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buttery garlic + herb pull-apart bubble bread with pieces on the side

Buttery Garlic + Herb Pull-Apart Bubble Bread

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 ½ cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 to 4 cups (426 to 568 g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour (see note)

Butter Mixture:

  • ½ cup (113 g) salted butter
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil, lightly crushed between fingers
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed between fingers
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup (114 g) grated Parmesan, or Asiago cheese

Instructions 

  • In an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl by hand), mix together the water, yeast, sugar, salt and one cup of the flour.
  • Continue adding the flour until the dough just clears the sides of the bowl; knead for about three minutes. It should be soft and slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
  • Melt the butter and stir in the seasonings and garlic powder.
  • Pat the dough into a thick 8-inch square (doesn't have to be exact). Cut into 8 strips and cut each strip into 8 pieces to end up with about 64 small pieces.
  • Roll each piece lightly into a ball (should just take a second or two in the palms of your hands - it's ok if they look kind of rough and misshapen).
  • Dip each dough ball in the butter/seasonings mixture (or dump several in the butter mixture at a time) and place in a single layer in the bottom of a bundt pan. Two loaf pans can be used in place of the bundt pan.
  • Sprinkle the first layer of dough with Parmesan cheese. Repeat the process adding layers of butter-dipped dough, sprinkling each layer with a little more Parmesan cheese.
  • The layers won't be super even or exact. That's ok! Don't stress. Sprinkle any remaining Parmesan cheese over the top of the last layer. Cover the bundt pan and let rise until very puffy, 45-60 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Bake the bubble bread for 30-35 minutes until golden and baked through. (If your pan has a very dark nonstick coating, watch the time carefully so the bread doesn't burn.)
  • Turn the bread out onto a serving plate or cooling rack (it can be served right side up or upside down). Pull off pieces of bread and enjoy!

Notes

Bundt Pan: if you don't have a bundt pan, you can try separating the dough into two loaf pans and baking that way.
Herbs: you can substitute a favorite herb seasoning blend or mix for the 1/2 teaspoon basil and 1/2 teaspoon oregano.
Flour: the exact amount of flour you'll need for this dough will depend on a variety of factors (elevation, humidity, how you and I each measure the flour). Don't stress about the exact amount - just keep adding flour gradually until a soft, easy to work with dough is formed. If it leaves a lot of residue on your fingers, continue adding flour a bit at a time.
Active Dry Yeast: to sub in active dry yeast, use the same amount called for; proof it in 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar until it is bubbly and foaming (should take a couple minutes). Use as directed in the recipe, decreasing the overall water amount to 1 1/4 cups.