We Knead to Bake #1 Pull Apart Bread
Ingredients
For the Dough:
  • 1/2cup milkwarm
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 2tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 3/4 to 3cups all-purpose flour
  • 1tsp salt
  • 25gm butter, soft at room temperature
  • 3/4 to 1tsp garlicpaste, I used powder
  • 3/4cup milk(+ a couple of tbsp to brush over the bread)
For the Filling:
  • 15 to 20gm buttermelted
  • 3tsp Zaatar
  • 1tsp cumin seedscrushed
  • to taste Red chilliflakes
  • 1/2cup Fetacrumbled
  • Handful black olivesof Chopped
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm milk. Keep aside for about 5 minutes till the yeast mixture bubbles up.
  2. Put 2 3/4 cup of flour, salt, softened butter, and garlic powder in the food processor bowl (or a large bowl) and pulse a couple of times to mix. Then add the yeast mixture and the 3/4 cup of milk and knead till you have a soft, smooth and elastic/ pliable dough which is not sticky. Add a little extra flour if your dough is sticking, but only just as much as is necessary.
  3. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it completely with oil. Cover and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or unti lalmost double in volume.
  4. Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Deflate the dough, shape it into a square and roll the dough out into a larger square that is about 12u2019 by 12u201d. Brush the surface of the square with the melted butter.
  5. Evenly sprinkle the zaatar mix, chilliflakes and the cumin seeds and then the crumbled Feta cheese.Sprinkle the chopped olives. Use a rolling pin to very lightly press the topping into the dough to ensure the topping doesnu2019t fall off when you are stacking the strips .
  6. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 long and even strips . Lay each strip on top of the next, with the topping facing upwards, until you have a stack of the strips.
  7. You can put the 2 strips cut from the sides in the middle of the stack so it looks neater. Using a pastry scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down through the stack dividing it into 6 equal pieces (6 square stacks).
  8. Grease and lightly flour a 9u201d by 4u201d (or 5u201d) loaf tin. Layer the square slices, cut sides down into the loaf tin .
  9. Cover the loaf tin dough with a towel and allow the dough to rise for an hour. Lightly brush some milk over the top of the loaf .
  10. Bake the dough at 180C (350F) for about 30 to 40 (mine took around 45 mins) minutes until it is done and the top is golden brown.
Recipe Notes

You can see all the many different flavours for this Pull apart bread on Aparna’s post here.

Once again thank you Aparna for the initiative and motivation as you always do.

(There seems to be some issue with the server on the new blog my-foodcourt.com. Since the posting deadline is today I am posting here and update on the new blog later.)