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The prettiest Swirled Garlic Herb Bread…that’s so much easier than you might think. This light, doughy, and super soft bread is swirled with herb butter, hinted lightly with garlic, and makes for the most delicious and extra fancy companion to your dinner table. It’s easy, but impressive, and best served warm right out of the oven with just a little smear of butter. You will LOVE this bread. Bonus? This is a great way to use up all the end of summer herbs from the garden.
With Labor Day behind us, I’m ready to slowly start transitioning into the season the brings all the coziest recipes. I know it’s only the 3rd of September, and that the temperatures may still be warm, but autumn is in the air, especially around here. I couldn’t be more excited about this, as I said on Sunday, it’s my favorite season.
We had the nicest Labor Day weekend here in Colorado. Our weather is just perfect right now. I spent most of the long weekend prepping for a photoshoot we have this Saturday. I also planned out content for the coming months (my never-ending list of fall recipes just keeps growing). And I worked on some wedding cake details for my brother’s wedding that’s only one week from this Saturday.
And I finally got to spend some much needed one on one time with little sister, Asher. Her birthday was Friday, and while we didn’t do anything crazy or exciting I enjoyed getting to spend a couple of hours with her Saturday night. Someone messaged me on Instagram commenting on the fact that Asher seems like such an old soul, so mature for her age, and it’s so true. She’s only eleven but can keep a good conversation with just about any adult. Truly a special little girl.
(dough log after slicing in half lengthwise)
With September here, my focus has shifted to a bit to cozier recipes. Recipes that are perfect for things like Sunday night dinner with the family, a simple gathering with friends, or tailgating before Sunday’s game (can you believe football starts on Thursday?).
Enter in this swirled garlic herb bread. It’s so pretty and so delicious. It’s going to be perfect for all your upcoming Sunday night family dinners, and gatherings with friends on fall evenings.
And the best part…while I mean, aside from the taste…while this bread may look super complicated to make, it’s really fairly simple. If you’re a visual person like me, the pictures within this post are going to be VERY helpful, so study them closely.
(dough after twisting)
(dough after the 1st coil)
With that, let me tell you about all the little details of this swirly, herby bread.
First, the dough. I used my go-to base dough recipe for soft breads. It’s kind of a mix between an eggy brioche bread and a more simple dinner roll type bread. It has your basic bread dough ingredients – milk, yeast, a touch of honey, eggs, flour, butter, and salt. Nothing new here, but yet still so good.
The real flavor in this bread is hidden between the layers. Or better yet, between the swirls, and it’s in the form of herb butter with garlic. The classic go-to flavors that I am craving so much of right now…
Well, that and the fact our herb garden is so full of end of summer herbs. So full that some of the basil is blossoming and becoming dry. Meaning, I need to use it up fast. So that’s kind of the reason for all the herb-filled recipes as of late. The good news is that I love herbs and I don’t mind using them in literally everything…even my cocktails.
For the butter, I used a mix of basil, thyme, and sage, BUT you all can use whatever herb combination you love most. I’m sure a touch of oregano or maybe some parsley would be great!
And another note…use salted butter and only just the right amount of garlic. The salted butter is key because it adds that special touch that makes everyone go back for a second slice, or two. For the garlic, I like to use 1-2 cloves. You want the flavor, but you don’t want it to overpower the bread, just a subtle hint.
Now, the rolling and twisting process.
I promise, this is not as scary as it looks. If you’ve made cinnamon rolls before you can make and shape this bread.
You’ll start out by rolling the dough up into a log. Then you simply cut the log in half vertically to expose those pretty, herby, buttery layers. Now, twist the two the pieces of dough over each other to create a loose twist. And finally, coil the dough up into a shape that resembles an S. Again, the words make it seem trickier than it really is. Use the photos as your guide, I’m telling you, they will help so much!!
Once you have the bread shaped, let it rise, and then bake. Please, please, please, enjoy this warm, right out of the oven, and preferably with a light smear of butter too.
SO GOOD. Oh, and the smell while this bakes? It. Is. Heavenly.
What every special dinner from now through December really needs…a side of pretty, swirled, garlic herb bread. I’d recommend serving this alongside one of my favorite September recipes, instant pot broccoli cheddar zucchini soup.
My suggestion? Bake this bread over the weekend for Sunday night dinner, then have fresh bread for snacking all week long. The leftovers are delicious lightly toasted, warmed in the oven, or even served room temp.
If you make this swirled garlic herb bread be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Swirled Garlic Herb Bread.
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 795 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 large eggs
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for serving
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, yeast, honey, eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons room temp butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes more. If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, the garlic, parmesan, basil, sage, and thyme in a small bowl. 4. Punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle about 12 x 18 inches. Spread the garlic herb butter evenly over the dough. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. 5. Using a sharp knife, cut the log of dough in half lengthwise, leaving a small portion at one end intact (see above photo). Turn the halves to expose the filling. Cross the dough ropes over each other, repeating the twisting until you have a long, twisted dough.6. Coil half the rope up like a snake, stopping when you reach halfway. Then, coil the second half of the rope in the opposite direction (see above photo). Carefully transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the bread to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through. Brush the top of the loaf with butter. Slice and serve warm...with additional butter.
