Looking for a sourdough recipe that's more "cheese and garlic" than "sugar and spice"? This Sourdough Pull Apart Garlic Bread is a savoury dream come true, combining the tangy flavour of sourdough with the buttery richness of brioche and savoury notes of cheese and garlic. You are about to pull apart the fluffiest, cheesiest, most garlicky bread you've ever tasted!
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Brioche, But Truly Savoury
Not everyone has a sweet tooth, and this one's for those who fancy a soft and fluffy sourdough with a savoury twist. And for those who have had enough of crusty sourdough. This cheesy pull-apart garlic bread is the perfect blend of sourdough tang and rich, buttery brioche texture, delivering an irresistible taste in every bite.
- Soft and fluffy - almost melt in the mouth just like our Sourdough Garlic Knots.
- Packed with garlicky goodness and melty cheese, just like our Cheese and Garlic Sourdough Rolls (must-try!).
- Perfect for sharing - or keeping all to yourself!
- A savoury treat that's just as indulgent as any sweet brioche.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Here's everything you'll need to make this homemade sourdough bread with garlic butter and cheese.
For Sourdough Brioche Dough
- strong bread flour: it's white flour with at least 12% protein content.
- salt.
- caster sugar: or white granulated sugar.
- active sourdough starter: 100% hydration.
- milk: we used whole dairy milk.
- eggs: medium in the UK, large in the US.
- unsalted butter: softened.
***If you wish, you can make the dough using our Japanese Style Sourdough Milk Bread recipe. The results are similar, but you get slightly softer, fluffier bread with less distinct layers. Or make a focaccia by following our Garlic Butter Sourdough Focaccia recipe!
For Garlic Butter and Cheese Filling
- unsalted butter: softened to spreadable consistency.
- fresh parsley: can be replaced with fresh coriander if you like.
- garlic cloves: minced.
- salt.
- Cheddar cheese: or Grueye, Emental or Parmesan cheese. You can also use grated mozzarella cheese for those prominent strings of melty cheese if you like (not fresh ball of mozzarella though).
For Egg Wash
- egg yolk + a drop of milk or cream.
Step-By-Step Method
This sourdough pull-apart garlic bread is made over 2 days. On Day 1, we feed the starter, make the dough and let it bulk ferment before leaving it in the fridge overnight. The next day, we shape, proof it again and bake!
Before You Begin
Before you start, you need to ensure you have a strong and active sourdough starter. We are making an enriched dough, so it will need some extra oomph from the wild yeasts to help the dough rise. Feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot to at least double in size within 4 hours.
You will also need to take your butter out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
Step 1: Mix The Brioche Dough
- When your sourdough starter has at least doubled in size, mix the dough. In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the strong white flour, salt and sugar. Mix to combine.
- Add the milk, sourdough starter and eggs. Run your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment for 4-5 minutes on low speed, until all the ingredients are combined into a rough dough.
- With the stand mixer running, little by little add the softened butter and mix over medium speed for 10-15 minutes, until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Sourdough should pass the windowpane test at this point.
Step 2: Bulk Fermentation
- Scrape the dough into a clean large bowl, cover it with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave it in a warm spot to bulk ferment for 4-6 hours. The dough won't double in size, but should bulk up quite a bit.
Step 3: Cold Proof
- Place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Step 4: Shaping & Filling
- The next morning, lightly grease a 2 lbs loaf tin with butter, and line the base and the longer sides with parchment paper, allowing the sides to overhang (it will make it easier to lift the bread out of the tin when baked).
- Prepare the garlic herb butter, by mixing softened butter with salt, garlic and parsley in a small bowl.
- Scoop the sourdough out onto a floured surface. The dough should be very firm and cold at this point.
- Divide the dough into 12-14 equal-sized pieces and shape each into a ball.
- Roll out each small ball of dough into a circle that is about the same diameter as the width of your loaf tin (ours was 10cm (4 inches).
- Spread the butter mixture in the centre of the circle, leaving about 1 cm of dough around the edge. Scatter a little grated cheese, then fold the dough over to form a semi-circle (like a bao bun).
- Place the semi-circle into the prepared baking pan with the open side facing upwards. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, placing them in the tin as you go.
Step 5: Second Rise
- Cover the pull apart sourdough with a lightly oiled cling film (plastic wrap) or place it in a large proofing bag and leave it in a warm place for 4-6 hours, until it's bulked up by about 50%.
Step 6: Egg Wash & Bake
- When the sourodugh is finishing its second rise, preheat the oven to 170°C Fan (340°F).
