Starting from a simple rosemary-infused homemade dough, this rosemary garlic pull apart bread is shaped and assembled with butter, garlic, cheese, and herbs. Baked until golden brown and served pull-apart style, this flaky and flavorful bread is completely irresistible. Just wait until you smell it baking! Truly a favorite.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Have you ever tried my everything bagel pull apart bread? It is, without a doubt, one of the best bread recipes to come out of my kitchen. I wanted something equally as snack-y and satisfying for this holiday season, so I swapped in some everyday foolproof ingredients like rosemary, butter, and parmesan cheese.
I don’t think a finished recipe has ever disappeared faster in my house. (And I make chocolate chip cookies on the regular.)
One reader, Brie, commented: “Just made this recipe for the first time and followed it exactly. ABSOLUTELY perfect and delicious! I tented with foil at 18 minutes left and the color and texture were perfect. I’ll be making it again. ★★★★★“
One reader, Vic, commented: “This is the second bread recipe I’ve ever tried and the first recipe I’ve ever made from Sally’s Baking—it turned out great! Picture perfect. All the times were bang on for me, instructions were super clear and easy to follow. Partner and I plowed through most of the loaf for dinner last night—oops. 😉 ★★★★★“
One reader, Jennifer, commented: “Amazing bread. I’ve made this ten times already, different cheeses, all perfect! Perfect recipe as is! Thank you! ★★★★★“
Tell Me About This Rosemary Garlic Pull Apart Bread
- Flavor: Cheesy & garlic, rosemary & herb, salty & buttery—all packed inside the homestyle goodness of from-scratch bread. This recipe has a range of some of the BEST flavors around.
- Texture: In addition to the irresistible flavor, this pull apart bread’s texture is definitely something to write home about. The exterior is golden crisp right out of the oven, sealing in a soft and flaky center. The assembly and shape allows for many little peaks and valleys, so you have a lot more texture than, say, dinner rolls or sandwich bread. I’m happy to report that we’re almost nearing croissants in terms of flakiness. (!!)
- Ease: Many pull apart bread recipes use a loaf of bakery bread from the store and while that’s certainly easy and delicious, this recipe utilizes a 9 ingredient homemade dough. If you’ve ever been nervous to bake bread, this recipe is a great starting point. Shaping is pretty simple—the loaf can look messy going into the oven. If you’re new to baking with yeast, review my Baking with Yeast Guide. Lots of helpful information there!
- Time: There’s no arguing that homemade bread takes time, but the results are always so worth the commitment. Luckily this recipe yields 1 simple loaf and once you get the assembly process down, it moves pretty quickly. Set aside at least 4 hours from start to finish, but keep in mind most of that time is hands off as the dough rises.
Looking for rosemary & herb dinner rolls? You will love these herb skillet rolls.
How about a sweet version? I have a recipe for Maple Walnut Pull Apart Bread in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101!
Video Tutorial: How to Make Rosemary Garlic Pull Apart Bread
Let’s Review the Pull Apart Bread Dough
I don’t want to stand in the way of you and this carb-y perfection, so I’ll try to keep this short. This pull apart bread starts with homemade dough. You need 9 simple ingredients including: yeast, sugar, milk, butter, salt, egg, flour, rosemary and garlic powder. Sugar feeds the yeast, while milk hydrates it and gives the bread a softer texture (as opposed to water). Butter, salt, rosemary, and garlic powder add flavor. Egg contributes to the rising and provides more texture and structure.
- We’re using a superior yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star. This is an instant yeast that strengthens the dough and provides extra volume to the final product. It’s my preferred yeast for any and all bread baking—I use it exclusively in my kitchen because it’s always a guarantee. We only need 2 teaspoons of dry yeast which is a little less than 1 standard packet.
How to Assemble Pull Apart Bread
There are a billion ways to make and assemble pull apart bread. I use a rolling pin and biscuit cutter for my everything bagel pull apart bread and while you can definitely use that same method here, I opted for something even easier today. You won’t have leftover dough scraps this way.
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Flatten into 4-inch circles. They don’t need to be perfect.
- Spread garlic herb butter on top. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Fold the circles in half and arrange upright in a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
*You don’t need a rolling pin, but you could certainly use one if you want.
Pull Apart Bread Step by Step Photos
When you get started, use these helpful photos as your guide.
