Serbian-Inspired Butter Bread with Garlic and Gouda

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This soft, pull-apart garlic cheese bread is inspired by traditional Serbian butter bread, a beautiful bread known for its buttery layers and decorative shaping. My version keeps the spirit of that bread but with a garlicy, cheese-stuffed twist. The dough is layered, rolled, cut, and then baked in a springform pan to serve family style. The pieces pull apart easily at the table!

This recipe is my garlicy and cheesy take on a Serbian bread recipe that I came across recently while learning about bread from around the world. This bread is a buttery layered bread that looks impressive but is surprisingly doable at home.

The dough is soft and enriched with eggs and milk, and the filling combines garlic and two cheeses for a rich, savoury pull-apart loaf that works alongside your weeknight pasta or a fancier holiday dinner.

You’ll learn how to roll and cut the dough to create this impressive decorative bread. Read the detailed step-by-step instructions below, complete with photos of each step, to help make this bread easy to shape!

Serve the loaf family style, in the middle of the table, and everyone gets to pull off their own piece.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact amounts. Read tips below about some of the recipe ingredients.

• Active dry yeast: Helps the dough rise and gives the bread its soft texture. Make sure it bubbles before moving ahead. If you use instant yeast, you can skip the step of proofing the yeast.
• Warm milk: To activate the yeast. Aim for 110°F to 115°F so you don’t kill the yeast.
• Sugar: To feed the yeast. I’m sure you could use honey here, like in my brioche buns.
• Flour: I use all-purpose. Make sure to weigh the flour to get the most accurate measurements.
• Cheese: I use Mozzarella for the stretchy cheese pull effect and Gouda for added flavor.
• Egg yolk: Brushing the top of the dough before baking leads to a browner, shiny top.

Tips for Making Butter Bread

• Use freshly grated cheese for the smoothest melt.
• Let the shaped dough rise fully so the layers expand during baking.
• A springform pan makes removing the bread much easier.

Instructions

Activate the Yeast

Warm the milk to 110°F to 115°F. You can do this in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. Whisk in the yeast and sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until the surface looks foamy and smells slightly yeasty. If nothing happens, the yeast is likely expired or the milk was too hot or too cold.

Just after mixing.

5 minutes after mixing. You can see how foamy it is.

Here you can see how much the yeast bubbled. This is Red Star active dry yeast, and I get mine from Costco, and it’s my favorite to work with!

Make the Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flour and salt together so the salt is evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the olive oil until smooth and well combined.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the egg mixture. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will look shaggy at first and then start to come together into a soft ball after 2 to 3 minutes.

Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be very soft, slightly sticky, and stretchy. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still stick slightly to the bottom.

If you are kneading by hand, expect this to take 8 to 10 minutes. The outside should look mostly smooth but feel tacky.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. I use plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the dough and a towel on top of that to keep it warm.

Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper and brush the sides with olive oil. This helps the bread release cleanly after baking.

Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces.

Pinch the edges of the dough into a point to form a rough circle.

Turn the dough seam side down, cup your hand over the top, and roll it in circles on the counter until it forms a nice ball.

Cover and let them rest for 10 minutes so the gluten relaxes. This makes rolling easier.

How to Shape Serbian-Inspired Butter Bread

Roll each ball into a rectangle about 4 by 8 inches.

Brush one rectangle with melted butter, all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle with a quarter of the garlic.

Add almost a quarter of the cheese mixture.

Place another rectangle on top and gently press to seal.

Brush with melted butter and add a little more cheese.

Starting from the long side, roll the stacked dough into a log, similar to a cinnamon roll.

Repeat until you have 4 logs total.

Cut the ends off each log first.

Cut the remaining sections into triangles, about 4 per log.

Here you can see the layers of butter, cheese, and dough.

Place the end pieces in the center of the prepared pan, cut-side down.

Arrange the rest of the pieces around the center pieces with the cut sides facing inward so they touch both the center dough and the pan edge. The pattern should look full but not tightly packed.

Second Rise

Cover the pan and let the shaped dough rise for about 45-60 minutes. The dough should look puffy and fill in most of the gaps.

Preheat and Egg Wash

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Whisk the egg yolk with a splash of milk and gently brush it over the top of the dough.

Bake

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the bread is deep golden brown on top. The center should feel set and the bread should sound hollow when tapped lightly.

Finish with Butter

Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully release the springform pan. Make sure to do this, or your bread will collapse a bit!

Reheat the remaining butter if needed and mix it with the chopped parsley. Brush the butter over the top and sides while the bread is still warm. Serve warm.

Storage

Let the bread cool completely before storing.

Store covered at room temperature. Because this bread is rich and buttery, it’s best eaten fresh but is still good for up to 3 or 4 days when wrapped.

What to Serve With Serbian-Inspired Butter Bread

This Serbian-inspired garlic butter bread pairs best with saucy mains, simple proteins, and cozy dinners where you want something to tear and dip. Try it with creamy tomato pasta sauce with chicken and spinach, or on the side of this simple cucumber and bell pepper salad.

FAQs

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