Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread (Vegan)
by Sarah Published Jan. 8, 2026
Savory and crave-worthy, this Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread is the perfect dish for a gathering. Who doesn't love some herby, garlicky, buttery goodness?!
Adjust Recipe Serving Size
Makes 12 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
- Proof yeast: Add lukewarm water and milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in active dry yeast and sugar. Allow to “proof” for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Mix the dough: Add in bread flour, olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix into a shaggy dough.
- Knead dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead for 8-12 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. (If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to knead for 6-8 minutes.)
- If the dough seems too wet and is sticking excessively to your hands or the work surface, gradually knead in extra flour about 2 tablespoons at a time, until the correct consistency is achieved.
- Rise dough: You're done kneading with the dough is elastic and springs back when gently poked. Shape the dough it into a ball, drizzle the inside of the mixing bowl with olive oil, and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with oil.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a plate, or a slightly damp kitchen towel and place it in a warm area in your kitchen. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour, or until roughly doubled in size. (If your kitchen is very chilly, it may take a little extra time. On a very warm day, it can take less time. Judge by size rather than time.)
- Note: There are many different ways to shape pull-apart bread! For an alternate method, see the recipe notes.
- Make the garlic herb butter: In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter with the chopped fresh herbs of choice, minced garlic (or 1 head of roasted garlic mashed into a paste), salt, and (optional) shredded cheese.
- Prep: Grease a standard 9×5" loaf tin with butter or olive oil, or line with parchment for easy removal.
- Roll dough into a rectangle: Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle that’s roughly 12×16”.
- Spread the butter: Spread the garlic herb butter across the rolled out dough, coating the entire surface as evenly as possible.
- Cut and stack the dough: With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 pieces, with each piece about 4×3" in size. Stack all 12 pieces on top of one another and transfer to the prepared loaf tin, adjusting so they are evenly distributed. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
- Final rise: Let the loaf rise, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. It should be visibly puffy and slightly cresting over the top of the loaf tin (if you're using a 9×5"). Try not to skimp on the final rise time — it's important if you want your bread to be as fluffy as possible! In this time, preheat your oven to 350°F and place the rack in the lower middle position.
- Bake: Once the loaf has risen, place it in the preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 190°F. Because the dough is quite rich, it can brown quickly. If it seems like it’s getting too dark, loosely tent it with aluminum foil halfway through the cooktime.
- Slightly cool: Carefully remove the loaf from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it to serve. It’s best enjoyed warm, with the cheese still gooey! I also love serving this with a side of marinara for dipping.
Notes
Roasted garlic: Peel off the outer papery layers from a head of garlic. Slice about 1/4″ to 1/2″ inches off the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Place cut-side up on a square of aluminum foil and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, letting it seep between the cloves. Wrap foil tightly around the garlic head, place on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and roast in a preheated 400°F oven for 40-60 minutes, until deeply golden brown and easily pierced with a paring knife. Exact time varies with size of garlic. Allow to cool, squeeze out the roasted cloves, and mash into a paste before using in this recipe. Herbs: Use this recipe as a base and sub in any of your favorite dried and fresh herbs. One of my favorite combos is dried Italian seasoning in the dough, and plenty of fresh basil and parsley in the garlic herb butter. You can also use chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, or sage — or any blend of them. Vegan butter: My favorite vegan butter to use in this recipe are the ones from Melt or Miyoko’s. For baking, I use butter that comes in blocks or sticks, because the kind in the tub tends to have more water. Plant milk: I usually bake with plain, unsweetened soy milk, as it has a similar protein content to dairy milk. Any kind of unsweetened plant milk should work just fine except for canned coconut milk (which is too fatty). Vegan cheese: My favorite cheeses to use in this recipe are the shredded Mozzarella or Parmesan by Follow Your Heart. I also like the mozz and parm by Violife. Dairy milk: Because this recipe went viral and reached beyond my usual audience, many people asked whether dairy milk would work in this recipe. While I’ve never personally tried it, I believe any kind of milk would work just fine. Even plain water can be used in a pinch, although the dough would be a little less moist. Loaf tin: My favorite loaf pans are the aluminized ones from USA Pan available here (affiliate link). I have them in multiple sizes! Alternate shaping method: You can either divide your dough into 12 balls for 24 slices of bread, or 6 balls for 12 thicker slices. 1. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With a knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 roughly even-sized pieces. (If you prefer thicker slices, divide into only 6 pieces.) Shape each piece into a ball by tucking the edges underneath. Place them seam-side down on your work surface and let them rest for about 10 minutes while you prepare the garlic herb butter. (This will allow the gluten to relax.) 2. Prepare the garlic herb butter. 3. Using a rolling pin, roll each of the dough balls out to a circle, roughly 1/4” thick and about 5″ in diameter. It’s okay if the circles are slightly irregular in shape. (If you wanted thicker slices and you divided the dough into only 6 pieces in step 1, still roll them out to about 5″ in diameter.) 4. Divide the garlic herb butter evenly between the 12 discs of dough. Spread the butter across each piece of dough to cover it. 5. Cut each dough circle in half, forming half-moon shapes. Stack 6 half-moons on top of each other. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces, creating 4 stacks, each with 6 half-moon pieces of dough. (This isn’t strictly necessary; it’s just to make the transfer to the pan easier and more uniform.) 6. Grease a standard loaf tin and transfer the stacks into the tin, standing up. 7. Proceed with the recipe as written.
I found this recipe on Instagram by Sarah's Vegan Kitchen, who linked it to her website here https://sarahsvegankitchen.com/recipes/pull-apart-bread/#recipe
Last updated on Jan. 8, 2026