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This Sourdough Discard Garlic Pull Apart Bread is delicious and buttery. The bread peels off in layers to enjoy. Serve it as an appetizer, or as a side dish with your favorite pasta dish. This twist on classic garlic bread is a great way to use up any sourdough discard you may have accumulated.

Looking for recipes to serve with this? Try making my Easy 15 Minute Lemon Pasta or Viral Tik Tok Feta Pasta Bake.

If you are looking for other sourdough discard recipes, check out my Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls, or Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls, or Sourdough Discard Corn Dogs.

I love that this dough doesn't have to be perfect. It's rustic and beautiful and a great bread recipe to make for beginner bread makers.

Make sure to serve this bread warm. That is when it is best. The layers get pulled apart and are so buttery and delicious.

How to Make Sourdough Discard Garlic Pull Apart Bread

For this recipe you will need the following ingredients:

• Flour: For this recipe you can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. Either one will work fine.
• Milk: I like to use regular whole milk, but you could use any kind of milk for this recipe you want including non-dairy. 
• Instant yeast: Even though this recipe uses sourdough discard, it will still need yeast. Sourdough discard is not as active as sourdough starter because it has not been fed. This is why it needs a leavening agent like yeast to help it rise correctly. 
• Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe.
• Egg: There is one egg in the batter of the dough. 
• Garlic powder: Garlic powder gives this bread that amazing garlicky taste. 
• Fresh parsley: Fresh parsley is perfect for this recipe. I highly recommend using fresh rather than dried herbs. Of course, if you have other fresh herbs on hand like fresh rosemary, then you can use that instead.
• Flaky sea salt: Finish the bread with flaky sea salt which adds to the flavor of the garlic and butter. 

Combine the warmed milk, instant yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour, sourdough discard, beaten egg, chopped herbs, salt and garlic powder. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Increase speed to medium and mix until a shaggy dough forms. You can also do this by hand in a large mixing bowl if you do not have a stand mixer.

Transfer the dough to a smooth work surface and knead until a smooth dough forms, about 3-4 minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly tacky (but not sticky). If needed, add more flour or milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) to reach your desired consistency.

Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, chopped herbs, garlic powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix until combined and set aside. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

After the dough rises, turn it out onto a smooth work surface and divide into 12 equal-sized pieces. Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand into a rough circle about 4-inches in diameter, then generously spread with the garlic butter mixture. I like to use a pastry brush to do this.

Fold the piece in half, then transfer to the prepared baking pan with the fold-side down on the bottom of the pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, using nearly all of the butter mixture (save a little to brush on at the end!). 

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise 30-45 minutes until the it is puffed. The dough should not rise above the edges of the loaf pan. 

Preheat the oven to 350℉.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. While the loaf is still warm, brush with any remaining butter mixture and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. This is the best part of the bread in my opinion.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then serve.

Substitutions & Variations

The reason this bread is so popular is because of how easy it is to change it up. Here are a few substitutions and variations you can try. 

• Add cheese – If you are a cheese lover, add in a 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese in between the layers. You can also use sharp cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese to add a distinctive flavor to the bread also. Spread the cheese in between the dough layers as you're building the bread. For extra cheesy flavor, add some cheese to the top of the bread as it bakes.

• Use active sourdough starter – If you'd like to make this recipe with active sourdough starter instead of discard and yeast, you can. Remove the yeast from the recipe and adjust the rising times as if you were making a loaf of sourdough bread.
• Use fresh garlic – If you'd like to use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, you can! One clove of garlic is equal to ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.

Storing the Bread

Once the bread cools to room temperature, I place it in a Ziplock Bag or airtight container. You can freeze it or save it for the next day.

I like to pull it apart the next day and place it on a baking sheet. I reheat it and serve it alongside whatever pasta dinner I happen to be serving.

Check Out These Other Delicious Sourdough Recipes

• Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
• The Best Sourdough Dinner Rolls
• Sourdough Pizza Crust
• Homemade Sourdough Bread