Cheesy Pull Apart Garlic Bread with Bacon Butter is a game changer. Bursting with flavor, this easy recipe comes together in no time and all your need is just a handful of ingredients.
This recipe is a great appetizer for holidays, BBQs, potlucks, and when watching the big game! Along with some smoked queso, buffalo chicken dip, and bacon wrapped dates, this cheesy garlic bread is amazing!
What makes this recipe unique is the Good Rancher’s Bacon Butter.
This bacon butter is so flavorful and comes ready made with their new Game Day Box. If you want to get your own box, check it out here and use code JOY at checkout for $30 off!
What you need for cheesy pull apart bread?
Bread: I like to use a large round sourdough loaf, but my easy no knead artisan loaf works well too!
*Bacon Butter: This comes premade from Good Ranchers, and is technically a bacon jam. It packed with flavor, slightly sweet, and amazing on all kinds of things! Feel free to also substitute regular butter if that’s all you have- it’s still delicious!
Butter: Just a little extra butter to help thin out the bacon butter.
Garlic: Just a few cloves minced. I like to use this tool to easily mince garlic! (amazon affiliate link)
Red Pepper Flakes: These give just a little heat and I love it! But if you want to skip this, feel free!
Cheese: A couple handfuls of shredded mozzarella melts perfectly on the bread, but you can use any other of your favorite melting cheeses too!
Garnish: I love adding a sprinkle of chopped parsley both for the pop of color and the fresh flavor. Feel free to skip this or use another herb of your choice; thyme, oregano or rosemary would also be delicious!
If you want more game day recipes make sure to check out my buffalo caramel corn, chicken lollipops, and the best ribeye or tri tip ever!
Bacon Butter Jam
Good Rancher’s sent me their new tasty Game Day box and with it came this amazing Bacon Butter. This tasty concoction is actually more of a slightly sweet, super delicious, bacon jam.
It’s great on burgers, toast, and I recently shared these crispy potatoes where I dollop spoonfuls of the Bacon Butter Jam on them to create one of the tastiest side dishes ever!
I have worked with Good Ranchers for a long time now and have always loved their high-quality beef, chicken, fish, pork, and bacon! They give back to the community with every box purchased and are committed to helping American Ranchers!
I’ve shared numerous recipes like shake and bake chicken, steak pasta, scallops, grilled nuggets, Wagyu burgers, quesadillas, apple bacon pancakes, and so much more using their meats. I love the flavor and quality of all of their products!
How to make Cheesy Pull Apart Bread:
- Melt the bacon butter, regular butter, and stir in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Cut your bread into large diamonds, making sure not to cut all the way through the bottom. Keep the slices/diamonds large, around ~1inch.
- Spoon the butter mixture into the all the cuts. Then place a pinch of cheese into each cut.
- Wrap the bread in foil and bake until the cheese is melted.
- Then remove bread from foil, place on a baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes (watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn!) until the cheese is browning.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley, and enjoy!
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How to cut the bread?
I like to cut slices about ~1inch thick, then turn the bread 45° and cut more slices ~1inch thick. This will form large diamonds.
How big a loaf of bread should you use?
For the recipe and images shown in this post I used a large round of sourdough ~10 inches in diameter. I have used a medium sized round ~6 inches in diameter but reduced the amount of butter sauce and cheese used.
How to stuff with cheese?
This can be a bit tricky and messy. I like to gently push a large knife through each cut to help push the cheese down.
When I do this, I am not cutting the bread, just using the knife as something thin to fit in between each cut and push the cheese down.
If you like gadgets like me check out this awesome garlic twister. Super easy to use and surprisingly easy to clean, plus you can use it on herbs and ginger too! (amazon affiliate link)
How to store leftover cheesy bread?
Store bread in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
How to reheat cheesy bread?
Wrap in foil and heat in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes or heated through.
Variations and Substitutions
Butter: If you don’t have bacon butter, you can use regular butter or herb butter!
Pesto: Use pesto instead of bacon butter for a delicious flavor swap.
Herbs: Sprinkle the bread after baking with fresh thyme, oregano, or rosemary.
Pizza: Stuff chopped slices of pepperoni or salami, some diced olives, or even some tasty green chile in the cuts!
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out all my other tasty side dishes like spinach dip, artichoke dip, coleslaw, and deviled eggs (smoked, regular, or jalapeno!)
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Cheesy Pull Apart Garlic Bread with Bacon Butter
Ingredients
- 1 large crusty loaf like sourdough or artisan bread*
- 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, amount varies based on size of bread
Butter Sauce
- 2 tbs butter
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- ¾ cup Good Rancher’s Bacon Butter*
- 1 tbs parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, stir together bacon butter, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes until melted. You can also microwave the butter in a microwave safe dish until melted and then stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes.2 tbs butter, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes., ¾ cup Good Rancher’s Bacon Butter*
- Cut your bread. Slice the bread all the way to the bottom of the loaf BUT not through the bottom. Cut ~1-inch-thick slices then rotate the bread 45° and repeat 1-inch slices to form diamonds.1 large crusty loaf
- Spoon butter sauce into each cut of the bread and stuff with a pinch of cheese. I like to gently hold the loaf with one hand, letting gravity pull the remaining part of the loaf down, opening up a cut so I can add the butter or cheese.1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
- If it’s difficult to neatly place the cheese in the cuts, take a large knife and gently press the blade into each cut. This is just to push the cheese down and not to cut the bread.
- Wrap bread with foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- After 30 minutes, remove foil, and place bread on a baking sheet. Turn oven to High Broil and broil for 2 minutes, until the cheese is starting to brown. Make sure to watch the bread closely so it doesn’t burn!
- Once browned, remove from oven, allow to cool enough to handle, then enjoy!1 tbs parsley
Notes
- Size of Bread: This recipe works well with a large loaf of bread. However, large is vague description. Depending on the type of bread, how it was shaped, and how it was baked you can have any variety of size of bread. For this recipe I used a round of bread that was 10 inches in diameter. I’ve used bread that was ~6 inches and thus reduced the recipe by ¼ and was pleased with the results (½ cup bacon butter, 1 tbs butter, 2 cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon pepper flakes, and 1 cup of cheese).
- Amounts: The amounts of butter and cheese can vary depending on how large a loaf of bread you use. You want the butter to get in all the cuts and to stuff a good amount of cheese into each cut as well.
- Bacon Butter: Good Rancher’s Bacon Butter is a sweet bacon jam that melts and mixes nicely with regular butter. If you don’t have bacon butter, substitute with regular salted butter.
- Nutrition info will vary based on the size of your bread loaf and how much cheese, butter, and bacon jam you use.
Lisa says
Love this recipe!