Last time, we spent a little time with a perfect potluck or tailgate dish of Pizza Dip and the whole time I was smiling to myself because I knew that I'd be sharing today's recipe. It's an absolutely fantastic accompaniment to that dip, as well as many other hot dips, pasta dishes, soups, stews, and more. I don't make it all the time, but when I do, there are smiles all around!
You can opt for granulated garlic instead of fresh garlic, but I think the fresh tastes better. You could use fresh herbs also (chopped very finely), but I often do not have them on hand and I find the dried works quite well. Any good melting cheese will work as well as mozzarella - I used that because of the aforementioned pizza dip.
Now, if you are taking this dish somewhere to share, the best method to use is baking it on site, but that isn't always an option. If you are taking it elsewhere and cannot bake it there. Follow the recipe and then when it's done, put the bread back into the foil and wrap the foil in a towel to help keep it warm and absorb any moisture that escapes. Unwrap it on site and serve as soon as possible. Even if it's not quite as toasty as it was, I can attest that this bread is amazing and downright fun to eat. Enjoy!
Pull Apart Cheesy Garlic Bread
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning or similar herb blend
- 1 crusty, unsliced loaf of bread
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or other melting cheese)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the butter and garlic; melt in the microwave. Stir in the Italian or similar herb blend; set aside.
Cut the bread along both sides to form approximate 1" squares, but do not cut all the way through the bread.
Use your fingers or a knife to pry open each crack in the bread and drizzle in a teaspoon or so of the butter mixture and stuff in some of the shredded cheese. Don't worry - this will be messy and that is entirely fine. Use all of the cheese and most of the butter mixture when completing this part. Adjust amounts to accomplish this.
Brush the surface of the bread with the remaining butter mixture.
Wrap the bread with foil and bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the cheese has mostly melted. Unwrap the bread and bake for 5-10 minutes more to help the bread develop a nice crunchy crust.
Serve warm.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 40 minutes