Cheesy Garlic Pesto Pull-Apart Bread

I have full on confession to make. I think I have eaten almost half of this loaf of pull apart bread all by myself. LOL! Bread-Cheese-Pesto-Butter-Garlic. <-Five out of the six best things known to man all stuffed inside on recipe. The last one is chocolate, in case you are wondering!! When it comes to food, I can practice self control all I want until garlic bread is involved. At that point, all rhyme or reason go flying out the door and a big hunk of garlic bread heads straight into my mouth. Fresh whole milk mozzarella cheese, tons of chopped garlic, fresh pesto, a little butter, and lots of fresh herbs all stuffed inside a country style loaf.

Not only is it fun to eat but it’s also easy to make. This pull apart bread recipe is super fun to make if you’ve got any little ones around. They can totally help stuff the mozzarella cheese into the cuts. Just a quick pesto garlic butter action stuffed inside diagonally cut bread and cheese it up and voila! This crack bread stuffed with cheese is possibly the coolest centerpiece to serve when you’ve got guests over. Also how perfect is this for when football season starts? I don’t think anyone would actually be watching the game if you serve this cheesy garlic pesto bread though. It’s truly the MVP.

I’m going to dare you to NOT eat this straight from the oven. Waiting to dig into this pull apart bread until after I had taken the pictures was hard, not gonna lie. When perfectly melted mozzarella is oozing out of crispy bread and roasted garlic pesto butter whispers your name, one can only practice so much self control. Let me cure your midweek blues, all you need is a little pull apart bread in your life.

Ingredients:

10 garlic cloves finely chopped

1/2 cup parsley finely chopped

2-3 tbsp frest pesto

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small loaf country or sour dough bread

2 tbsp butter

salt to taste

4 ounces deli sliced mozzarella cheese (or shredded) – you can use mixed cheeses too.. i like adding pepper jack cheese at times for the heat!

Method:

1. Combine the garlic cloves, parsley, and olive oil in a small food processor until the garlic breaks down into small pieces. If you’re using sliced mozzarella, stack the cheese slices and cut into 1 inch squares.
2. Heat the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. When the butter melts, add the chopped garlic mixture to the butter along with a pinch of salt and allow the mixture to cook for 2 minutes, stirring as necessary so the garlic does not brown. Remove from heat. Let it cool and add fresh pesto to it.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Using a sharp serrated knife, make 1 inch diagonal cuts across the loaf of bread making sure you don’t cut the bread all the way through. I have used both slices and shredded cheese to make it extra cheesy 
4. Use a spoon to drizzle the garlic butter into the the cuts of the bread. Stack 3-4 cheese squares and place them in the cuts. Place the garlic bread on a sheet of foil and fold up the sides. Use a second piece to cover the top (we’ll be removing this later). Allow the bread to bake for 10 minutes. Remove the top piece of foil and allow the bread to bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese melts completely. Serve warm.