Sometimes the most delicious recipes can be the simplest. This pull apart bread dinner loaf is full of layered, buttery soft rolls. It also makes an edible centerpiece for you dinner table. We like it served warm with salted butter (or an herb-y butter). Goes great with just about any meal and comes together with very little effort. Plus, it acts as another piece of cutlery—perfect for soaking up sauces, juices and gravies. OH MY!
Ingredients
Milk - Using milk in pull apart bread recipes give a soft and fluffy texture, a fine crumb and helps the bread keep fresh longer.
Sugar- The sugar acts as "food" for the yeast, helping it to activate. It also gives bread a great flavor and makes it turn that beautiful golden brown.
All-Purpose Flour (or Bread Flour) - "The main difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is a matter of protein. Bread flour, which comes in white and whole wheat varieties, has a higher protein content than all-purpose, usually 11-13%. It's called “bread flour” because most bread requires higher amounts of protein to produce lots of gluten."
-BonAppetit.com
Flour Side Note: We tend to use all-purpose flour because it's what we have on hand and it still works great. No need to make a special purchase for this recipe, but if you have bread flour on hand, it will give this recipe an extra gluten boost.
Instructions
To make this pull apart bread, you'll need a mixer fitted with the dough attachment, mixing bowl, a saucepan, loaf pan, small bowl for melted butter and non-stick spray. Grab those items as well as your ingredients and let's get started!
FIRST, warm up the milk, water and 2 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan until about 110°F or until warm but not hot. Remove and pour into a mixing bowl.
NEXT, add the salt, sugar and active dry yeast. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until the yeast has "bloomed" and is foamy and smells so deliciously yeast-y.
Turn the mixer on low, slowly ADD flour. MIX until dough starts to pull away from the edges, or about 5 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough pulls away and begins looking smooth.
Cover bowl and allow to RISE until doubled, about 1 hour.
Bread Rising Tip: If your house is really cold, turn the oven on to 150°F. Once it reaches temperature, turn it off and then place the bowl with the dough in the oven to prove. This will ensure a rise time in one hour or less.
Alternately, Place in a covered bowl in the oven with the oven light on! Yep, that oven light can be super handy to gently warm rising dough.
Once dough has doubled, remove onto a floured surface. ROLL out to a square close to 12 x 12 inches. CUT into 16 squares (we like to use a pizza cutter to make this really easy).
Spray a loaf tin with non-stick cooking spray. MELT the other 2 tablespoon butter.
We love to make bread in our household, especially when it's easy. Like our Garlic Herb Breadsticks or Focaccia.
One at a time, place a square of dough into the loaf pan (we l-o-v-e this loaf pan from Williams Sonoma), and butter each side. See picture above for a visual. Once all the dough is in the pan, it's time for the second rise! COVER and allow to rise for another hour or until doubled in size.
While pull apart bread dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F. BAKE for 30 minutes or until the tops are a deep golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped.
And you're DONE!!! Serve this pull apart bread while warm with some butter, or if you feel fancy, make some herb butter. This makes a really cute, rustic centerpiece that encourages sharing and has become a staple to our dinner time routine.
Pull Apart Bread Loaf
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk 2% or whole works best
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast or 1 packet
- 2-2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Heat milk, water, and 2 tablespoon butter to 110°F (or to warm but not hot).
- Pour into stand mixer. Add sugar, salt, and yeast. Allow yeast to sit and "bloom" for 10 minutes or until foamy and smells yeasty.
- Turn mixer on low. Slowly add flour.
- Dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and no longer be sticky to the touch.
- Cover and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Roll dough out on floured surface into a 12 x 12 inch square (no need for perfection just approximate)
- Cut dough into 16 equal(ish) squares.
- Melt remaining 2 tablespoon butter, and brush dough with melted butter.
- Grease loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Placing one piece of dough in pan with buttered side towards the edge of the pan.
- Then butter the dry side of the dough in the pan (see pictures). Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
- Cover and allow to rise 1 more hour or until doubled in size.
- Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until deep golden brown (if top gets too dark before the inside is done, cover with foil and continue baking until cooked through).
- Remove from loaf pan and serve hot or wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate and reheat before serving.
Denise Ramey
When you have 2-2 1/2 flour, is that 5 cups?
Amy
It's 2-2.5 cups of flour. I've updated the recipe to make it easier to read, I hope that helps!
Ckueh
Can this be prepared night before, refrigerated during 2nd rise and baked the next day?
Amy
Yes! Allow dough to go through first rise, shape dough as directed, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Dough should be left out at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or until dough has risen to about double. Enjoy!
Judi Hammer
I made this for dinner last night. Delicious! Easy to make. The family loved it.