The best cheesy garlic pull apart bread recipe since freshly baked bread. Super easy garlic cheese bread appetizer that is guaranteed to knock your socks off Italian style!
Garlic Pull Apart Cheese Bread: Food Style: Florentina | Photos by: MihaMatei.com
Just in case you might be looking for the ultimate Italian cheesy garlic pull apart bread recipe to indulge with this weekend, mama’s got you covered. I even made us a Video!
As the self proclaimed queen of garlic bruschetta, crostini and pizza, I just could not avoid the subject of a gooey cheesy garlic bread, to pass down to all future generations you know ? 😉
The best bread for this project is a round crusty Italian loaf, whole wheat or sourdough, the crustier the better. Please I beg you: no fluffy wanna be crust sort of bread. If it crackles in your hands when you squeeze it, that is the right bread. No cutting corners on the bread, okay kids?
Let’s talk about that cheese, because that is the glue that holds it all together!
I splurged a couple of dollars on a block of Italian fontina cheese. Because unlike mozzarella, fontina cheese has flavor, lots of creamy soft flavor that will send your taste buds to cloud 9!
However, If you don’t find fontina cheese for some reason here are a few good melting cheese alternatives you can use in this recipe, with fontina being my top choice of course. If you love mozzarella I’d still suggest using a smoked kind, with layers of nice smoky flavors.
The best melting organic cheese for your cheesy garlic pull apart bread:
- Fontina
- Smoked Mozzarella
- Provolone
- Pepper Jack
- Gruyere
- Scamorza
- Taleggio
Very Important: DO NOT melt the butter!
You must use softened butter at room temperature to smear a thin layer on each slice of the bread, otherwise your bread might end up too soggy and not hold together. Trust me, that is not what you want from the best Italian cheesy garlic pull apart bread on the planet right ?!
You’ll notice I added some red pepper flakes for a nice kick. If you are serving this to kids I would suggest you leave them out unless you know they just love a little bit of spice.
Last but not least: Garlic! Adjust the garlic to your taste and tolerance. If you have a sensitive stomach I’d say stick to one small clove, but don’t leave it out of the recipe completely.
After all, you can’t have Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread without the garlic or the cheese!
The best Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread Recipe since freshly baked bread. Super easy cheese bread appetizer that is guaranteed to knock your socks off Italian style!
- 1 loaf (10 oz) Italian Crusty bread loaf or sourdough round
- 8 oz fontina cheese
- 2.5 tbsp butter salted at room temperature
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1/4 c Italian parsley roughly chopped
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- a pinch of sea salt
- leaves Parsley for garnish
- Preheat your oven to 375”F
- in a small bowl whisk together the soft butter with the grated garlic, red pepper flakes, sea salt and 1/4 c of the chopped parsley.
- Using a bread serrated knife cut 1 inch slices into the bread, making sure NOT to cut all the way through the bottom. It needs to fan out much like an accordion, with the bottom intact.
- Use a butter knife and spread a thin layer of the butter mixture on each slice of the bread.
Use the serrated knife again and cut across to form 1 inch squares. Very careful again so you DO NOT cut through the bottom of the bread.
- Slice up the cheese into small thin slices, similar size to the square size of the bread. Try and stuff one slice of each in each bread opening. Don’t worry, it is super quick process, less than 3 minutes.
Place the cheese bread on a baking sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake the garlic cheese bread in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or so. Remove the foil and turn up the heat to 400”F . Bake a few more minutes until the top is nicely golden and crusty with the cheese oozing from the sides.
- Serve straight out of the oven sprinkled with the fresh parsley leaves.
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What else can I say other than that looks amazingly delicious and I am now very hungry for bread and cheese and garlic. Seriously! I can barely form words that looks so good.
awww thank you so much, it’s all about that cheese just showing off;)
Yasssssss! Give me all the cheesy garlic bread! OMG this sounds so good.
I know the feeling garlic and cheese and bread gives you lol
That just fills me full of aaallllll the foodie feels. This is the best possible version of garlic cheese bread.
Oh Jennifer, i have to agree with you on that, when i make this all my guests act like it is the finest steak lol. Bread + cheese+ garlic = MAGIC !
SOOO Wish I saw this, this past weekend! I made garlic bread, but I forgot about the cheese! That would have been even better!
Oh yes, you need to try it this way, I promise you, this garlic cheese bread is everything ! ~ Florentina Xo’s
That looks amazing. I was expecting more of a cheesy biskit kind of texture, but that looks like bread stuffed with cheese. Incredible.
That cheesy garlic bread does look like heaven. I’d probably skip the rest of the meal & just five into that!
Haha You and me both !
This looks so good! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love garlic cheese bread!
This is the most delicious looking cheese bread I’ve ever seen! Totally making this to go with pizza night!
Thanks so much Meagan, please report back ~ Florentina Xo’s
Oh my goodness, I tell you, I am a carb-freak and this looks amazing. I try to make bread every night for dinner and the family would love this. Thanks so much for sharing. It looks delicious.
Me too ! ca no resist a cheesy bread, i could live on this alone !
This looks heavenly!! Cheese and bread is the perfect combination, I need to make these I know my family will devour it!
I’m having pasta tomorrow, with company over, and I’m DEFINITELY making this to go with it! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Awesome, can i come over ? lol I bring good Vino !
That looks so good. It would be the perfect addition to our spaghetti night!
Look at all that cheese! That sure does look amazing! I will have to try your recipe. I’m sure it will disappear in no time flat.
My sister would “eat this up” . She would make it for the 10 million parties she has every year. Easy break away appetizers like this are her favorite and this one looks delicious.
Lee
I can not wait to try this recipe. It looks so delicious and easy to make. My kids are going to love it.
I will have to get the ingredients i need to make this garlic bread on the weekend. It looks so delicious. It will go perfectly with my spaghetti.
I love how cheesy and delicious this looks! Your photos came out amazing!
thank you 🙂 The cheesy garlic bread tastes better than the photos, i’m craving this too much now lol
Ohhh that looks delicious. I would probably have to make sure we have pasta or something else with it to keep me from eating the entire thing.
haha, i just know now this is my dinner, i’m not fooling anyone lol
I am a sucker for garlic bread and if you add cheese? I am sold. I must try to make this as it looks super delicious!
that looks heavenly! And pepper jack is one of my all time favorite cheeses!
I’ve always wanted to try a pull apart. I just never had a good recipe. NOW this one. I am trying this one!
oh yes, this is it Nancy, i’ve tried it different ways before and this is by far the best cheesy garlic bread ever. Let me know how it turns out ~ Florentina
I really need this bread in my life! I love the way it looks and I bet it tastes amazing!
After trying a lot of other garlic bread recipes online I have to say this is the one to keep. The tip of not melting the butter is priceless, your bread will hold together while having that perfect cheesy garlic butter flavor. Next time we have to make 2.
That’s So Awesome ! 🙂
This bread looks delicious. My husband would love it.
This is the ideal entertaining recipe!
I have to agree, cheese and garlic bread wins every time !
Oh my goodness, I’m totally drooling over this gorgeous loaf! Stunning photos too. I want to rip into it right now 😀
This looks absolutely delicious Florentina…all that cheesy goodness! Yum 🙂
Gooey Cheese makes the world go around 😉
i love it
thank you Sara!