Garlic Herbed Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Forager Project Cashewmilk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cups + 1 teaspoon bread flour
• 1/4 cup Forager Project Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, divided minced
• 1 cup salted vegan butter, divided room temperature
• 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Prep

• Grease a large bowl with cooking or coconut oil and set aside.
• Heat the Cashewmilk to 110ºF. Use a food thermometer to ensure that it’s exactly 110ºF. Stir in the sugar, followed by the yeast. Cover, and set aside to activate for 5-7 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it smells yeast-like and there is foam on the top of the dairy-free milk.
• Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl then combine with the yeast mixture, sour cream, sage, and half of the garlic in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook and gently mix the ingredients together for a minute on medium speed. Increase the speed to medium-low speed and mix (or use a large spoon to mix if doing by hand). The dough will look shaggy. Next, add in ½ cup of room temperature vegan butter, and mix on medium at first until the butter is incorporated into the dough. Then turn the speed up to medium-high, and allow the dough to be kneaded for 10-15 minutes
• Once kneaded, place the dough ball into the greased bowl, and cover with a clean dish towel in a warm area that’s at least 85ºF. If your oven has a proof setting, you can use that. Proof the bread until it’s doubled in size, about an hour. If your area is cooler, it will take longer.
• While the dough is rising, use a spoon or fork to mix together the remaining ½ cup of vegan butter, remaining garlic, and dried thyme until it resembles a garlic and herb spread. Set aside. Then place a piece of parchment paper into an 8” or 10” cast iron skillet.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly punch down the dough ball in the bowl to release the air. Lightly flour a clean surface again and start to form the dough ball into a rectangle. Roll the dough to be about 18″ in length and 12” in width. It doesn’t need to be exact.
• Spread the filling onto the top of the dough until it reaches the edges. Then use a pizza cutter to carefully cut about 32 squares (8 rows length wise and 4 columns width wise). They don’t need to be exact.
• Spread the filling onto the top of the dough until it reaches the edges. Then use a pizza cutter to carefully cut about 32 squares (8 rows length wise and 4 columns width wise). They don’t need to be exact.
• Stack a few of the squares (I do about 8 at a time) on top of each other, then place them into the cast iron skillet, preparing to stack more until you form almost a wreath shape. Repeat with the remaining squares.
• Cover the cast iron skillet again with a dish towel, and place the skillet near the oven as it preheats to 350ºF.
• Once preheated, bake the garlic bread for 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top. Remove from the oven.
• Serve warm, pull apart, tear and share!