Tear and Share Garlic Bread Inspired by Jamie Oliver's Recipe

Soft, buttery, and packed with garlic, this tear and share garlic bread inspired by Jamie Oliver is an easy pull-apart party bread recipe everyone will fight over.

There are breads you slice, and then there are breads you tear into with your hands while everyone reaches in at the same time. This tear and share garlic bread is very much the latter. It’s soft, ridiculously buttery, and has that golden, craggy top that makes it impossible to walk past without pulling off “just one piece.”

Welcome to my Cookbook Recipe Series Episode 7, where I make some of my favourite recipes from the chefs and cookbooks I keep going back to. The last episode covered the Lemon cake sandwiches from Nigella Lawson’s dense chocolate loaf cake recipe from How to be a domestic goddess. But this one has been on my list for ages — Jamie Oliver’s tear and share garlic bread from his cook book, Comfort Food a recipe that’s earned cult status for a reason. I’ve kept the tear-apart soul of the original — soft knots of dough, brushed generously with garlic butter, baked until deep golden — but made a few changes of my own along the way, which I’ll get into below.

The beauty of this recipe is how little it actually asks of you. If you’ve got a stand mixer it does the job for you, effortlessly but if not you can get your hands in there with a little elbow grease you will be able to make these buns perfectly. There’s no real skill required, no fiddly lamination, no fancy equipment. Resulting in a soft, enriched dough that are pillowy tender and almost fuse into each other while proving and baking, which is exactly the point — you want to be tearing this apart with your hands, not slicing it with a knife.

This is the kind of bread that turns an ordinary dinner into an occasion. Bring it to the table straight from the oven, still steaming, with the garlic butter glossy on top, and watch it disappear before anything else has even been served. Whether it’s sitting alongside a big bowl of pasta, a Sunday roast, or just a board of cheese and olives, this is the bread I make when I want the table to feel a little more like an event. So let’s get to it.

Why You’ll Love This Tear and Share Garlic Bread?

Soft, pillowy dough with a deep golden, buttery top.
Loaded with garlic and fresh herbs in every single tear.
No slicing needed — just pull apart and share.
Great make-ahead option, with a slow overnight rise if you want it.
Perfect for dinner parties, roast dinners, or alongside a big bowl of pasta.
A guaranteed centre piece for any bread or grazing board.

The Ingredients You’ll Need:

Strong White Bread Flour & All purpose Flour – The higher protein content gives the dough structure and chew, while still baking up soft. I love using a combination of both to get the chewiness from the bread flour and the fluffiness from the all purpose flour.
Instant Yeast – For a reliable, even rise without needing to proof it separately first.
Sugar – Just a touch, to help feed the yeast and encourage a good rise.
Salt – Essential for flavour, though it should never touch the yeast directly.
Warm Milk and Water – Using both gives a softer, richer crumb than water alone.
Bread crumbs -This adds a crunch at the bottom of the buns while baking, trust me it is worth it.
Unsalted Butter – The base of the garlic butter, so good-quality butter really is worth it here.
Garlic – The whole point of the recipe. I use both grated fresh garlic and a little garlic powder for a rounder, more baked-in flavour.
Fresh Herbs – Parsley and rosemary are my usual choice, though thyme works beautifully too.
Flaky Sea Salt – Scattered on top before baking for little bursts of seasoning in every tear.
Milk powder – a little goes a long way to make these buns even more fluffy and rich without the addition of any cream or butter into the dough (it is an optional ingredient but I love the addition)

What equipment is needed to make these tear and share garlic rolls?

I have made these rolls without a stand mixer just kneading them with my hands and proving the dough in a bowl. You could use a mixer if you’ve got one with the hook attachment, it does make the whole process shorter and less active. The rolls are baked in a large baking tray in the oven.

What have I done differently from Jamie’s Recipe?

The original is brilliant as it is and my family have been subject to his recipe for years at too many instances to count, but these small tweaks are my favourite additions. I like using a combination of bread flour and all purpose flour in the dough to give a chewiness and fluffiness to the buns once baked. I have also used a mixture of water and milk to make these buns giving you a milk bread-ish texture. A slow, overnight rise in the fridge is optional but genuinely worth it if you have the time — it deepens the flavour of the dough considerably which I do more often than id like to admit.