Make and knead the dough, referencing my How to Knead Dough tutorial as needed. After the dough rises, punch it down and divide into 12 pieces.
Flatten the dough rounds and spread each with garlic herb butter.
Sprinkle with cheese and fold in half to resemble a taco.
Note: I love cheesy bread, but I appreciate that it doesn’t overpower the rosemary in this recipe. If you’re looking for a heavier cheesy flavor, you will love my homemade cheese bread or asiago-crusted skillet bread.
Why fold the circles in half? Folding the dough circles in half gives the bread a solid base where no butter/cheese can seep through. I had so much trouble with a similar recipe when I tried to arrange buttered squares of dough in a loaf pan. The butter leaked everywhere and the bread was a greasy mess. While some butter melts around the sides here, the bread’s base is pretty solid.
Line folded circles in a greased loaf pan.
Allow to rise until puffy, then bake until golden brown.
This bread fits the bill for a snack, appetizer, or alongside dinner. You can slice the loaf or tear off pieces. Whenever or however you serve it, I’m confident every lucky taste tester will beg for seconds. If you love the garlic and herb butter flavors in this recipe, try these pizza pull apart rolls or this homemade garlic bread next. And if you’re craving sugar, this homemade monkey bread is equally mouthwatering and perfectly acceptable for breakfast. 😉
Print
Rosemary Garlic Pull Apart Bread
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make a flavorful pull apart bread using this delicious rosemary-infused yeasted dough. You can use your favorite cheese in the filling. I love and usually use shredded parmesan.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star*
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 2 and 1/3 cups (291g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)
Filling
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, extra soft (see note)
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (95g) shredded parmesan, mozzarella, or white cheddar cheese (or your favorite shredded cheese)
Optional Topping
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
- coarse or flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the dough: Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave until warm to touch, about 110°F (43°C). Pour warm milk on top of yeast/sugar. Whisk gently to combine, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy after 5-10 minutes.
- If you do not have a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in this step. Add the butter, egg, flour, salt, garlic powder, and rosemary. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. If the dough isn’t pulling away from the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour, a Tablespoon at a time. Dough will be soft.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, around 60-90 minutes. (If desired, use my warm oven trick for rising. See my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- As the dough rises, prepare the filling in the next step and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix the soft butter, rosemary, parsley, garlic, and salt together. If the butter is soft enough, you can just mix it all together with a spoon or fork. You can use an electric mixer if that’s easier too. Cover tightly and set aside until ready to use. (Don’t refrigerate unless making well in advance. It’s easiest to spread on the dough when at room temperature. If refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before spreading on dough pieces.)
- Assemble the bread: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 12 equal pieces, each about 1/4 cup of dough and a little larger than a golf ball. Using lightly floured hands, flatten each into a circle that’s about 4 inches in diameter. The circle doesn’t have to be perfectly round. I do not use a rolling pan to flatten, but you certainly can if you want. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of filling mixture onto each. Sprinkle each with 1 Tablespoon of cheese. Fold circles in half and line in prepared baking pan, round side up. See photos above for a visual.
- 2nd Rise: Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and allow to rise once again in a slightly warm environment until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position then preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. If you find the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. (Don’t be alarmed if there’s melted butter around the sides of the bread as it bakes, it will seep into the bread before it finishes.) Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. If desired, brush with melted butter for topping and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and serve warm.
- Cover and store leftovers at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Since the bread is extra crispy on the exterior, it will become a little hard after day 1. Reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10-15 minutes until interior is soft again or warm in the microwave.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Freeze baked and cooled bread for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven to your liking. The dough can be prepared through step 4, then after it has risen, punch it down to release the air, cover it tightly, then place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Continue with step 5. To freeze the dough, prepare it through step 4. After it has risen, punch it down to release the air. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Then let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before continuing with step 5. (You may need to punch it down again if it has some air bubbles.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Wooden Spoon / Silicone Spatula | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Cooling Rack | Flaky Sea Salt
- Yeast: I always use Platinum Yeast from Red Star, an instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise times could be slightly longer. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: Feel free to use the same amount of bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. You can also try swapping out 1 cup of flour for whole wheat flour. Do not replace all of the flour with whole wheat flour—just 1 cup.
