Cheesy pull apart French bread is crusty, cheesy and delicious. Serve it as an appetizer before dinner, alongside a charcuterie board or as a side dish for your favorite pasta. You will always be happy to see this loaf sitting next to your main dish.
What you need
Bread
Mozzarella cheese
Butter
Garlic
Parsley
How to make cheesy pull apart French bread
You can use any loaf of bread you like. Round, oval, French or sourdough. Crusty bread is perfect for the soft, cheesy interior.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with nonstock cooking spray. Place the loaf onto the sheet pan. Cut slices about 3/4 of the way through the loaf, but make sure to keep the loaf intact. Make the slices about an inch apart one direction, then the other direction to form diamond shapes. These will be the portions that are “pulled apart”.
Next melt one stick of butter in a medium bowl. Add the minced garlic and about half of the fresh or dried parsley. Pull open the each cut and either brush or drizzle in some of the butter mixture.
Put a good pinch of grated mozzarella inside each cut.
Brush the top of the loaf with the last of the melted butter and sprinkle with more parsley.
Tent the bread lightly with foil. You want to keep the loaf from getting too brown, but you don’t want the cheese to stick.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to ooze out the sides.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
Cheesy Pull Apart French Bread
Ingredients
- 1 crusty loaf of bread
- 1 stick of salted butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh or dried parsley, divided
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 2 Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the load on the baking sheet.
- Step 3 Cut about 3/4 of the way through the loaf, keeping the loaf intact. Make cuts about an inch apart in one direction, then the other direction creating a diamond pattern.
- Step 4 Melt the butter and add the garlic and half the parsley.
- Step 5 Brush or drizzle the butter mixture into each cut.
- Step 6 Put a good pinch of mozzarella into each cut.
- Step 7 Brush the top of the loaf with the last of the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
- Step 8 Tent the loaf lightly with foil so that the top won’t over brown and the cheese won’t stick.
- Step 9 Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to ooze out the sides.
- Step 10 Let cook for 5 minutes.
