Garlic and Herb Twist Bread

Freshly baked bread with a garlic and herb butter swirled through.

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.

5 from 11 votes

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Course: bread

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 35

Resting time: 1 45

Total Time: 2 40

Servings:

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Sarah James

Ingredients

Bread Dough

500 g extra strong white bread flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast we use Dove's Farm
4 tbsp tablespoons rapeseed oil / Canola oil use refined rapeseed oil for cooking
300 ml lukewarm water about 30-35°C / 86-95°F

Garlic and Herb butter

125 g softened salted butter
3 cloves garlic crushed
4 tbs chopped fresh basil oregano or parsley approximately ½ cup without being pressed down

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make Your Dough

By hand: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, rapeseed oil, salt, sugar and yeast. Form a well in the centre of the ingredients.
Add a little water into the well and mix thoroughly. Keep adding water a little at a time and mixing until you have formed a ball of dough.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes. The dough should feel smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
Check your dough is ready by using the windowpane test.
KitchenAid: Add flour, oil, salt, sugar and yeast to the mixing bowl, make a well and add the water.
Mix on slow speed number 1 for 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn up to number 2 speed for a further 8 to 10 minutes.
Check your dough is ready by using the windowpane test.

Prove Your Dough

Place your dough in a large greased bowl and cover.
Leave to rest in a warm place for at least one hour or until doubled in size (time may vary depending on room temperature).

Prepare the Garlic Herb Butter

Mix softened salted butter, crushed garlic and chopped herbs in a bowl until fully combined.

Shape Your Dough

Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface.
Shape by rolling the dough into a rectangle 9 x 18 inch.
Spread the garlic herb butter evenly over the surface leaving a ¼inch border.
Roll up the long side tightly into a log just as you would for cinnamon buns and pinch the seam together.
Cut in half lengthwise revealing the layers.
With the cut sides facing upwards, twist the two sides together and pinch each end to seal.
Transfer to a 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin lined with parchment.

Second rise and bake

Cover loosely and let rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F (350 °F fan)
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.
If browning too quickly, tent with foil.
Brush with extra melted butter and sprinkle fresh parsley.
Let the bread cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Preparation time does not include proving time.
Herbs - use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. Parsley, oregano, basil and chives work well. Be careful if you use rosemary or thyme, it can be quite pungent so use sparingly.
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.
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 at 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F (350 °F) fan 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.
Nutrition information is approximate per slice of the 2 lb loaf. It is meant as a guideline only.