- Extra Soft Butter for Filling: Have you ever read my page about room temperature butter? Room temperature butter for baking should still be cool to the touch. You want room temperature butter for the dough. However, for the filling, you want extra soft butter so you can easily spread it onto the flattened dough without tearing the dough. Feel free to microwave it for 10-15 seconds to help it get extra soft.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi, can I use bread flour instead of regular flour?
Hi Dee, the bread will be a bit chewier with bread flour, but still very soft using either. Hope you enjoy it!
Loved this
This turned out really yummy! However I feel like I have to mention it took more like 6-7 hours to make from start to finish. The dough took a LOOOOONG time to rise even with her oven trick and I used the recommended yeast and it was brand new. So plan accordingly.
This by far one of the best breads I have ever made. I just made it yesterday and there is only about 1/4 left. The recipe is extremely easy to follow which I definitely appreciated.
Hey, can I use 2% milk instead of whole? if not what makes the difference
Hi Mira, 2% milk will work in a pinch. Hope you love this one!
This has got to be the best bread I have made to date! I used Parmesan and the combination of that with the rosemary and garlic was beautiful. I took the loaf to have with friends for our Christmas dinner and everyone loved it. As much as I am not a beginner in bread baking, this is well explained for those who may be new to it.
I have a loaf of this on its second rise right now to take for a Christmas dinner. I used smashed black garlic, rosemary, maple smoked salt, and butter for the filling (no garlic powder) and crumbled bellavino cheese for the cheese. I used saffron with fresh snipped rosemary, sage, and chives in the dough. I used this recipe as a base for a sweet version (cinnamon, cardamom, and sugar) and it was fantastic!
For folks who had issues with the dough being too sticky, I hand kneaded very gently. When I got kneaded more aggressively, it got sticky. When I was gentle with it, it came together perfectly.
Thanks for sharing this great and versatile recipe!
This was delicious
Is 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar equal to 6 ounces? Do I weigh the block of cheese first and then shred it or shred and then measure 3/4 cup? Thank you!
Hi Susan, you can shred your cheese and measure 3/4 cup after shredding. Hope you enjoy this bread!
Another great recipe. So easy, quick and amazingly delicious. I found it doesn’t reheat too well, best enjoyed fresh from the oven. I did a mix of mozzarella, tasty cheese and parmesan and it was perfect.
I have to questions…first: is there a way that you can put on your site for us to change it to metric weights..I do all my baking using this method? and second: can we freeze this bread?
Hi Diane, there are metric conversions listed in the recipe card. And yes, you can freeze it–see the Notes section right beneath the recipe. Enjoy!
So good!! I followed the recipe to a T except I didn’t have any rosemary so I subbed thyme. It was delicious and way easier than I thought it would be. The pull apart pieces were easy to work with and the dough wasn’t overly sticky which made the cleanup much more smooth! Can’t wait to make this for Christmas dinner 🙂
Has anyone ever tried making this into mini loaf pans to give as gifts?
I went for it! I made the recipe into 4 mini loaf pans. I divided the dough into 24 flattened to about 2 1/2” discs, placing 6 folded into each pan. I baked for 30 minutes and they came out perfect!
I already know they taste great as I have made this in the single loaf pan before. It’s always difficult to not eat more than one should in a sitting, so I figured not only is this a good gift for a single person, but also the perfect size for my husband and I!
Just made this yesterday for friendsgiving and turned out amazing. one of my friends doesn’t eat eggs so i replaced the egg with flax egg (ground flax seed and water) and it came together perfectly. very soft but also so flavorful. highly recommend
I can’t find my comment, but how do you make it overnight so you can have it the next day?
Hi Luci, see recipe notes for make ahead instructions. Enjoy!
Can I prepare this dish fully, except baking, a day or 2 in advance? So all I need to do is pop it in the oven to bake? Thank you
Hi Wes, we don’t recommend that. The bread will continue to rise too much in the fridge. See recipe Notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions!
Love this recipe! Made it yesterday and it is delicious! I don’t have a lot of experience making bread so I was relieved that it turned out so great! I’m giving it 4 stars only because the video says to knead it for 1 minute and shows it being very sticky still while the recipe instructions say to knead it for 5 mins or use mixer with dough hook for 5 minutes and then add flour 1 Tbsp at a time if it’s still really sticky. I followed the recipe instructions and worried that I was adding too much flour and overworking it. The dough wasn’t completely springing back with the poke test so I worried about that too. It would have been helpful to see the poke test in the video. Anyway, rookie bread baker that I am, it still turned out and I’ll definitely make it again with more confidence.
