This is one of those breads that looks fancy but is actually dead easy. It’s soft, fluffy, full of garlic and herbs, and perfect for pulling apart while it’s still warm. Great for when people are coming over, or when you just feel like something a bit special without a lot of effort.
What you’ll need:
1 cup sourdough discard
¾ cup warm milk
2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2½ to 3 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
2 tablespoons chopped herbs (parsley, rosemary, or mixed dried herbs)
For the topping:
2 tablespoons melted butter
Extra garlic and herbs if you like it extra tasty
How to make it:
In a big bowl, mix together the discard, warm milk, melted butter or oil, sugar and yeast. Give it a good stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes so the yeast can wake up a bit.
Add the salt and start mixing in the flour, a bit at a time, until you get a soft dough. It should be slightly tacky but not sticking all over your hands.
Tip it onto the bench and give it a quick knead for a few minutes until it’s smooth and stretchy.
Place it back in the bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Once it’s risen, tip it out and cut it into small pieces, about golf-ball size.
Toss the pieces in the garlic and herbs, then place them into a greased cake tin place one ball next to each — it doesn’t need to be neat at all.
Cover and let it rise again for about 30 minutes, until it looks nice and puffy.
Brush the top with melted butter and bake at 180°C for about 25–30 minutes, until golden and smelling absolutely amazing.
Let it cool just a little, then pull it apart and try not to eat the whole thing yourself.
Little tips from me to you:
This is brilliant with soups, pasta nights, or as a side for BBQs. You can add grated cheese between the dough balls if you want it extra indulgent. If you don’t want to use yeast, we can also do a longer fermented version — just say the word.
From my kitchen to yours,
𝓜𝒾𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓁𝑒 💛