Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread With Gooey Mozzarella
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
2
Level
Easy
Cutting the loaf into deep diamonds without cutting through leaves connected sections that hold garlic-parsley butter and mozzarella. This Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread bakes under foil to melt the cheese, then uncovered for a crusty exterior and gooey pull-apart center.
The filling starts with melted butter, olive oil, black pepper, fresh parsley, garlic, and salt, all mixed before the loaf is opened. Spreading that mixture into every crack coats the interior rather than merely the surface. Shredded mozzarella follows in the same cuts, so the cheese is distributed through the bread instead of sitting only on top, giving each section a seasoned cheese filling.
Use a bread knife to make 1- to 1½-inch diagonal diamonds, stopping before the bottom so the loaf remains in one piece. The key visual cue is melted cheese after the foil-covered bake; the final uncovered bake turns the crust crusty. Cutting all the way through is the main mistake, because the sections cannot hold their filling or pull apart as a loaf.
Serve it fresh immediately, as directed, while the cheese still stretches between the sections. The source also allows the assembled, foil-wrapped unbaked loaf to be frozen for up to 15 days, then baked until melted before its final uncovered bake. It works as a snack or dinner-party appetizer.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Deep, connected diamond cuts create pull-apart sections because the loaf stays intact while holding butter, garlic, parsley, and mozzarella between each slice.
- Foil traps heat around the loaf during the first bake, helping the mozzarella melt through the interior before the crust is exposed.
- An uncovered final bake makes the exterior crusty because moisture is no longer held inside the foil around the bread.
- Spreading the butter mixture into every crack seasons the center, so garlic, parsley, black pepper, and oil reach more than the top.
- Shredded mozzarella is tucked into the cuts rather than scattered over the loaf, which gives pulled sections visible melted cheese strands.
- The unbaked assembled loaf can be foil-wrapped and frozen because the source provides a bake-from-frozen option for later serving.
Ingredients
- •1 Italian crusty loaf (uncut, unsliced whole bread loaf)
- •0.5 stick butter (melted (2 ounce))
- •2 tbsp olive oil (2-3 tbsp)
- •3 cloves garlic (3-4, minced or crushed)
- •0.25 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- •1 tsp black pepper
- •1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- •salt (as per taste)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C.
- 2
Combine the melted butter, olive oil, black pepper, chopped parsley, minced garlic, and salt in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- 3
Cut the Italian crusty loaf diagonally into 1- to 1½-inch diamond shapes using a bread knife, being careful not to slice all the way through.
- 4
Use your fingers to pry open each crack and spread the prepared butter mixture and shredded mozzarella into each crack.
- 5
Wrap the entire loaf in foil, place it on a baking tray, and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese melts. Carefully uncover the foil and bake for 5 minutes more until crusty.
- 6
Remove carefully and serve fresh immediately.
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