The recipe came out great despite some complaints about too much moisture. It is a highly hydrated though which is required for tasty bread. Look up how to knead high hydration dough. I kneaded mine by machine and finished by hand.
You should make a garlic cheese bread recipe.
Hi Wesley, you might love these Cheesy Breadsticks made with a butter, garlic, herb seasoning, and topped with lots of mozzarella cheese. Let us know if you give them a try!
can you make this without the cheese?
Hi Vandana, yes, you can omit the cheese.
I love your website and use it all the time. But the pop ads on this recipe were so bad I had to reload the recipe over and over again because they wouldn’t close. I’m troubleshooting something and the next thing I know an add is blocking the recipe and I have to wait forever for it to close, if it closes at all. Then when it doesn’t, I have to reload the page and scroll to what I was trying to read to have the ad pop up again. It may deter me from continuing to use your site.
Hi Samantha, I have actually been having the same problem, and we have already contacted our ad network to get this fixed. They’re working on it now. Sorry for the inconvenience, I know it’s annoying!
This was so yummy! I think next time I’ll make extra butter filling as a personal preference. But this was so flavorful, and the bread was really light and fluffy! And I really appreciate the metric measurements, as I just moved from the US to Norway, so not having to convert ingredient amounts is very helpful when I’m shopping. The tips for kneading were very useful as well! We only have salted butter here, so I reduced the salt in the dough a little bit. And the note about active dry yeast vs. instant – all we have available is active dry, and the rise times were spot on with the recipe. I will definitely be making this bread again!
So glad this recipe was a hit for you, Lynne, and that you found our conversions helpful!
I really wanted to love this recipe. I always weigh everything out because it’s less chance for me to mess it up but the weighed measurements here are not even close to being correct. Following them exactly I was given a very very wet dough that no amount of kneading was going to bring together. I had to add so much more flour to get it to come together properly and by then it was horribly overkneaded and had to be tossed. I love this website and recipes. I wish I had read the comments beforehand to know that the weighed measurements here are not correct.
Hi Sara, I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out well for you. We will revisit testing this recipe to see if it needs updating. Thank you for trying this recipe!
I’ve made this recipe twice following the directions exactly and both loaves turned out perfect. I only had to add a little flour so I think the amounts are correct in the recipe. Family loved it
I had the exact same problem :0 I actually tried baking this bread today and since I’m new to baking bread, I also weighted everything to make sure I had everything correct. I had to knead for a long while and had to add flour many times because the dough was very very wet… It took a lot more time than expected and I thought I was doing something wrong… HOWEVER ! The final result was VERY tasty and my boyfriend and I LOVED it !! Also, small differences: I used thyme instead of rosemary since that’s what I had at home and I also mixed the shredded cheese directly into the butter and herb mix (I read the instructions too quickly lol). Overall great recipe and I would do it again for guests, but the kneading was kinda messy.
So delicious that I ate 1/3 of the loaf in one sitting!
This recipe was super fun to make and delicious too.
I just made it for company as a side to spaghetti and meatballs. It is absolutely amazingly delicious. Thank you!
This recipe is wonderful! I subbed in oat milk and instead of an egg used baking soda and distilled vinegar, and it still came out great. Plus, since I’ve recently begun moving and realized too late that my loaf pan was at my old apartment, I used my cast iron skillet and hoped for the best. It still came out beautiful. I will be using this recipe again!
I accidentally used 1 cup of whole milk in each of the two loaves I have rising now. Should I scrap them or hope for the best?
Hi Heather, we would definitely hope for the best!
What if I forgot the eggs? Will it affect the recipe?
This is the yummiest and easiest bread!!! So soft and fluffy and so delicious!!!!
I am not kidding. Every recipe I have ever made of yours has never failed me. Sally u are a great cook
Hello, thank you for this great recipe. Would using Almond Milk instead of whole alter the taste significantly? Thank you.
Hi Mariam, you can use almond milk if needed. The bread may not be quite as soft. We hope you enjoy it!
Great recipe! Fun and worked out well. Vegan substitutions I made:
1/4 cup aquafaba for egg
Violife salted butter
Oatly oat milk for milk
Follow your heart parmesan
I found the dough a bit overhydrated to work after the substitutions, so I just worked in more flour as the recipe suggested. worked like a charm!