shape you like!
This recipe was inspired by our viral sourdough garlic knot recipe. Recently, I went back to make the recipe to remind myself what it tasted like. But things took a serious turn when I added a little honey to the dough, let the dough proof a little longer than last time and rolled each piece in a garlic butter sauce.
Dare I say this is one recipe we will never forget? We made this recipe in December and made it for three separate activities – holiday dinner with friends, sharing food with our neighbors and for my mom’s birthday.
This recipe can be shaped any way you like and one of our favorite was in the shape of a cross! What better way to remember the holiday season than bringing it back to the one this time is all about? And if you are like our family – celebrating each side of the families unique festivities, this recipe is perfect for both Hanukkah and Christmas events.
Feel free to make this into any shape you prefer. The first time we enjoyed this updated recipe was with friends – where we brought them as garlic knots. The second time we made it into a cross shape. And the third time was as a pull apart bread. Enjoy alone or with paired with a bowl of spaghetti.
We love that this recipe can be shared between people easily. This makes it the perfect sourdough appetizer. And the best part is – no additional dipping sauce is necessary!
We hope this recipe brings you as much joy as it brought our family. After all, sharing bread with others just as Jesus did with his disciples is exactly what we want to be doing this season (and any time of the year to be honest).
Why you will love this sourdough pull apart bread
Kitchen Equipment
One of my favorite parts about this recipe is the minimal equipment. Simply grab a bowl with a lid, a small bowl (for dipping the bread), a bench scraper. Depending on what shape you are making your bread – a 8×8 pan, a 9×13 pan or a cast iron skillet.
Ingredients for sourdough garlic pull apart bread
There are a few main ingredients for sourdough garlic pull apart bread – but the main features are the butter, garlic butter mixture and sourdough discard. For a full list of ingredients, visit the recipe card located at the bottom of the blog.
Butter: This is an enriched dough with butter (though no eggs). This dough is pillowy soft. The butter gives the dough its soft texture. This ensures the bread stays moist for days.
Garlic Butter Mixture: What makes this sourdough pull apart bread exceptional within our eyes is the garlic butter mixture. Melt the butter, add the spices and roll the dough in the garlic butter mixture before placing it in the pan for a rise. It adds another level of flavor to this bread – making it perfect to eat on its own.
Sourdough Discard: This recipe is naturally fermented. This means it does not rely on leavening agents or active yeast to help the dough rise. We prefer using active sourdough discard over sourdough discard which has been sitting in the fridge to give the fluffiest – tallest pieces of bread. A homemade sourdough starter has never been easier to make from scratch, learn how to make sourdough starter on the blog!
How to make sourdough garlic pull apart bread
Step 1: Mix the dough together.
Step 2: Complete stretch and folds before bulk fermentation.
Step 3: Bulk ferment on counter until doubled in size.
Step 4: Dip in garlic butter mixture (pictured above as garlic knot shape).
Step 5a: After dipping in butter mixture place in pan to proof.
Step 5b: Allow dough to double in size (will become puffy and begin to fill up the pan!).
Step 7: Bake and enjoy!
How to store sourdough pull apart bread
Store this sourdough garlic pull apart bread on the counter for two days before placing within the fridge. If placing the dough in the fridge, be sure to heat up if it becomes ‘dry’.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sourdough Pull Apart Bread
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl with a lid
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Bench Scraper
- 1 8×8 Glass Pan Use a 9×13 pan if baking a shape (like the cross example) or you can use a cast iron skillet.
Ingredients
Garlic Knots Dough
- 6 ounces water
- 3.5 ounces sourdough discard
- 12 ounces all purpose flour Add a tablespoon or two if dough is sticky.
- 0.3 ounces salt
- 0.6 ounces honey Can use sugar or leave out if preferred (it helps the dough rise)
- 4 T unsalted butter melted
Melted Butter (with garlic seasoning)
- 4 TBS butter melted
- 1 tsp parsley
- 2 tsp Kinders Buttery Steakhouse Seasoning *See notes for seasoning alternatives
Instructions
- Preparing the dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients together. Once stirred together, add in the salt and flour. Mix together with your hands until the dough comes together. The dough should be soft and will pull away from the sides of the bowl when mixed. If you need, add flour a tablespoon at a time, incorporating completely until the dough is one unit and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Do not be afraid of over-mixing as you will add strength to the dough by stretching and folding it.Depending on the hydration level of my dough, I need have added 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour to the dough. Stretch and fold the dough every thirty minutes for two rounds after mixing the initial dough. Stretch and fold until the dough can no longer stretch and fold (about 8-10 times), rotating the bowl 90 degrees after each stretch and fold is complete. Allow the dough to sit on the counter until it has doubled in size (about 10-12 hours). If your dough is close to seeming over proofed, continue to advance and shape.
- Shaping, Garlic Mixture and Secondary Rise
- Once the dough has doubled in size, pour onto the countertop and begin to form into preferred shape. We have had success shaping these into rolls (circles), slices, breadsticks and even knots. This dough is stable and can be formed into any shape you like. Once your preferred shape is made, in a separate bowl melt the butter and add the spices. Coat the dough entirely within the butter and place on the baking sheet. Allow the bread to complete secondary rise (about 2 hours). The dough will get larger in size (almost double) and the tops will indent and bounce back when poked with a finger.
- Bake and Enjoy!
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the baking vessel to the oven and cook until the pull apart bread is cooked completely through – about 20 – 25 minutes. If using a temperature gauge – the dough will be 190 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit.The pull apart bread will turn golden in color. Once removed from the oven, you can coat with more butter by running a stick on the outside of the baked dough.
Notes
- Feel free to use your favorite garlic seasoning. Each one we have used has contained two ingredients which we think makes the flavor ‘pop’ – butter extract and dehydrated garlic.
- This recipe can be adapted to any timeline – short fermentation (IE within 16-18 hours) or long fermentation (24+ hours).
- If you are doing to long ferment, wait to stretch and fold the after it has completed the countertop fermentation. Stretch and fold it before placing it into the fridge.
- When ready to bake, remove it from the fridge and allow it to sit on the countertop to warm up. Once warm, shape into your preferred shape and then dip into the garlic butter mixture.
- If your dough is too cold when it goes into the garlic mixture, the butter will solidify and become hard to coat the dough. You may need to reheat the butter mixture in between rolling it on the dough.
- Add an additional hour or two of time to proof (or place in an oven with the light on for 30 minutes – DO NOT TURN ON THE HEAT or they will bake).
- This recipe can be baked within a cast iron skillet or a glass pan. If using a cast iron skillet, be sure to melt butter before placing the dough in the cast iron skillet. This will help the dough to begin to rise from the heat as well. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition
What is your favorite shape to make pull apart bread? Let us know in the comments below!
This is the recipe my family requests over and over again. The slices are so moist and flavorful thanks to the final ‘dip’ in the garlic butter.
And we love that they can be made into any shape – breadsticks, garlic knots, pull apart bread – you name it, it is diverse!