Garlic Herb Pull Apart Bread- Monica

Hey guys! A lot of my peer sisters were asking for the recipe for this bread which I made for Crystal's birthday. If you've ever heard of Monkey bread, this is like the savory version of it. It has a slight buttery herby taste to it and is great when you eat it straight out of the oven like we did. It is also easy to share it with a lot of other people because the bread looks like a lot of bread rolls stuck together and all you have to do is "pull apart" to eat, hence the name of the bread. This means no utensils necessary! Serve it with a side of marinara, tomato, or pizza sauce and A LOT of napkins. Enjoy :)

Garlic Herb Pull Apart Bread
Difficulty: Medium
Yields: One big loaf
Time: 1 hour prep, 2.5 hours for rising, 0.5 hours for baking

Special equipment:

• One bundt pan (you can use a cake pan if you don't have one)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (one packet)
• I used instant yeast instead. The difference is that instant yeast is a little more concentrated (so you can use about 25% less instant yeast) and it doesn't have to be activated in water. Doesn't make too much of a difference which one you use in my eyes.
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• Not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Around 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose (or bread) flour
• 1/4 cups butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons mixed herbs
• I used parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, and basil. Any mix will be fine.
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• A dash of pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast and water. Let sit for 5-10 min until yeast is foamy.
2. Mix in olive oil, salt, and flour. Knead for about 10 min. until dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let sit to rise for 1.5-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine melted butter, herbs, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes.
5. When the dough has risen, punch it down. Tear of small pieces of the dough, roll into a ball, and coat in the butter mixture. Place the small rolls on the bottom of the bundt pan until you have one layer of dough balls.
6. Sprinkle 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese on top.
7. Continue layering the dough balls and cheese until you have used all the dough. Finish by sprinkling cheese on top.
8. Cover the pan and let sit until dough has doubled in size again, about 30 min.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
10. Bake for 25-30 min. or until the bread is golden brown.
11. Serve with a side of hot marinara, tomato, or pizza sauce. 
12. Pull apart and eat!