Description
Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread is a delicious pull-apart bread featuring a crusty loaf stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese and a flavorful garlic butter mixture. This appetizer or side dish is perfect for sharing and makes an impressive addition to any meal, with a crispy crust and gooey cheesy centers.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 crusty loaf, preferably sourdough or Vienna
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (or other melting cheese)
Garlic Butter
- 100 g / 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) to prepare it for baking the bread.
- Prepare Garlic Butter: In a heatproof bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic, and salt. Melt the mixture briefly in the microwave and then stir in the chopped parsley to distribute the flavors evenly.
- Cut the Bread: Using a sharp knife, cut the loaf diagonally into approximately 2 cm (1 inch) diamond shapes, making sure not to cut all the way through the bread to keep the base intact.
- Stuff the Bread: Gently pry open each cut in the bread and drizzle about a teaspoon of the garlic butter inside each crack, then stuff a pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese into the opening. It’s okay if the butter is distributed unevenly; a bit on the crust will enhance flavor and texture.
- Brush Surface: Use the remaining garlic butter to brush the entire surface of the loaf, adding extra flavor and helping the crust brown nicely.
- Wrap and Bake: Wrap the prepared loaf tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt thoroughly.
- Finish Baking Unwrapped: Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to create a crisp, golden crust.
- Serve Immediately: Remove from the oven and serve the bread warm to enjoy the gooey cheese and flavorful garlic butter pull-apart bread at its best.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Use softened butter (not melted) mixed with garlic, salt, and parsley. Spread into bread cracks with cheese, then wrap and refrigerate or freeze. Thaw before baking as per recipe instructions.
- Quick Reheat: Bake fully ahead and cool wrapped in foil. Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat in microwave for 1.5-2 minutes to melt cheese again while retaining crustiness.
- Bread Choice: Use a dense, crusty bread like sourdough for best results—avoid uncooked dough.
- Speedy Method: Instead of melting butter, cream it and spread generously in one-direction diagonal cuts before making diamond cuts; note this results in less even butter coverage.
- Serving Size: Recipe serves 8 to 10 people, perfect as an appetizer or side dish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/10th loaf)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
