A sourdough light brioche dough, drenched in garlic-herb butter, rolled in parmesan, layered into a bundt pan, and finished with a lemon cream cheese chive glaze. This is a feasting bread, built for gatherings, made to absolutely floor the room. Think monkey bread, but for the garlicky savory lovers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This savory monkey bread recipe is everything you want in a sharing bread! Pull-apart, garlicky, cheesy, and genuinely impressive with minimal fuss. It uses the same dough as my Sourdough Sandwich Bread , so if you’ve made that before, you already know how good this dough is to work with. The lemon cream cheese chive glaze on top takes it somewhere unexpected and completely addictive. This is the recipe people will ask you for at every single gathering from here on out.
What is garlic pull-apart monkey bread?
Monkey bread is a pull-apart bread made by layering small dough balls in a bundt pan and baking them together so they puff up and fuse into one impressive, tear-apart loaf. The classic version is sweet and sticky. This one is the savory answer to that, made with a sourdough light brioche dough, each ball rolled in garlic herb butter and parmesan before going into the pan. The result is a golden, garlicky, cheesy pull-apart loaf that looks stunning and tastes even better!
How do you make garlic pull-apart monkey bread?
The process is simpler than it looks (and that’s exactly the point).
- Make your sourdough light brioche dough and proof until doubled.
- Divide the dough into small balls, roughly 30–35g each.
- Roll each ball in garlic herb butter, then in grated parmesan.
- Layer into a greased bundt pan and let proof until doubled again.
- Bake at 375°F for 32–36 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Invert onto a board and drizzle with the lemon cream cheese chive glaze.
- Pull apart or slice, and make sure to serve warm.
What makes this different from regular monkey bread?
Two things: the dough and the glaze. Most monkey bread recipes use a basic enriched dough or store-bought biscuit dough. This uses a sourdough light brioche, which means you get that signature soft, pillowy, slightly tangy crumb that makes each pull-apart piece genuinely special. And instead of a sweet icing, the lemon cream cheese chive glaze brings brightness and a savoury richness that ties the whole thing together. It’s familiar enough to be comforting and different enough to be memorable!
What do you serve garlic pull-apart monkey bread with?
This is a feasting bread, so think big. It’s incredible alongside a slow-braised pasta, a big pot of soup, or a cheese and charcuterie spread. It also holds its own as the centrepiece of a grazing table — pile it in the middle and let people pull pieces off throughout the night. For gatherings, it works as a starter, a side, or honestly just the main event. If you need a smaller serving, just halve the dough recipe.
Can you make garlic pull-apart monkey bread ahead of time?
Yes, and there are two ways to do it!
Fridge: Let the assembled bundt pan proof until completely doubled in size, then cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bake straight from the fridge, no need to bring it to room temperature first.
Freezer: Bake the monkey bread as normal, let it cool completely, then wrap tightly in a few layers of cling film and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat wrapped in foil at 325°F for 15–20 minutes until warmed through.
For the glaze, make it fresh just before serving.
How do you store garlic pull-apart monkey bread?
Best eaten warm on the day. If you have leftovers, store the bread and glaze separately — the bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and any leftover glaze in a sealed jar in the fridge for the same. To reheat, wrap the bread in foil and warm in a 325°F oven for 10–12 minutes, then make a fresh drizzle or warm the stored glaze gently before serving.
Garlic Pull-Apart Monkey Bread (Garlic Bread Brioche Cake)
Equipment
- 1 digital kitchen scale
- 1 bundt pan (I like the USA pan brand)
Ingredients
Dough
- 240 grams 240g bubbly active sourdough starter
- 70 grams melted butter
- 400 grams warm whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 58 grams sugar
- 720 grams all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 16 grams sea salt
Garlic Herb Butter
- 113 grams salted butter 1 stick
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- 25 grams fresh parsley, chopped
Assembly
- 100 grams freshly grated parmesan plus extra, just incase you run out
Lemon Cream Cheese Chive Glaze
- 115 grams cream cheese, softened half a block
- 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp chives, chopped
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice juice of half a lemon
- 40 grams warm milk
- pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dough. Melt the butter, then warm the milk in the same bowl until it's slightly warm. In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine the starter, sugar, and eggs. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the warm milk and butter. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined – the dough will look rough and sticky, that's fine. Cover and rest for 30 minutes, then knead on medium speed for 6–8 minutes until soft and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly, and let rise at room temperature (around 67–68°F) overnight for 8–12 hours until doubled.
- Make the garlic butter. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, add the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Shape the dough. Divide your fully risen dough into small balls, roughly 30–35g each.
- Drench and layer. Roll each ball in the garlic herb butter, then in the parmesan, and layer into a well-greased bundt pan. Continue until all the dough balls are in the pan. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top and finish with flaky salt.
- Second proof. Cover and let proof until the dough has completely doubled in size again, about 2–3 hours. This can take longer in a cooler kitchen – don't rush it. The dough should look pillowy and feel light when gently pressed.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 32–36 minutes until deep golden brown and internal temperature has reached 190F/88C. Tent with foil at the 25-minute mark if the top is browning too quickly.
- Make the glaze. Beat together the cream cheese, lemon zest, powdered sugar, chives, salt, and pepper until smooth and fluffy. Then the lemon juice and beat. Next, add the warm milk a little at a time, mixing as you go, until you reach a consistency you're happy with (drizzleable but not too thin).
- Finish. Cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes, no longer, or it risks sticking to the pan. Invert onto a board and let cool before drizzling generously with the glaze and serving warm.
Notes
- No bundt pan? No problem! This works in 2 loaf pans or a 9×13 pan. Follow the same directions either way.
- Tip: the first proof takes 8–12 hours, so starting the dough the night before makes the whole process much easier to plan around.
- Make-ahead fridge option: let the assembled bundt pan proof until fully doubled, cover and refrigerate overnight, then bake straight from the fridge the next day.
- Make-ahead freezer option: bake, cool completely, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Pecorino works beautifully in place of parmesan for a slightly sharper flavour.
- Honestly if any of your friends rocked up to a gathering with this you would be absolutely floored. So be that friend! Happy baking 🙂
