Cheddar, Rosemary and Garlic Pull Apart Bread

Can you believe I've never made any kind of monkey bread or pull apart bread before? I honestly can't tell you why it's never come up but of course that had to be remedied. Typically you probably think of a sweet cinnamon sugar bread when you hear monkey bread but when Red Star Yeast said they'd love to have some new savory pull apart bread recipes, I was on it! I knew right away there had to be cheese and I knew that a good sharp cheddar would be perfect. Then I started thinking what herb would pair well with it and decided on some fresh rosemary. The garlic was a last minute addition but it ended up being the ingredient that pulled it all together and when the bread is toasted, the garlic makes it divine.

This time of year is full of sweet breads so bake this one in between all the chaos and you'll be thankful.

Cheddar, Rosemary and Garlic Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup milk, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
5-6 cups bread flour

Filling
4 tablespoons butter melted
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped

Directions

Combine the yeast and sugar and mix in the warm water. Let it set for 5 minutes until it's foamy. Mix in the milk, sugar, butter and 3 cups flour. Place bowl on mixer and mix with dough hook until smooth, about 3 minutes. Continue adding the remaining flour until the dough forms into a smooth ball and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. Knead for 5-7 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and roll out into a large rectangle, about 12x20 and 1/2 inch thick. Combine the butter and garlic and spread over the bread. Sprinkle with the cheese and rosemary.

Cut the dough into 5 strips from the short side of the dough.

Stack each strip onto the other to make a tall stack. Cut the stack into four squares.

Place two stacks horizontally into a greased bread pan. Repeat with the remaining dough in another pan.

Cover and let rise for about 30-40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove the bread from the pans and let cool on a wire rack.

 *Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Red Star Yeast. All opinions are my own.