Who can resist warm, buttery bread infused with fresh herbs and garlic ? My Garlic and Herb Twist Bread is ideal for family dinners, BBQs and entertaining guests.
A surprisingly easy homemade twisted bread made with a basic dough, fresh herbs and garlic butter. Simply baked until golden brown for a great tear and share loaf.

A piece of flavoured bread cut from a loaf.

Originally, I made my twist bread freestyle and formed it into a circular shape. Over the years I’ve simplified the shaping and now bake this loaf in a tin. It’s an easier twist shape to form but tastes just as delicious as the free form circle.

At The Kitchen Shed, we have a real love for garlic and herbs on our bread, with garlic naan being a firm favourite. Experiment with a few fillings, such as with my cheese and pickle bread, and you can enjoy even more flavour.

A baked garlic bread on baking parchment.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Incredible flavour – This homemade garlic and herb twist bread is loaded with fresh garlic and fragrant herbs. Combined with rich buttery layers of your own soft, from scratch dough. It’s far superior to store bought garlic bread made with ultra processed ingredients. Enjoy traditional artisan bakery flavour at home.
Soft and fluffy texture – My tried and tested soft bread roll dough bakes up perfectly pillowy and tender every time.
Easy homemade bread recipe – You only need about 20 minutes of hands on prep. While the dough rises and bakes, you’re free to get on with your day. In just 3½ hours, you’ll have a freshly baked garlic and herb twist loaf ready to serve.
Perfect family sized loaf – this recipe makes one generous 2lb (900g) loaf, ideal for sharing with the whole family.

Equipment you’ll need

Stand mixer (optional) – I use my KitchenAid but you can knead by hand.
2lb (900g) loaf tin – I recommend the MasterClass bread tin (its heavy gauge steel gives an even bake).
Baking parchment – to line the bread tin.

What ingredients do I need ?

Bread dough

Bread Flour – I like to use Marriage’s Very Strong White Bread Flour, which is 100 % Canadian flour. This flour has the advantage of being high in protein and so produces more gluten. As a result, the dough holds together well but is also very elastic and perfect for making soft and fluffy bread.
Yeast – I’ve used instant yeast in the recipe, often called fast action or quick yeast. This yeast has the advantage that you can add it directly to your flour.
Salt – I like to use sea salt as it contains less sodium than regular salt but any fine salt will work.
Sugar – it’s just the right amount of food to get the yeast activated without adding too much sweetness to the soft bread dough.
Oil – I like to use refined rapeseed / Canola oil because it’s flavourless and gives the best results in this recipe. That said, I’ve also had good results with sunflower oil.
Lukewarm Water – you should be able to comfortably dip your finger into lukewarm water.

Garlic and herb butter

Butter – I used salted butter. Unsalted can be used with a teaspoon of salt added for flavour.
Garlic – fresh garlic cloves work best.
Fresh herbs – a handful of your favourite herbs, parsley, oregano, basil and chives work well. Be careful if you use rosemary or thyme, it can be quite pungent so use sparingly.

How to make Garlic and Herb Twist Bread

Make the dough

In a stand mixer: Knead all the ingredients on a slow speed for 10 to 12 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
By hand: Mix the ingredients in a bowl and then knead on a counter top.
Cover your dough and leave it to rise for about 1 ½ hours in a warm place (longer in cooler conditions).
Once your dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface.

Mixing a bread dough in a Kitchen Aid showing the dough stretched and held in a ball.

Prepare the Garlic Herb Butter

Mix butter, crushed garlic and chopped herbs.

Shaping and filling

Rolling out dough, spreading with garlic and herb butter and rolling up into a log.

Shape by rolling the dough into a rectangle and spreading the garlic herb butter evenly over the surface.
Roll up tightly into a log just as you would for cinnamon buns and cut in half lengthwise revealing the layers.
Twist the two halves together, keeping the cut sides facing upward, before placing in your bread tin.

Bread dough rolled into a log, pinched and shaped into a twist.

Second rise and bake

Cover loosely and let rise for 30 – 45 minutes.
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until golden brown. An easy way to check your loaf is sufficiently baked is to measure the internal temperature with a food thermometer. The internal temperature of your loaf should be 90°C / 194°F to 95°C / 203°F. My favourite Thermapen comes into its own for this check.
Brush with extra melted butter and sprinkle fresh parsley before serving.

Thermapen showing a bread temperature of 93.8 degrees celsius.

Tips for Perfect Garlic and Herb Bread

Kneading – check your bread dough is nice and elastic by using the window pane test.
Use lukewarm water – you should be able to comfortably dip your finger into lukewarm water. Yeast works best at around 37°C / 98°F.
Use fresh herbs and garlic for the best flavour.
Make sure you roll up the long side tightly into a log and pinch the seam together. This helps prevent the garlic and herb butter leaking and keeps all the flavour in your bread.
Let the bread cool slightly before serving.

Variations

This versatile garlic bread recipe can easily be adapted:

Cheesy Garlic Twist Bread – Add shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan between the layers for an extra gooey, savoury twist.
Spicy Garlic Herb Bread – Mix ½ teaspoon chilli flakes into the garlic herb butter for a touch of heat.

Storage & Freezing

Room temperature: Store Garlic and Herb Twist Bread in a bread bag or airtight container for up to 3 days. Sometimes, bread can become a little stale after a couple of days. Just reheat for 5 to 10 minutes to warm through.
Freezing: Cool completely, wrap well, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also slice before freezing so you can take out just what you need.
Defrosting: Leave at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Serving suggestions

Swirled garlic bread served with a dish of chicken Provencal and green beans.

We love to serve this pull apart garlic and herb bread pairs as a starter with anti pasti. It also pairs perfectly with:

Homemade Chilli
Pasta dishes – ideal with our vegetarian lasagne.
Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken.
Slow cooker Sausage and Bean Casserole

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