Garlic Butter and Cheese Pull-Apart Focaccia Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 batch Same-day focaccia dough (Use the author's same-day focaccia dough recipe; the recipe is referenced as being on page 22 of the cookbook or pinned on the author's page.)
• 115 g Garlic butter (Grated while frozen; keep frozen between the two stretch-and-folds.)
• 125 g Low-moisture mozzarella (Grated; divided between the initial bake and the finishing bake.)
• 40 g Parmesan cheese (Finely grated; divide between the two bakes, reserving a couple of tablespoons for garnish.)
• 90 g Salted butter (For the garlic butter coating and pan preparation; reserve a small amount for brushing over the baked rolls.)
• 5.5 cloves Garlic (Finely minced; approximately 16 g edible garlic.)
• 1 tsp Dried garlic granules
• 1.5 tbsp Fresh parsley (Finely chopped.)

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare one batch of same-day focaccia dough according to the author's dough recipe. Let the freshly mixed dough rest for 15 minutes before beginning the stretch-and-folds.

2. 2

   Grate the frozen garlic butter. Scatter half of it over the dough, then perform a complete stretch-and-fold to incorporate it. Return the remaining garlic butter to the freezer.

3. 3

   Wait 15 minutes. Scatter the remaining frozen grated garlic butter over the dough and complete a second stretch-and-fold, incorporating it evenly.

4. 4

   Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until relaxed and slightly puffy.

5. 5

   While the dough rests, melt the salted butter, minced garlic, and dried garlic granules together in a small frying pan over medium heat.

6. 6

   Simmer the butter mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant but not browned. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

7. 7

   Line a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking tray with nonstick parchment. Brush a portion of the garlic butter onto a clean work surface in an area approximately the size of the tray.

8. 8

   Tip the rested dough onto the buttered work surface. Butter your fingers and gently stretch the dough into a 9-by-13-inch rectangle of even thickness, taking care not to deflate it excessively.

9. 9

   Lightly butter the edge of a dough scraper or sharp knife. Cut the dough into 15 pieces by making 3 rows and then 5 rows, keeping the pieces as evenly sized as possible.

10. 10

    Coat each dough piece with garlic butter. Arrange the pieces in the parchment-lined tray in a 3-by-5 formation, keeping them close together. Reserve a small amount of garlic butter for finishing the baked rolls.

11. 11

    Cover the tray and proof the dough at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until noticeably risen and puffy.

12. 12

    Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F), positioning an oven rack on the lowest level.

13. 13

    Scatter half of the grated mozzarella and half of the grated Parmesan over the proofed dough. Gently dimple the dough with your fingertips so some of the cheese settles into the surface.

14. 14

    Bake on the lowest oven rack for 12 minutes, until the dough has begun to set and the cheese is melted.

15. 15

    Remove the tray from the oven. Scatter the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the rolls, reserving a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan for garnish.

16. 16

    Return the tray to the oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the focaccia rolls are fully baked and golden brown on top.

17. 17

    Brush the hot rolls with the reserved garlic butter, then scatter over the reserved Parmesan. Pull the focaccia apart into individual rolls and serve warm.

Notes

The focaccia dough recipe itself is not included in the source, so its exact ingredients and yield cannot be reproduced here. Keep the grated garlic butter frozen between folds so it remains distinct enough to create flaky layers. Serve warm for the best cheese pull. The recipe is inspired by the viral croissant-bread method.

Nutrition per serving

• bread
• Italian-inspired
• vegetarian
• baked
• pull-apart
• garlic bread
• cheesy
• focaccia