Garlic Pull-Apart Bread

1. Heat half-and-half in a saucepan over low heat until lukewarm. Pour into mixing bowl. Add sugar and yeast and let stand until yeast foams, about 5 minutes.
2. Add 1 cup flour and salt and mix well. Add remaining flour and mix until a workable dough results, adding water if necessary. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface 10 minutes or with a mixer fitted with dough hooks until dough cleanly pulls away from sides of bowl. Let rest 10 minutes.
3. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 3 minutes.
4. Roll dough into an 8×12-inch rectangle. Spread garlic mixture over top of dough. Cut into 4 strips vertically, then horizontally to get 16 (3×2-inch) pieces.  Place pieces in a greased 8 1/2×4 1/2 -inch loaf pan. (The arrangement will look like an accordion pleat.) Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until slices fill pan, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown, placing foil on top after 10 minutes. Immediately invert bread onto a wire rack; cool slightly. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted with permission from Kim Ode's Baking With the St. Paul Bread Club (Minnesota Historical Society, 2006).