Pull-apart Cheesy Garlic Bread

Pull-apart cheesy garlic bread starts with a crusty loaf, usually sourdough or Italian, cut into a crosshatch pattern without slicing all the way through. Every crevice gets stuffed with garlic butter, fresh herbs, and plenty of melted cheese.

It’s then baked in the oven, wrapped in foil, until everything is gooey and melted.

Pull-apart Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe

Key Ingredients

Sourdough or crusty round loaf: The bread needs to be sturdy enough to hold its shape after you cut the crosshatch pattern. A soft sandwich loaf will collapse and turn to mush once the butter soaks in. I always go for a day-old sourdough because it absorbs the garlic butter without falling apart.

Fresh garlic: Minced fresh garlic gives you that sharp, fragrant hit that garlic powder can’t match. It mellows out in the oven and becomes sweet and nutty.

Low-moisture mozzarella: This is the cheese that gives you those long, stretchy pulls when you tear the bread apart. Fresh mozzarella has too much water and will make the bread soggy instead of gooey. I shred it by hand because pre-shredded has a coating that stops it from melting smoothly.

Unsalted butter: The fat carries the garlic flavor deep into every crack of the bread. You need it melted so it flows into the cuts instead of sitting on top. Salted butter works but the bread can end up too salty with the parmesan already in there.

Tips to Make It Perfect

Cut deep but not all the way through: You want the knife to stop about half an inch from the bottom. I often put a chopstick on each side of the loaf as a guide to stop the blade.

Stuff cheese into the cuts, don’t just sprinkle on top: This makes the inside gooey. Cheese only on the surface melts and slides off.

Wrap in foil for the first 15 minutes: The foil traps steam and melts the cheese all the way through without burning the top. Without it the edges crisp too fast and the center stays cold.

Here’s how to make the Pull-apart Cheesy Garlic Bread:

How to Pair

• For a full meal, serve pull-apart garlic bread next to a big bowl of pasta, a hearty tomato soup, or a slow-cooked stew where you want something to soak up all the sauce and broth.
• Red wine is a great option. A Chianti or a medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon complements the garlic and cheese without competing.
• A cold lager or pale ale works just as well.
• It also fits naturally on a party spread alongside a charcuterie board, dips, and other shareable bites.