RECIPE | Pull-apart garlic and rosemary bread

“A twist on an old favourite, this pull-apart garlic bread can be served as a low-key, yet impressive side dish at a braai, or even act as a beautiful centrepiece on a Sunday lunch table,” says artisan baker Babette Kourelos, owner of Babette's Bread in Joburg.

“It is also a wonderful bread to mop up the beautiful flavours of Greek lamb, groenboontjie bredie or a simple napolitana or bolognese pasta sauce,” she adds. “The garlic and herb filling can easily be replaced with sun-dried tomatoes and feta or olives, if you prefer.”

Makes: 1 bread

Dough:

500g flour

10g salt

350g water

5g yeast

Filling:

60g - 70g butter, softened

Half a head of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced or chopped

3 sprigs of rosemary, strip the leaves from the sprigs 

Zest of 1 lemon

Method:

1. To make the dough, mix the salt into the flour. (This is important so the yeast doesn't come into direct contact with any salt.)
2. Add the yeast, then the water and mix until all the dry flour has disappeared.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for an hour.
4. Gently fold back or knead the dough and allow to stand for another hour.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a surface that's been lightly dusted with flour. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle, approximately 20cm x 30cm.
6. Spread the softened butter over the dough rectangle and evenly distribute the garlic, rosemary and lemon zest on top.
7. Roll the dough up like a Swiss roll. Then cut into 7 or 8 individual rolls.
8. Place the rolls next to each other in a cake tin greased with butter as per the photo above. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 - 45 minutes.
9. Remove the plastic wrap and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C - 200°C for 30 - 35 minutes. Serve hot.