Garlic Pull Apart Bread

This weekend has given me hope.  I have made another wonderful bread recipe.  This weekend I made spaghetti and meatballs all homemade, and I felt that homemade garlic bread was needed to go along with it.  I was looking through my collection of cookbooks and stumbled upon a garlic pull apart bread recipe.  I researched many recipes and found most used frozen bread dough.  I was not particularly happy about the thought of buying bread dough. 

I was not particularly happy about buying bread dough, because I have been put on a no spend plan for at least this week.  I am only able to buy the necessities I need.  My paycheck was drastically cut and was about 1/4 of normal due to increased daycare costs of having both of my children in daycare for the summer.  So, as this news seeped into my head, I chose to have a homemade week.  I am going to make all my meals from scratch this week.  I strive to make all my food homemade, but typically I use some convenience products as needed. 

I am now on a mission to not spend more than $20.00 at the store this week.  Out of necessity.  I have a pretty well stocked freezer and pantry.  I know I have enough food to last me at least a month if not more.  I am going to see how resourceful I can be for the next week.  Hopefully, this will be a habit I will continue into the fall and winter.  I figure if I can save money for a week, I definitely will make it pay off and try to do if for at least a month. 

Anyone want to join me?

Here are my recipes for my bread I tried and the pull apart recipe.

Homemade Sandwich Bread
Adapted From the King Arthur Bakers Companion

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast;

1 cup lukewarm water

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes

*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

1) If you're using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.




2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball.



3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.



4) Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into an 8" log.



5) Transfer the log, smooth side up, to a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.



6) Allow the bread to rise till it's crested about 1 1/4" over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Again, it may rise more slowly for you; let it rise till it's 1 1/4" over the rim of the pan, even if that takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.



7) Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, till the crust is golden brown, and the interior temperature measures 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.



8) Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Turn it out of the pan, and brush the top surface with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft, satiny crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. As soon as it's completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap; or in a plastic bag, air pressed and fastened securely at the top.





Garlic Pull Apart Rolls

1 recipe homemeade white bread after first rise

1/4 cup butter melted

1 clove garlic minced

2 tablespoons parsley

1. Grease a bundt pan and preaheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2.  Melt butter.  Add garlic and parsley. 
3. Cut bread into 32 small pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball.  Dip each piece into the butter mixture.
4. Place each piece into a bundt pan layerying as you go.  Depending upon how large your pan is will determine how many layers you will have.  I had about 2 layers in my pan. 
5. Let rise until bread has reached top of the pan.  About 1 hour. 
6. Bake for 30 mins.  Serve warm.