Cheesy Garlic Tear & Share

Serves 8
Prep: 30 minutes + proofing
Cook: 18-22 minutes

Ingredients

Roasted Garlic

• 2 whole bulbs garlic

Dough

• 350g strong white bread flour

• 7g instant dried yeast

• 20g caster sugar

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• 30g Parmesan

• 190ml whole milk

• 1 large egg

• 40g unsalted butter

• 100g mature Cheddar

Garlic Butter

• 70g unsalted butter

• 2 large garlic cloves

• 15g fresh parsley

• 30g Parmesan

Method

1. Roast the garlic

Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan.

Slice the tops from the garlic bulbs to expose the cloves, then place each one on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and wrap loosely in the foil.

Roast for 30–35 minutes, until the cloves are completely soft and golden.

Leave to cool until comfortable to handle, then squeeze the cloves from their skins. Mash each bulb into a smooth paste, keeping them separate.

2. Make the dough

Finely grate the Parmesan.

Add the flour, yeast, sugar, garlic powder, oregano, Parmesan and a good pinch of salt to a large bowl. Season with a little black pepper and mix together.

Gently warm the milk until lukewarm.

Add the milk, egg and the roasted garlic from one whole bulb. Mix until a rough dough forms.

Turn onto a clean worktop and knead for around 5 minutes.

Cut the butter into small pieces, then knead it into the dough a little at a time, waiting until each addition has been incorporated before adding more.

Continue kneading for another 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Avoid adding extra flour unless absolutely necessary.

3. Add the Cheddar

Cut the Cheddar into roughly 1cm cubes.

Flatten the dough slightly and scatter the Cheddar over the surface. Fold the dough over itself several times, then knead gently for around 30–60 seconds, just until the cheese is evenly distributed.

A few pieces sitting close to the surface are fine — they'll melt and caramelise as the bread bakes.

4. Shape the buns

Lightly grease the baking dish or tin.

Weigh the dough and divide the total weight by 8, then portion it into 8 equal pieces.

Shape each piece into a smooth, tight ball.

Arrange one ball in the centre of the dish and the remaining seven around it, leaving a little space between each one for them to expand.

5. Prove

Cover loosely and leave somewhere warm for 45–60 minutes, until the buns are visibly puffed and have expanded into one another.

Towards the end of the proving time, heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan.

6. Make the roasted garlic butter

Melt the butter gently in a small saucepan.

Add the roasted garlic from the remaining bulb and mash it into the butter until evenly combined.

Brush a small amount of the roasted garlic butter over the tops of the proved buns, then set the rest aside.

7. Bake

Bake for 18–20 minutes, until the buns are risen and deeply golden.

If the tops are colouring too quickly before the bread is cooked through, loosely cover with foil for the final few minutes.

8. Finish the garlic butter

While the bread bakes, peel and finely grate the fresh garlic.

Finely chop the parsley and finely grate the Parmesan.

Stir the fresh garlic and parsley into the remaining roasted garlic butter and season with plenty of black pepper.

Keep the Parmesan separate for finishing.

9. Finish and serve

As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, brush it generously with the garlic butter, making sure plenty runs down into the joins between the buns.

Scatter over the Parmesan and finish with a little flaky salt and black pepper.

Leave for 5 minutes, then serve warm and tear apart at the table.