Hi Everyone! Happy Friday! I am so PSYCHED to share with you my Cheesy Pull-Apart Crack Bread recipe. This bread is such a quick, affordable recipe, but it is exploding so much with flavor – your friends will think it’s gourmet.
I’ve been craving this cheesy deliciousness for some time now, and now that that we are finally only A DAY away from the Super Bowl, it’s time to indulge.
As I mentioned in my previous post, my favorite aspect of the Super Bowl is having all of my friends and family together, bonding over touch downs and delicious dips. Realistically, who really cares about which team wins the game? What really matters is whose appetizer wins the popularity contest – that’s where the real competition is 😂.
Fortunately, this Cheesy Pull-Apart Crack Bread has a long track record of stealing the show.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Crack Bread – emphasis on the CHEESY
People LOVE the cheese pulls. They LIVE for it. If someone goes in for a bite of your appetizer and ends up in the midst of a long, melty cheese pull, it’s over. Hooks are in. You’ve won.
I load down this Cheesy Pull-Apart Crack Bread with two cups of mozzarella cheese so that I have cheese oozing from every crevice. It looks IRRESTIBLE fresh out of the oven – the second you set it down, this dish is turning heads.
Intricate looking, realistically super easy
In order to stuff the bread, you must first cut the bread both horizontally and vertically into a lattice shape. This serve two purposes:
1) It’s a micro-aggression, subtly letting your guests know you’re better than them and can effortlessly blend taste and aesthetics (LOL)
2). It gives the butter/garlic/seasoning blend and cheese more surface area, and creates easy pre-cut pieces for your guests to pull apart.
You’re not just bringing a regular old appetizer. Instead, you are creating an aesthetically pleasing jungle gym of cheesy bread goodness, and your guests will be impressed.
The funniest part about the intricate-looking exterior of the Cheesy Pull-Apart Crack Bread is that this recipe is actually not difficult to make and super affordable! You don’t need any special cooking tools – just a knife and a sheet pan. That’s it! The total cost to make my Cheesy Pull-Apart Crack Bread was: $10.08 – not bad for a mind-blowingly delicious appetizer.
Tips to nail the recipe
- You can use any type of bread. I got mine from the bakery of my local grocery store.
- The more cheese – THE BETTER! The last thing you want is to have a weak cheese to bread ratio. The recipe originally called for 1 cup – trust me on this: 2 cups is WAY better.
- To save time, you can buy pre-minced garlic from the store.
- If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, you can buy it in the spice isle at the grocery store. Otherwise, you can make your own if you already have a lot of spices on hand!
- If you are not a big fan of garlic, I recommend that you sauté the garlic butter mixture on the stove first. Then, strain the butter and you’re left with a garlic infused butter, that’s not quite so strong.
- If you want more protein, you can stuff rotisserie chicken in the cracks. Adding chicken makes this bread more a of meal, if this is the only appetizer you plan on making. I will also be making my buffalo chicken dip on Game Day, so I opted for no chicken this time.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Crack Bread
Ingredients
- 1 artisan loaf of bread (I used a tuscan loaf)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Butter Mixture
- 1 stick butter unsalted
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Slice the bread
- In order to achieve the lattice shape, use a serrated bread knife to cut the bread vertically and then horizontally (see video for example). Be careful not to slice all the way through.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the butter mixture
- Microwave the butter for 30 seconds – 1 minute to melt.
- Mince one clove of garlic.
- Add garlic and Italian seasoning into the melted butter and stir.
Combine the bread, butter, and cheese.
- Pour the butter mixture into each crevice of the bread. If you don’t feel as though the bread is soaked through, you can always melt more butter and pour in.
- Stuff each crevice with mozzarella until all the crevices are filled.
Bake
- Put the bread on a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. (Don’t put it into the oven until you’re about to serve! If you are waiting to bring it somewhere, bake it at the destination and then serve).
- Put the loaf on a serving plate and serve to guests immediately after!
Angie says
The bread was a hit and pretty much gone!!! Thanks for the recipe 😁