Pull apart cheesy garlic bread is cheesy, gooey, tasty, and most importantly, fun to make. This cheesy garlic pull-apart bread is an easy recipe for kids ages 8-12. It is great for sleepovers, campouts, or even birthday parties. You can serve this as a side dish or as part of a buffet where it makes a great centerpiece. It looks so delicious, people can’t wait to pull it apart with their hands and start eating!
Why We Love This Recipe
Great for Kids: When kids are new to cooking, they need recipes that will be easy to execute. This recipe is a great choice for beginners because it’s easy to make yet looks so fantastic at the end. Your kids will be proud of this pull apart bread.
Tasty: Garlic bread is usually a fan favorite but the cheese in this recipe takes this crack bread to the next level.
Quick and easy: You can buy a sourdough loaf from the store which makes it much easier than starting with homemade dough. It is more assembly than true cooking, which gives your kids the feeling that they are cooking without it being too complicated.
If you want to make your bread from scratch check out this video
Impressive without too much effort: The visual appeal of this cheesy pull apart bread recipe is quite stunning. With its cross-hatched pattern and melted cheese, it is no wonder that it has such great appeal. The colors and textures of this bread just can’t be beaten for taste or wow factor.
Prep
● Mince or crush your garlic cloves.
● Grate your mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
The best bread to use is sourdough but you can use french bread if you prefer. It really doesn’t have to be fancy – you can easily use a loaf of bakery bread.
To make the garlic butter first melt your butter in a small pan over low heat or in a small bowl using a microwave. Keep an eye on it because butter does not have a high smoke point and can easily burn but keeping the heat low will prevent this. Add your garlic to your saucepan with your butter.
Using a serrated knife, get an adult to cut the bread in a cross-hatch pattern. The cuts should be about 1″ (2.5cm) apart and go down towards the base of the loaf but not cutting through the base so that the base stays intact.
Once you are done cutting your loaf, set it aside and begin working on the butter mixture. If you and your kids like them, adding some Italian herb to the butter is delicious. You also need to add your fresh garlic at this stage. If you do not have any fresh garlic, then you can use garlic powder. Mix well and let it cook through for a minute or two before removing from the stove. Season the melted butter mixture with a little black pepper. You don’t need to add any additional salt as there is already salt in both the cheese and the bread.
Place your pre-cut loaf onto a large sheet of aluminum foil. Now, your kids need to get the butter mixture into all of the cracks of your loaf and the best way to do this is using a medium spoon. Open the cracks slightly using one hand whilst spooning in the butter with the other hand. You can also get two people to work as a team, one opening the cracks and the other adding the butter. Pour any remaining liquid over the center of the loaf and brush the remaining butter outward to coat the crust of the bread. This will allow it to sink into any spots that may not be saturated and keep the crust from burning.
Once you have added your butter mixture, take your grated cheese. You can use any variety of cheese including mozzarella cheese, Monterey jack cheese, parmesan cheese or a cheese mixture. Use whichever cheese is your favorite type to get the best flavor for your family. Be sure to use plenty of cheese!! Stuff the cheese into the cuts in the loaf making sure you get some in all of the cracks. You do not have to be precise so kids of all ages can take part in this.
Wrap the loaf up in tin foil until it is fully covered and put it onto a baking sheet or cookie sheet. Place it in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C. After the 15 minutes is up, open the top of the foil and add a bit more grated cheese to the top of the loaf of bread. This gives top crust of bread a delicious browned cheese flavor.
Bake for another 7-8 minutes. Check that the cheese is a golden brown color and all the cheese has melted.
This is a great recipe to prepare ahead of time.
You can prepare the loaf up including the shredded cheese then wrap it in foil and put the whole thing in the fridge overnight. Get it out an hour before you want it and let it come to room temperature before baking as normal. You can even freeze the prepared bread and then defrost before baking. Next time why not make 2 loaves – one for now and one for the freezer!
What to Serve Alongside Your Cheesy Bread
You can serve the pull apart cheesy garlic bread on its own as a delicious appetizer or snack. It tastes amazing if you dip it into some pizza sauce! You can also serve the cheesy goodness alongside other dishes including tomato soup, as part of an Italian dinner or instead of homemade dinner rolls.
Cheesy garlic bread as a main course:
If you want your bread to be the main dish, you can pair it with ham, salami, olives, and fresh fruit. It could be the perfect centerpiece for your charcuterie board. It would also be fun for the kids to create cool designs with the other food around the bread.
There are many options with this homemade bread because it is versatile and delicious. One of the best ways to eat it is a few minutes after it is out of the oven when it has cooled down a little bit.
How to make A Vegan Version
If you wish to make this Vegan, simply make sure that your bread is vegan and use olive oil in place of the butter
For dessert, try this easy strawberry spoon cake recipe
Try this easy recipe for an American Cookie Cake
Pull Apart Cheesy Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1 Sourdough loaf
- 1.5 sticks Butter
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Italian mixed herbs
- 1 cup grated cheese
Instructions
- Slice a sourdough loaf into a cross hatch pattern. Make sections about 1” apart but don’t cut through the base so the loaf holds together.
- Melt your butter on the stove and add your minced garlic and spices.
- Place the loaf on a tin foil lined sheet.
- Use a spoon to drizzle butter deep into the cuts of your sourdough loaf
- Add your grated cheese to the cracks in the bread.
- Wrap the loaf in foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F/180 degrees C for 15 mins.
- Open the foil and bake for another 7-8 minutes
Notes
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