- Whisk an egg yolk with a drop of milk or cream (or water). Then brush the mixture over the top of the loaf.
- Place the bread in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Check the bread after 30 minutes, and if it is browning too much, cover the top with a piece of foil.
- Your bread should be golden brown on top, and the internal temperature should be around 88-91°C (190-195°F).
- OPTIONAL: You may brush the top of the bread with a little bit of melted butter. Or use the butter that leaked out and gathered at the bottom of the pan.
- Let the cheesy pull-apart bread firm up in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting it out and enjoying!
What To Serve Sourdough Pull Apart Bread With?
Oh, the possibilities... This sourdough loaf of bread is great with anything you'd serve classic garlic bread with. It makes a wonderful side dish for soups and stews! Just tear a piece of the bread and dunk it into Butternut Squash and Bell Pepper Soup or serve it alongside grilled meats, like Chicken Thigh Skewers and BBQ Pork Tenderloin.
Another great way to serve this bread is with a bunch of cold cuts or charcuterie board!
Storage
Once your sourodugh pull apart garlic bread cooled down to room temperature, store it in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
This cheesy garlic bread is best enjoyed warm, so we recommend placing it in the microwave for a few short bursts before eating it.
More Savoury Sourdough Recipes
If you enjoyed this sourdough pull-apart bread, maybe we can tempt you with some more delicious bread recipes below:
Sourdough Pull Apart Garlic Bread
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
- Grater
Ingredients
For Sourdough Brioche Dough
- 230 g strong bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 30 g caster sugar or white granulated sugar
- 160 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 100 ml milk
- 2 eggs medium
- 60 g unsalted butter softened
For Garlic Butter and Cheese Filling
- 80 g butter softened
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 60 g Cheddar cheese or parmesan, Emmental, or Gruyere, grated
For Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon of milk or cream
Instructions
DAY 1:
- When your sourdough starter has at least doubled in size, mix the dough. In a stand mixer bowl, add the strong white flour, salt and sugar. Mix to combine.
- Add the milk, sourdough starter and eggs. Run your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment for 4-5 minutes on low speed, until all the ingredients are combined into a rough dough.
- With the stand mixer running, little by little add the softened butter and mix over medium speed for 10-15 minutes, until you have a smooth and elastic dough.
- Scrape the dough into a clean large bowl, cover it with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave it in a warm spot to bulk ferment for 4-6 hours. The dough won't double in size, but should bulk up quite a bit.
- Shape into a ball and place in a container with a lid, or a bowl and cover it.
- Place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
DAY 2:
- Lightly grease a 2 lbs loaf tin with butterer, line the base and the longer sides with parchment paper, allowing the sides to overhang (it will make it easier to lift the bread out of the tin when baked).
- Scoop the sourdough out onto a floured surface. The dough should be very firm and cold at this point.
- Divide the dough into 12-14 pieces and shape each into a ball.
- Roll out each small ball of dough into a circle that is about the same diameter as the width of your loaf tin (ours was 10cm (4 inches).
- Spread the butter mixture in the centre of the circle, leaving about 1 cm of dough around the edge. Scatter a little grated cheese, then fold the dough over to form a semi-circle (like a gua bao bun).
- Place the semi-circle into the lined loaf tin with the open side facing upwards. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. placing them in the tin as you go.
- Cover the pull apart sourdough with a lightly oiled cling film (plastic wrap) or place it in a large proofing bag and leave it in a warm place for 4-6 hours, until it's bulked up by about 50%.
- When the sourdough is finishing its second rise, preheat the oven to 170°C Fan (340°F).
- Whisk an egg yolk with a drop of milk or cream (or water). Then brush the mixture over the surface of the sourodugh garlic loaf.
- Place the bread in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Check the bread after 30 minutes, and if it is browning too much, cover the top with a sheet of aluminium foil.
- Let the bread firm up in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting it out and enjoying!
Nutrition
Swathi says
Sourdough pull part garlic bread looks delicious and perfect .
Loes Van der Cammen says
My dough was still soooo sticky after the bulk fermentation (6h), so forming a ball with it and transferring it to another bowl wasn’t possible… I put the dough In the fridge & I’m hoping for the best…
Ieva Greber says
It sounds like your dough might have been a bit overfermented, which can definitely make it extra sticky right after bulk fermentation—especially since this recipe is on the wetter side. That said, putting it in the fridge often works wonders! Chilling helps firm up the dough and makes it much easier to shape. Fingers crossed it turns out beautifully.