I love bread. Any kind of bread. I love making bread. I love eating bread. I. Love. Bread. My husband says I have an unhealthy relationship with bread, but seriously though, if I’m ever having a rough day? Kneading some dough really soothes the soul. And then filling the house with the smell of fresh baked bread?? So amazing! So, the question is: what’s better than fresh bread? Answer: fresh baked garlic cheesy bread!! I like to make mine in a fashion that can be pulled apart a piece at a time. Pulling apart garlic cheesy bread=pure satisfaction. Ok, so maybe I do have an unhealthy relationship with bread….is that really the worst thing??
Ok, let’s be real a minute. If given the opportunity to buy or make bread, I will make it every time. It’s just better in every way – in my opinion. So, this bread is not some store bought loaf that’s cut up with garlic butter and cheese added to it. No. This bread is sure to impress. I have requests all the time for it. Don’t let the “make bread from scratch” thing dissuade you though! It’s really not as hard as people make it out to be! It just requires a decent amount of waiting in between steps. Seriously, just give it a try. It will get easier and easier (and more fun) each time you do it! Start right now by mixing your lukewarm water, sugar, and yeast together. Set it aside and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it’s nice and foamy.
Meanwhile, get a large bowl and sift together your flour and salt. I start off with about 5 cups of flour and add more as needed during the kneading process. (This makes 2 loaves.) Make a “well” in your flour and add the oil and your foamed-up yeast and sugar mixture.
Next, mix! I typically mix this part up with a spoon or fork to begin with, but you can use your hands if you aren’t bothered by bread dough seeming to eat your fingers. Add flour little by little until the dough is still sticky, but starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl, then turn out on a floured surface to begin kneading. Add flour again, little by little, as you knead until you have a beautiful, soft ball of dough.
Your dough ball should still be slightly sticky, but not wet. When you prod it, it should sort of “bounce back” at you. You should be able to stretch a piece of it thin enough that you can see light through the dough without it breaking. Once you’ve assured you’ve kneaded long enough, oil your bowl with a tsp or 2 of oil and then place your dough ball in it! Cover with saran wrap and a towel and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.
Once it has doubled in size, punch the dough down and make 24-32 dough balls. If you like thicker Texas toast sized pieces, go for the 24. If you like skinnier pieces, go for the 32. Use half the dough balls for each loaf pan. You will take each ball and flatten them out. Then, spread garlic butter on them (I highly recommend my Awesome Garlic Butter recipe). After the garlic butter, add mozzarella cheese, stacking each dough round on top of each other. Be careful not to mesh the dough layers together or you will lose your pull apart factor!
Continue stacking your flattened dough rounds and topping each with garlic butter and cheese. The last dough round of each half should only have the garlic butter on it. Follow the same steps for the 2nd half of the dough balls.
Then, you will CAREFULLY put each stack on its side into a greased loaf pan. Again, careful not to mush together your layers so you keep the gorgeous pull apartness!
Brush with some beaten egg wash and then cover with seran wrap and let rest another 30 minutes. Then, remove the seran wrap and bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!! I like mine just about any temperature, but that satisfactory cheese pull is enjoyed soon after this is removed from the oven!!
Garlic Cheesy Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 5 1/2 – 6 cups flour
- 4 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup Garlic butter
- 1 Egg beaten
Instructions
- Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- Sift together flour and salt. Create a well in mixture
- Add oil and foamed up yeast mixture to your well. Stir well with spoon or fingers. Add small amounts of flour as needed.
- Knead dough until a soft, slightly sticky ball is formed which “bounces” back when prodded. Could take 10-15 minutes😉 hang in there!
- Place in a greased bowl and cover with seran wrap, towel, or both and let prove for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Beat down dough and form 24-32 even balls. 24 if you prefer thicker pieces of bread, 32 if you prefer thinner pieces.
- Using half the balls, flatten out each ball into a circle and spread garlic butter followed by mozzarella cheese on each. Stack them one at a time on top of each other, being careful not to smush them all together. (you’ll lose your pull apart factor)
- Carefully place the stacked rounds on their side into a large greased bread loaf pan. (Still being careful not to squish the layers together!)
- Follow the last 2 steps again for the 2nd half of the dough balls.
- Carefully brush the beaten egg on each loaf.
- Cover both loaves with seran wrap and let rise another 30 minutes.
- Remove seran wrap and bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes.
- Enjoy! It’s WONDERFUL right out of the oven!
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