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
making this today and it’s on it’s final rise in the oven all filled with garlic rosemary butter goodness! I used active dried yeast and used my oven proofer and it rose just fine. It’s a chilly day here in FL, so it’s nice to have the oven heat to warm me up! Can’t wait to turn up the heat and finish it! I’m tired of sweets too, so this was a great recipe to try and keep my baking hands busy! Thanks Sally!
I made this last night (I used my own dough that I had left over from bread) and it was delicious. Everyone loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
We made this for Christmas Eve but swapped out the rosemary for thyme and sage. It worked beautifully!
Really, the crust is so flaky and the bread is so soft… impossibly delicious. Buttery melt in your mouth good. My husband and I ate the entire thing in like an hour.
Hi Sally,
Have you ever tried making a pull apart loaf in a mini loaf pan? I’m wondering if this recipe would work as well as a mini loaf and what adjustments would be needed. Thanks for all the inspiration!
Hi Mia, we haven’t tested these in mini loaf pans but that sounds like such a fun idea. Bake at the same temperature, but I’m unsure of the exact bake time — it will likely be shorter, but just keep a close eye on them. Would love to know if you give it a try!
This bread is phenomenal! Thank you for sharing your recipe. It’s so popular that give minutes after it came out of the oven half of the loaf has already disappeared.
I made this and the Everything Bagel Pull-Apart one this week and it’s fair to say I won’t be making regular bread machine bread like ever again now that these genius pull-aparts are in my life. Both were huge hits with my family. This one is a lovely side dish or app. Smells incredible, festive, absolutely addicting.
I love that Everything Bagel Pull Apart Bread, too! I’m so glad you enjoyed these recipes, Janel – thank you for giving them both a try.
it came out beautifully, but lacked any flavor despite all the butter and garlic and rosemary. I don’t know why the flavor wasn’t more intense given the ingredients.
Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s the first time I managed to bake bread. I made it for Christmas day lunch, and my kids told me they’d rather eat that than the turkey! I used lactose free milk and used thyme instead of rosemary and it was fine – great actually!
I made this!! It turned out excellently. I made two batches of dough and lined them up in a 9×9 ceramic pan with parchment paper between the two rows of folded dough. Wish I could post a photo here!
Correction: 11×8.5″ pan!
Made this last night for snacking before Christmas dinner and it was DEKICIOUS! The only change I made was leaving out the rosemary, because I’m not a fan. Another great recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I did make the mistake of mixing the cheese in with the butter/garlic/herb mixture which made it really hard to spread on the dough round, but it still turned out great and smelled amazing while it was baking. It was pretty satisfying to pull apart the layers of bread from the loaf as well!
I made this using regular active yeast, followed the recipe, tasted great but got really hard next the day. I did leave out with just plastic wrap covering it then refrigerated next day in a tupperware container. What did I do wrong? Love your recipes.
Hi Nancy, the shape and assembly of this pull apart bread allows for an extra crisp exterior. If refrigerating, the exterior may dry out and become a little hard. Nothing to worry about– you can warm it back up in the oven or microwave. See the last instruction.
Tasty and worthy of trying! I tried it with some homemade pizza dough, making the filling/spread as written. The second-rise and baking came out perfect. Loved it, like most of Sally’s recipes I’ve tried. Excellent, light garlic flavor and taste.
This recipe terrified me at first, but it was so easy to make and it came out perfectly! Everyone absolutely loved it.
Made this for Christmas eve dinner, house smelled amazing as it was rising and baking. Very easy to make and directions are simple.Reheated leftovers in the oven to improve the flavor. This will be part of my new recipes to make!
This was amazing! The smell was to die for while it was baking and the crust was nice and buttery. Suffice to say the loaf did not survive the night. Thank you for posting!
Absolutely delish, crispy crust and gooey garlicky center, this was like a texas toast, done so much better.. I saw the recipe and just had to make it. It barely got a minute outside the loaf pan.. and I swear it was literally inhaled down by my kids. thank you for sharing!
Made this last night and it was sooo good. I didn’t have a hand mixer and just used a regular spatula. First time making bread and I feel so proud it turned out! Thank you Sally!
It was really good!! I made them into balls and made them into a holiday tree shape. It lost it’s shape a little, but it turned out great. I added olive oil and mozzarella to the filling. Happy Holidays!!
I made this for Christmas for our little family of three. My sister literally said “it reminds me of pastry, I love it!” It’s super soft and flavorful, and I will definitely be making it again. The herbs can be customized with ease (I used thyme, parsley, basil, and oregano) which is handy if you don’t have the rosemary. I love how easy the process was from start to finish, as well, and the detailed instructions and pictures are one of the things I adore about your blog in it’s entirety. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe, Sally.
Thank you for the kind note and for including my recipe in your Christmas celebration, Lydia. I’m thrilled it was a hit!
It was really good!! I made them into balls and made them into a holiday tree shape. It lost it’s shape a little, but it turned out great. I also added olive oil to the filling. Happy Holidays!!
It was really good!! I made them into balls and made them into a holiday tree shape. It lost it’s shape a little, but it turned out great. Happy Holidays!!
Can’t wait to try this bread, looks delicious.
Just made your swiss roll cake for Christmas but can’t leave a comment.. just wanted to say mine cracked to pieces. Terribly disappointing and over half the comments say the same thing. I really love your website but am surprised you haven’t retested this recipe since over half the tries are failures. It definitely needs to be retested because ‘Remove the cake roll from the refrigerator and allow to sit on the counter for a few minutes to warm up as you prepare the whipped cream.’ is not working. A few minutes on the counter to warm up wasn’t enough for me nor half the bakers who baked it. Please change the wording to put emphasis, something like ‘the cake MUST come back to room temperature or it will crack’ so we bakers can avoid ruining a dessert and wasting all these ingredients.
Sarah, thank you so much for your feedback. I made it a point to revisit my notes on the cake roll recipe to provide further detail and guaranteed success. I appreciate your time and willingness to offer a suggestion.
delicious and super easy! we gobbled it up! I saw the post and had to make it that day!
Super yummy and not dry at all! Easy to pull apart without a knife! And very easy to make. Would make again and give out as gifts next time!
I made this today for Christmas Eve dinner and while it was fragrant it was very dry. What might I have done wrong? I followed the recipe exactly but other than the immediate center, it was dry.
Hi Claire, I don’t think you necessarily did anything wrong but it sounds like the bread may have been over-baked. An easy fix for next time. Thank you for trying the recipe!
Hi Sally! Just took this bread out of the oven and oh wow, it smells amazing. And it looks so beautiful too. Thanks for such a great recipe – saw it and had to try it.
Great bread recipe! Excellent addition to an Italian meal. I followed the recipe and had no issues. Formed the dough into a 2′ roll and cut it in half. Then cut those two pieces in half. Then cut into 3’s. Easy and delicious. Made 2 loaves. You should never make just one loaf of bread… after sampling, you won’t have enough leftover for dinner!
I am new to baking so for me this was fun and filled with me with confidence! A hit with the family and I look forward to doing it again
Just made this today and holy cow it is incredible! The dough is fantastic with all the spices and the recipe is so easy to follow. And my house now smells heavenly. Will definitely make this again, thank you for this amazing recipe!