This Garlic Herb Twist Bread is such a beautiful and delicious alternative to regular garlic bread. It’s packed with Italian herbs, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese and makes a delicious snack or side for sopping up pasta sauce.
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Italian Herbs and Cheese Bread
This savory Italian herb swirl bread is bursting with flavor, and much simpler to make than it looks. It’s got all of the buttery garlic flavor that you love about plain garlic bread, but with a sophisticated twist (get it?). You can pull this baby out for a nice dinner, but it really is easy enough to make as a side for your everyday spaghetti night.
To make things even easier, we made sure that this recipe makes 2 loaves so you can always freeze one for later. Easy peasy!
If you love this Garlic Herb Twist Bread, you should also give our Pull-Apart Garlic Bread, Nutella Twist Bread and Cinnamon Twist Bread a try. It's equally delicious and oh-so-fun to eat.
Ingredients in This Herb Bread Recipe
- Water - you want your water to be between 95-105 degrees F. This helps to activate the yeast.
- Sugar - you can also substitute honey if you would like.
- Yeast - we use active dry yeast in this recipe, which needs to be “proofed.”
- Olive Oil - you can also substitute any other cooking oil.
- Salt - sea salt is best.
- Flour - we use all-purpose flour in this recipe, but you can also substitute bread flour.
- Garlic Salt - you can purchase this pre-made, but it's also simple to make. Just mix together equal parts of garlic powder and sea salt.
- Italian Seasoning - this is a must have for making Italian bread. You should be able to find this pre-mixed in the spice section at the grocery store. Otherwise, you can make your own by combining equal amounts of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and a pinch of garlic powder and red chili flakes.
- Butter - you can use either salted or unsalted melted butter for the filling.
- Parmesan Cheese - fresh grated is best.
How To Make Garlic Herb Twist Bread
Mix the Bread Dough:
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add warm water (between 95-105 degrees Fahrenheit), sugar, and yeast. Stir, and let sit for 5-10, or until frothy.
- Add the oil, salt and about 3 cups of flour. Using the dough hook, mix on low for 1-2 minutes, or until the flour has all mixed in. Continue to add another 2 ½-3 cups of flour, mixing on low until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix for another 2 minutes on low, and add a little more flour if the dough feels sticky.
- Once mixed, cover the bowl with a towel, and let the dough rest in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
Swirl the Dough:
- Once your dough has rested, transfer onto a lightly floured surface and separate into 2 equal pieces.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll each piece of dough into a rectangle that is roughly 14" x 10". Brush each rectangle with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, then sprinkle each with ½ tablespoons of garlic salt, ½ tablespoon of Italian Seasoning and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, making sure they are evenly spread.
- Roll each log up starting at the longer end so you have 2 long rolls. Use a sharp knife and cut down the center of each roll so you have four long halves total. Take 2 halves and pinch the ends on one side together, then twist the dough together loosely. Gently lay the garlic herb twist into your prepared 9”x5” loaf pan, tucking both ends under. Repeat with the other two halves.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Cover both loaf pans with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough has doubled.
- Once they have doubled in size, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and baked through. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before removing from the loaf pans. While still warm, drizzle cinnamon roll icing over the bread. Serve warm, or let the bread cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Other Twisted Bread Variations
- Cinnamon Twist Bread - check out our recipe for this sweet, simple Cinnamon Twist Bread.
- Nutella Twist Bread - for the filling, spread about ½ cup per loaf over the dough before rolling up and twisting!
- Bacon Cheddar Twist Bread - sprinkle ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup of bacon bits evenly over each loaf of dough before rolling up for a super savory treat.
You can start making this the night before if you want to get a few steps ahead. Just finish the first three instructions to mix your dough, then store in the fridge overnight (wrapped well with plastic). It will rise slowly in the refrigerator, giving it a delicious flavor. The next morning, remove from the fridge and let the dough come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes before continuing to twist and shape.
You can definitely freeze baked Garlic Herb Twist Bread. Make sure to let it cool completely, then wrap in plastic and aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, you can transfer to the fridge overnight, or leave out at room temperature overnight or for a few hours.
To reheat, place in a 300 degree oven for a few minutes, or else reheat individual portions in the microwave.
Garlic Herb Twist Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Water warm (95-105 degrees F)
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar or honey
- 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or any cooking oil
- ¾ Tablespoon Salt
- 5 ½-6 cups All-Purpose Flour
Garlic Herb Mixture
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Herb Blend
- 4 Tablespoons Butter melted
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add warm water (between 95-105 degrees Fahrenheit), sugar, and yeast. Stir, and let sit for 5-10, or until frothy.
- Add the oil, salt and about 3 cups of flour. Using the dough hook, mix on low for 1-2 minutes, or until the flour has all mixed in. Continue to add another 2 ½-3 cups of flour, mixing on low until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix for another 2 minutes on low, and add a little more flour if the dough feels sticky.
- Once mixed, cover the bowl with a towel, and let the dough rest in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
- Once your dough has rested, transfer onto a lightly floured surface and separate into 2 equal pieces.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll each piece of dough into a rectangle that is roughly 14" x 10". Brush each rectangle with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, then sprinkle each with ½ tablespoons of garlic salt, ½ tablespoon of Italian Herbs and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, making sure they are evenly spread.
- Roll each log up starting at the longer end so you have 2 long rolls. Use a sharp knife and cut down the center of each roll so you have four long halves total. Take 2 halves and pinch the ends on one side together, then twist the dough together loosely. Gently lay the garlic herb twist into your prepared 9”x5” loaf pan, tucking both ends under. Repeat with the other two halves.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Cover with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough has doubled.
- Once they have doubled in size, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and baked through. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before removing from the loaf pans. Serve warm, or let the bread cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are some other simple homemade bread recipes that we love!
- Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
- Rustic Cheddar Cheese Bread
- Homemade White Bread
- Einkorn Dinner Rolls
- Easy Pizza Dough
- More Bread Recipes
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This Garlic Herb Twist Bread has all of the buttery garlic flavor that you love about plain garlic bread, but with a sophisticated twist. It’s packed with Italian herbs, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese and makes a delicious snack or side for sopping up pasta sauce.
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