Baking Tips for the Best Tear and Share Garlic Bread:

Don’t Rush the First Rise – A slow, well-proofed dough gives you that soft, pillowy texture. A warm spot, like a switched-off oven with the light on, speeds things up if you’re short on time. This is key!!!
Pack the Rolls in Snugly – The magic of tear and share bread comes from the rolls baking together and fusing at the edges. Don’t leave too much space between them.
Double Up on the Garlic Butter – Brushing it on both before and after baking gives you flavour baked into the crust and a fresh, glossy hit on top.
Watch the Bake in the Last Few Minutes – Ovens vary, and you want a deep golden brown, not overly dark, especially if you’re adding cheese.
Let It Rest Briefly Before Serving – A few minutes off the heat lets the butter settle into the bread rather than pooling straight off the top.

Serving Suggestions:

This tear and share garlic bread is endlessly versatile. Serve it warm alongside a big bowl of pasta like the creamy tomato pasta or the bolognese pasta, with my tomato soup for dipping, as a starter with olive oil and balsamic, on a grazing board with cured meats and cheese, or simply on its own with extra garlic butter for tearing into. It also holds its own next to a Sunday roast or as the centre piece of a casual weekend spread.

Storage options:

If you have leftovers, which I highly doubt — store them in an airtight container or wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to two days. To reheat, wrap the tray or individual rolls in foil and warm through in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes, which brings the crust back to life far better than a microwave. It also freezes beautifully: freeze the baked, cooled rolls in a freezer-safe bag for up to two months, then reheat wrapped in foil straight from the freezer.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is tear and share bread?

Tear and share bread is a style of baking where individual dough balls or rolls are placed close together in one baking dish or tray, then left to rise and bake as a single connected loaf. Because the rolls touch and fuse slightly at the edges as they bake, the finished bread is meant to be pulled apart by hand rather than sliced with a knife — hence the name. It’s popular for sharing at the table because everyone can just reach in and tear off their own piece.

How do you make garlic bread from scratch?

There are two common approaches. The quicker version starts with a baguette or ready-made loaf: you slice it, spread on garlic butter (softened butter mixed with grated garlic, herbs, and salt), then bake until crisp and golden. The from-scratch version — like the tear and share style — starts with making an actual yeasted dough: mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt, warm milk/water, and oil into a dough, knead it until smooth, let it rise until doubled, shape it into rolls, brush with garlic butter, and bake until golden. The second method takes longer but gives you a softer, more bread-like texture rather than a crisp baguette bite.

Can you freeze tear and share garlic bread?

Yes. Bake it fully first, then let it cool completely before freezing — freezing warm bread traps moisture and makes it soggy later. Wrap it well or store in a freezer-safe bag/container for up to about two months. To reheat, wrap it in foil (no need to thaw first) and warm it in a moderate oven until heated through and the crust crisps back up. Avoid microwaving, which turns the crust chewy instead of crisp.

What’s the difference between garlic bread and tear and share bread?

The main difference is the base. Classic garlic bread starts with an already-baked loaf (usually a baguette) — you slice it, add garlic butter, and rebake or grill it. Tear and share garlic bread is made from raw dough — you make a yeasted bread dough, shape it into individual balls, and bake them together so they rise and fuse into one shareable tray. The result is texturally different too: regular garlic bread has a crisp, toasted edge, while tear and share bread is soft and pillowy throughout, more like a dinner roll than a toasted slice.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes. After the first knead, the covered dough can go straight into the fridge overnight for a slow, cold rise, which actually improves the flavour. Just bring it back to room temperature before shaping.

Can I add cheese to this recipe?

Definitely. Mozzarella scattered over the top in the last few minutes of baking melts into the gaps between the rolls for an extra indulgent, cheesy pull-apart bread.

Looking for more cookbook recipe recommendations?

Now that we’ve covered how I make my Tear and Share Garlic Bread inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe, you can catch the process video on my socials, but let’s get to the recipe itself. If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on Pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you about your baking.

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