Notes
To Make Ahead: prepare the bread through step 6. Once the bread is shaped, place it on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover, and place in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, remove the bread from the fridge 1 hour prior to baking, then bake as directed.
To Freeze: bake the bread as directed and allow to cool completely. Once cool, wrap the bread tightly with plastic wrap, then transfer to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and warm or toast before serving.
Leftovers: the bread is best served warm after baking, but the leftover bread is delicious when lightly toasted or served at room temperature.
I’m making this recipe later today, but I only have 1% milk. Will that be okay? Do you have any suggestions for a substitute?
Hi Abigail,
That will be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Just wanted to tell you we used your recipe at the Indiana State Fair and it won Grand Champion! Thank you for sharing your recipe! It is such a beautiful bread and so delicious!
Wow! That makes me so so happy to hear! Thank you so much! xT
❤️ 🍞 ❤️
Hi I’m unable to get fresh herbs at the moment. Can I use dry herbs?
Absolutely! xT
Not very happy with this recipe. I always use grams for measurements so changed it to this. It said to use 937 grams of flour! It turns out its under 500g I need so have wasted a lot of ingredients because of this mistake!
Hi Kimberley,
So sorry to hear this! Unfortunately, I always recommend that you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Hi I have a question since the dough is made with honey can you do a sweet filling instead to make a swirled cinnamon bread or cinnamon rolls???
Hey Michelle,
Sure, sounds like a great idea!! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I made this tonight with your spicy lasagna soup. This is the lightest, softest, fluffiest bread I’ve ever made. So good! I couldn’t get my hands on all the fresh herbs at this time of year so I used Italian seasoning instead. It was still delicious but I can’t wait to make it again with herbs fresh from the garden. I’m also thinking this would make a fun dessert bread with jam or something in the layers. Love love your recipes, thank you so much for sharing!
So glad you loved this bread Amber! 🙂 xT
Almost the entire loaf got eaten immediately! I did a basil, chive, rosemary version and it came out spectacular. Also added a third clove of garlic. Could have used even more chives but the result was stupendous! I sent pictures to a few friends and they’re already asking when l make it for them. Thanks so much!
Hey Emily,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) 🐣🍭
Made this recipe and while it was tasty mine came out pretty dry/ a little crumbly… any advice?
Hi Lauren! So sorry about that! Did the dough feel dry before baking? xT
Hello! I am about to bake this amazing recipe right now, and do not see anywhere how many loaves this yields? I’m converting the cups of flour to grams, and it looks like this recipe might make 2-2lb loaves. I was curious if you already knew the weight of one or 2 loaves this recipe produces?
Thanks❤️
Hi Lorelei,
This recipe only makes one loaf:) If you want to loaves you’ll need to double the whole recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Absolutely fantastic recipe. I will definitely be saving to make this again soon! It was a hit in the whole house.
Hi Haley,
Happy Monday!!🌞 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Your US and metric conversions are not correct for flour. 1 cup flour = 120 grams. I had to through away one batch of dough as I couldn’t figure out why it was not turning out smooth.
Hi Nadia,
So sorry to hear this! Unfortunately, I always recommend confirming with your own conversion calculator as ours is controlled by Google. Again, sorry for the trouble! xx
My family loved this recipe. I only had 2 eggs and it was just fine. I also used dried seasonings because I didn’t have fresh. This was great 🙂
Hi Abbie,
Happy Monday!!🌞 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Do you think I can use a sourdough starter instead of yeast? If so, how would I substitute? If not, do you think I could add some with the yeast? We love the attributes a sourdough starter gives to breads as well as the health benefits.
Hey Melissa,
Sure, I don’t see why not, I would start with 1/3 cup. Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xT
I am curious as to whether you tried this with your sourdough starter and if so how it turned out? I would love to try this with my starter as well!
My dough isn’t rising some reason what could be wrong
Hi Renee,
So sorry to hear this! What kind of yeast did you use? Let me know how I can help! xT
Another week, another HBH recipe. This was simply fabulous!! Added an egg glaze before it went in the oven which worked perfectly. Can’t wait to make it again, thank you Tieghan! X
Hey Anne-Marie,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
I made this, it was so easy and delicious!
Hey Katelyn,
Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Made this for Christmas dinner and it turned out perfectly! I had to use dried basil, but it was still wonderful
If I made it again, I think I would add more of everything…garlic, herbs, cheese. Just my personal taste.
It was not difficult either. I am not a big baker.
Thank you for this beautiful and delicious recipe!
Hey Laura,
Happy Holidays!!☃️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I’ve made this before and it turned out great. Can’t wait to add it to our Christmas Dinner this year.
Hey Sherri,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
Would love to make this for Christmas dinner but I don’t have a mixer with a hook. Can I still make the dough ?
Hi Kasey,
You bet, just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a soft dough ball. Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx