A high altitude recipe for soft and fluffy rosemary garlic milk buns, arranged in a wreath shape for the holidays. This pull apart bread wreath makes a wonderful side dish for a special occasion.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for cardamom morning buns, sweet potato dinner rolls, and Parker house dinner rolls with maple butter.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
So Light and Fluffy. You’ll love the fluffy, pillowy texture of these pull apart rolls. I based today’s recipe on my reader-favorite milk buns, which so many of you have made and loved over the years.
Stays Soft for Days. Thanks to the tangzhong starter in the dough, these milk buns in this pull apart bread wreath stay soft for days, and are so good made into sandwiches with leftover ham, roast beef or turkey after a holiday dinner.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. When working with yeast dough, the main adjustment for various altitudes will simply be how long it takes the dough to rise, since dough rises faster at higher altitudes.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- The tangzhong starter is a simple mixture of water, milk and flour. Added to the dough, it keeps the bread wreath soft and pillowy, and help the rolls rise higher and fluffier.
Dough
- Butter. Unsalted butter adds moisture, richness and flavor to the buns.
- Milk. Be sure to use whole milk for the best flavor and texture.
- Yeast. The yeast is the leavening agent which makes the buns rise. My preferred yeast is Red Star Platinum Premium Instant Yeast.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness and helps to activate the yeast.
- Flour. For the best texture, use bread flour, not all-purpose flour.
- Salt. Flavor.
- Egg. Gives the dough structure and a richer flavor.
- Dried Rosemary + Garlic Powder.
Instructions
Make the Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, milk and flour. Cook over medium heat for several minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a paste.
- Remove from the heat, scrape the tangzhong into a small bowl, and refrigerate to cool it down while you make the dough.
Make the Dough
- In the same saucepan you used to make the tangzhong (no need to wash the pan first), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the milk, and warm the mixture just until it reaches between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for a few minutes until it starts to get bubbly.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all but 1/2 cup of the flour with the remainder of the sugar, the warm yeast mixture, the cooled tangzhong, salt, rosemary, garlic powder and egg.
- With the dough hook, knead the dough for 10 minutes, gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, only if needed. The dough should be soft and smooth, and will wrap around the dough hook, but may still stick to the bottom of the bowl. Don’t be tempted to add more flour, though, or the buns will be dense.
- Scrape the dough into a greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 45-90 minutes, depending on the freshness/brand of yeast, and how warm your kitchen is.
- If your oven has a bread proof setting, you can use that. Otherwise, preheat your oven to the lowest setting, turn it off, then set the dough inside to rise.
Shape the Buns
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and flour the top of the dough, too. Gently press the dough out to about 1 inch thick.
- Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 24 equal portions.
- Take a piece of dough, roll it up into itself, cup it in your hand, and pinch the dough together to form it into a bun, so that it’s smooth on top and pinched on the bottom.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange the buns, smooth side facing up, in the shape of a bread wreath by placing 8 buns in a circle for the inside row, then 16 buns for the outside row.
- Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside until the buns are starting to puff up, about 20-30 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- For the egg wash, whisk together the egg and milk, and brush the egg wash over the buns. This will give them a beautiful golden brown shine as they bake.
- Bake the milk buns for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let cool for a few minutes, then serve your bread wreath warm with soft butter.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the buns in the oven and warm them at 300 degrees F for about 5-7 minutes.
Tangzhong or tang zhong is a simple roux or paste made of water, milk and flour. The tangzhong method is quick and easy. Just cook the ingredients in a saucepan for a minute or two until the mixture thickens into a paste. When this paste is added to yeast dough, it plays a very important role in improving the texture of the dough and the baked bread. It helps the starches in the flour absorb more liquid, which in turn makes the dough less sticky and easier to knead and shape into buns. It can help the bread rise higher and fluffier as it bakes. The baked bread, rolls or buns will stay soft and fresh for longer.
If all-purpose flour is all you can get your hands on, you can use it. But bread flour has a higher percentage of protein, which makes for a chewier texture in yeast dough.
This tear and share bread wreath looks so pretty accompanied by little plates of fancy molded butter. First, you’ll need a silicone mold (leaves or other festive shapes). Spread softened (not melted) butter into the mold. Then refrigerate it until the butter is firm enough to pop out of the mold. Place the molded butter on a plate to soften again before serving, and sprinkle with flaky salt.
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High Altitude Rosemary Garlic Pull Apart Bread Wreath
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
- Small Saucepan
- Medium-Sized Bowl
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tbsp bread flour
Dough
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry or instant/rapid rise yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 3 cups bread flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
Make the Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, milk and flour. Cook over medium heat for several minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a paste.
- Remove from the heat, scrape the tangzhong into a small bowl, and refrigerate to cool it down while you make the dough.
Make the Dough
- In the same saucepan you used to make the tangzhong (no need to wash the pan first), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the milk, and warm the mixture just until it reaches between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for a few minutes until it starts to get bubbly.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all but 1/2 cup of the flour with the remainder of the sugar, the warm yeast mixture, the cooled tangzhong, salt, rosemary, garlic powder and egg.
- With the dough hook, knead the dough for 10 minutes, gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, only if needed. The dough should be soft and smooth, and will wrap around the dough hook, but may still stick to the bottom of the bowl. Don't be tempted to add more flour, though, or the buns will be dense.
- Scrape the dough into a greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 45-90 minutes, depending on the freshness/brand of yeast, and how warm your kitchen is.If your oven has a bread proof setting, you can use that. Otherwise, preheat your oven to the lowest setting, turn it off, then set the dough inside to rise.
Shape the Buns
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and flour the top of the dough, too. Gently press the dough out to about 1 inch thick.
- Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 24 equal portions.
- Take a piece of dough, roll it up into itself, cup it in your hand, and pinch the dough together to form it into a bun, so that it's smooth on top and pinched on the bottom.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange the buns, smooth side facing up, in the shape of a wreath by placing 8 buns in a circle for the inside row, then 16 buns for the outside row.
- Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside until the buns are starting to puff up, about 20-30 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- For the egg wash, whisk together the egg and milk, and brush the egg wash over the buns. This will give them a beautiful golden brown shine as they bake.
- Bake the milk buns for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let cool for a few minutes, then serve warm with soft butter.
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