Pull Apart Bread (Using Rhodes Bread Dough!)

Name: Pull Apart Bread (Using Rhodes Bread Dough!)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 300 min
Ingredients: 1 loaf Rhodes bread dough; ½ cup butter (softened, preferably salted); 1 tbsp garlic (minced); 1 tbsp fresh herbs (chopped (Our favorite combination is equal amounts of rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage))

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This simple, but oh so flavorful, loaf of Pull Apart Bread is a frozen loaf of Rhodes bread dough that’s infused with a savory garlic herb butter. Plus it bakes up beautifully golden brown and fills your home with the smell of freshly baked homemade bread without the hassle of making dough from scratch!

Slices of pull apart bread with garlic and herbs on a countertop. — This Pull Apart Bread gives fills your house with all the goodness of freshly baked bread without the hassle of homemade dough.

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🏅 Why this recipe is great
🥖 Ingredients
🔪 How to make pull apart bread
🔖 Variations
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd
🙋 Questions and Answers
👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks
📖 Other great recipes
👋🏻 Connect with us!
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

There is almost nothing better than when the house smells of freshly baked bread. Chocolate chip cookies come in close, but bread still wins. This Pull Apart Bread Recipe makes that smell easy to achieve because it is made with a frozen loaf of Rhodes bread dough.

This bread is not your average pull apart loaf. Most of them require homemade bread by way of a dough hook and knowing all about yeast, but luckily not this one. Think of this as a version of savory monkey bread, but with slices instead of dough pieces.

We love easy recipes with frozen dough, like these Frozen Rhodes Dinner Rolls that bake frozen yeast rolls and a butter mixture in a cast iron skillet to get the most delicious rolls. This monkey bread (cinnamon pull-apart bread) is baked in a bundt pan with Rhodes rolls instead of biscuit dough. It's divine! Look here for all our bread recipes!

🏅 Why this recipe is great

It’s easy. There is no kneading of dough or rolling out. Just a pair of scissors and a thawed loaf of dough.
It’s versatile. Try flavoring the butter with all kinds of flavor combinations. For inspiration see these savory compound butters.

🥖 Ingredients

Four simple ingredients are all you need for this great recipe.

Rhodes frozen bread dough: This is the brand we use, specifically the Rhodes Bake-n-Serve white bread dough. This isn't sponsored, just the brand we actually use.
Butter: Preferably salted butter, but if you only have unsalted just add a pinch of salt to the butter mixture.
Garlic: Finely minced fresh garlic is the best. Garlic powder can be used but is not preferred.
Herbs: So many options here! Rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, chives. For a good variety without needing to buy too many herbs, try getting the poultry seasoning in the produce department of the grocery store. It has a little bit of everything!

🔪 How to make pull apart bread

The only equipment you need for this recipe is a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan (affiliate).

Rhodes bread dough frozen in a loaf pan with plastic wrap over the top.

First, spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Place frozen bread loaf in the pan covering the raw dough with a piece of plastic wrap that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Put in a warm place for about 3 hours. The actual time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen.

Frozen Rhodes bread dough thawed before adding herb garlic butter.

Once the dough has thawed and rises to fill a third of the pan it is time for the next step.

Pull apart bread slathered in garlic butter before rising.

Combine butter, garlic, and herbs together in a small bowl until well mixed. Use a clean pair of scissors to make cuts three fourths of the way down the loaf at 1 inch intervals. Fill each slit with 1 teaspoon of butter. Spread the remaining butter across the top. Cover again with the piece of plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.

Fully risen dough of pull apart bread before baking.

Allow to rise for another 1.5 hours. It should be just below the top of the pan.

Place bread loaf in the center of the oven and bake bread at 350º for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 15-20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. Brush with an additional 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter and sprinkle with salt and fresh herbs if desired.

Golden brown loaf of savory pull apart bread with fresh rosemary on the side. — Brush the top of the bread with extra butter and sprinkle with chopped herbs and salt for a glossy finish.

This is the best bread as a side dish to any grilled meat, Italian, or chicken dish.

🔖 Variations

Next time try a cheesy garlic pull-apart bread option with any of these types of cheese. Mix in a quarter to a third a cup of:

cheddar cheese
parmesan cheese
pepper jack cheese
mozzarella cheese

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd

This is an easy and tasty bread to bake for a large group. Just be sure not to overcrowd the oven and rotate the position of the loaves within the oven halfway through the cooking time. I would only cook 4 loaves at a time in a standard oven.

🙋 Questions and Answers

What is the fastest way to thaw Rhodes frozen bread dough?

Either quick thaw method does work but runs the risk of the dough rising too much and then falling in on itself.

To thaw bread dough even faster than the instructions, turn the oven on to 175 degrees and once it reaches temperature immediately turn it off. Place the pan with the covered loaf of dough in and close the door. Allow the bread to rise for approximately an hour and a half.

For an alternative speed thaw method, place frozen bread dough in the oven. Place a pan of hot water underneath and close the oven door. The heat from the water will help the dough thaw faster.

How long does it take to bake Rhodes bread dough?

Rhodes bread dough takes approximately 20-25 minutes to bake at 350 degrees.

Head on pull apart loaf pieces baked together. — Try adding different herbs or even cheese for a different flavor profile each time.

👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks

Coat loaf pan generously with non-stick spray.
Don’t let the bread rise too much in either step. If it rises too high it will fall in on itself which results in a final product that is more dense.
Brush the final product with additional melted butter and sprinkle with fresh herbs and salt for a truly spectacular finished loaf.
I found the best way to get the butter in between the slices is to make one cut then add the butter immediately. If you make slices across the whole loaf they will stick together by the time you try to add the butter.

📖 Other great recipes

Honey Mustard Sheet Pan Dinner - An easy one pan dinner of chicken, green beans and potatoes.
Fall Apart Pot Roast - A magic slow cooker recipe that goes perfectly with this savory pull apart bread.
Simple Chicken Piccata with Artichokes - A 30 minute dinner full of flavor!

👋🏻 Connect with us!

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!

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