Measure and weigh out all ingredients before beginning. Grease a large bowl with cooking or coconut oil and set aside (this bowl is for the rising and is different than the bowl you’ll use to mix the dough).
Heat the dairy-free milk to 110F. Use a food thermometer to ensure that it’s exactly 110F. Once heated, stir in the 2 tbsp of maple syrup with 1 tsp of flour. Add the yeast and stir with a wooden spoon and cover. Place the bowl in a warm area (75-80F) to activate for 10-12 minutes. Your yeast may bloom faster or slower depending on the warmth of the area. You’ll know it’s ready when it smells yeast-like and there is foam on the top of the dairy-free milk. If this hasn’t happened, you’ll need to start over.
Add the remaining flour, plus the applesauce, rosemary, parsley, and garlic to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook and gently mix the ingredients together for a minute on medium speed. Turn the stand mixer on to medium-low speed and mix (or use a large spoon to mix if doing by hand). Mix until just combined. The dough will look shaggy. Next, add in the room temperature vegan butter and sea salt, and mix on medium at first until the butter is incorporated into the dough. Then turn the speed up to medium-high, and allow the dough to be kneaded for 10-15 minutes, or until you’re able to do the window pane test without breaking the dough.
Place the dough ball into the greased bowl, and cover with a thin clean dish towel. Place the bowl in a warm area that’s at least 85F. If your oven has a proof setting, you can use that. You can also heat the oven to 100F, then turn it off and keep the oven light on. Proof the bread until it’s doubled in size, about an hour. If your area is cooler, it will take longer, if it’s warmer, it will be quicker.
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Use a spoon or fork to mix together the softened vegan butter, minced garlic, and herbs until it resembles a garlic and herb spread. Set aside.
Once doubled in size, lightly punch down the dough ball in the bowl to release the air. Lightly flour a clean surface again and start to form the dough ball into a rectangle. Roll the dough using a floured rolling pin to be about 18″ in length and 12x” in width.
Spread the filling onto the top of the dough until it reaches the edges. Make sure it covers the dough evenly. Use a pizza cutter or large kitchen knife to carefully cut about 12 squares (4 rows length wise and 3 columns width wise). They don’t need to be exact.
Pick one of the large squares and sprinkle with about 1-2 tbsp shredded vegan cheese. Top with a second square and repeat. If there are any smaller squares, you can lightly stretch the piece to match the others. Repeat until there are no more squares left.
Use the pizza cutter and cut the stack in half from the top of the stack (cutting it down, like a highly stacked sandwich). Place one half in the loaf pan, followed by the second half.
Cover the loaf pan with a clean kitchen towel and place by or on top of the oven while it preheats to 375F. This allows the loaf to rest for 30 minutes.
Once rested, place the loaf pan into the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and allow the garlic loaf to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before carefully removing the loaf to serve. Tear, share and enjoy!