POPPIN' GARLIC AND HERB TEAR AND SHARE ROLLS

I've dabbled in baking bread in the past but I still get very scared as it can go horribly wrong if you mess with the yeast or don't work the dough properly. Not the case with this tear and share loaf which was totes delicious. These fluffy little buns connected together like a bee hive have a hint of parsley running through the crumb as well as a burst of garlic which is added both in the dough and brushed on top with some butter. Finish with poppy seeds for crunch and you have the perfect set of buns for sharing at dinner time! 

So as this is a bread recipe you definitely shouldn't play around with the recipe as bread is a delicate beast. You can leave out the garlic powder and parsley though if you just want to make some plain buns. Feel free to use a different dried herb instead of parsley if you do want to mix it up. Rosemary, sage or oregano could all work well but I just find parsley to be the best partner for the garlic.

For the bun toppings, you don't have to add garlic to the melted butter if you really aren't a fan of the stuff but do make sure you still brush the buns with plain butter so that you get a nice golden brown top to your buns. Not everyone will have poppy seeds in their cupboards and you may not want to buy them just for this so if you do want to give your buns a different more accessible topping then try grating over some parmesan before baking to give them a nice cheesy finish instead or you can just leave them plain on top!

Recipe below will make 16 buns, more than enough for the dinner table and perfect if you're having a little get together. Any leftover buns and be wrapped in foil and popped in the freezer to warm back up and serve at a later date;

Garlic And Herb Tear And Share Bread

250ml Semi Skimmed Milk

2 Eggs

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar

1 1/2 Tsp Table Salt

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Heaped Tsp Dried Parsley

2 Heaped Tsp Dried Active Yeast

550g White Bread Flour

2 Grated Garlic Cloves

100g Unsalted Butter

1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds

1. Begin by warming up the milk in a pan to 37 degrees on a low heat on your hob using a thermometer. In a second pan heat 60ml of water to 37 degree in the same way. Whilst the liquids heat up, crack open the eggs into a large bowl and beat until combined.
2. Add the milk and water to the bowl with the eggs alongside the olive oil, granulated sugar, salt, garlic powder and parsley. Add in the yeast making sure it doesn't touch the salt and then add in the flour. Begin to mix everything together until it come together to form a loose dough. 
   
3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for around ten minutes until it comes together to form a smooth, slightly elastic feeling ball. Take a clean, slightly greased bowl and drop in the dough. Cover with film and leave for around 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Grease a 23cm round baking dish and leave to one side. Tip the dough back back out onto a floured surface and knock the air out of the dough. Divide the dough into 16 roughly equal sized pieces, shape each piece into a ball and pop into the baking dish. Place the first ball in the middle and then arrange the other balls around it. Cover the dish with film and then leave the balls for another hour until they have doubled in size again.
5. When the hour is nearly up turn your oven on to 220 degrees (200 fan) and whilst the oven warms up add the garlic and butter into a small pan and gently melt the butter, stirring the garlic through as you do. 
6. Once the dough balls are ready, brush the top of the balls with half of the garlic butter and sprinkle over the poppy seeds. Pop the dough balls in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown on top and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining garlic butter to finish.

Let to bread cool for a couple of minutes and then remove from the baking dish and serve straight away as the bread is at it's most fluffy delicious best when it's warm out of the oven. The fun part though is tearing away those buns and dipping them into your stew, curry or just smothering them in lashings of butter and eating them as they are. The garlic from the powder and the buttery glaze on top really makes the buns pop and compliments the parsley in the dough delightfully. The poppy seeds on top add a delicious little crunch to the soft little buns. Just make sure you do actually share them and don't just scoff the lot yourself!