Looking for a fun (and tasty!) bread recipe? Bake up a loaf of this Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread…and then have fun peeling off layer after layer of cheesy bread!
This Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
Did you know that cheddar cheese originated in the village of Cheddar, England? Cheddar is located about 3 hours west of London. (I don’t know about you, but Cheddar just landed a spot on my list of places to visit!) I absolutely love cheddar cheese, and I’ve always (always!) got at least 2-3 varieties of cheddar in the fridge. Like milk, eggs and flour, cheddar cheese is just one of those staple ingredients that I always keep in stock.
For me, I really enjoy a good sharp cheddar. Did you know that the sharpness of cheddar is entirely based on how long the cheese is aged? I was reading Cabot’s Cheese Making site recently, and I learned some really fascinating tidbits. All cheddar starts out the same way. Cow’s milk is heated to 162°F for exactly 16 seconds (talk about precision!), and then the milk is cooled to 88°F. At this point you’ve got pasteurized milk.
From there, a safe type of bacteria is added to the milk that starts the cheese-making process. As the cheese forms, the liquid (whey) is drained off and the solids (curds) are packed together under pressure to create blocks of cheese. After that, the only remaining variable is how long the cheese gets aged.
Cabot Cheddar Sharpness Scale (Photo credit: Cabot)
Cabot’s Mild Cheddar Cheese is only aged for 2-3 months while an extra sharp cheddar might be aged for 12 months or longer. Cabot also makes 1, 2 and 3 year aged cheddars. Last year, we opened a package of each and did a vertical tasting of all 3 cheeses. All three cheeses started with the same pasteurized milk, but the resulting flavor was fascinatingly different! If you ever get a chance to try different aged cheddars side-by-side, do it!
Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread
Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart BreadWhile those extra-long aged cheddars are quite tasty, today’s recipe uses a more common variety. Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese is one of their most iconic cheeses. I personally find Seriously Sharp to be great for both snacking and cooking. I almost always have an open package in the fridge, and I often go in for a nibble when I need an afternoon pick-me-up. I borrowed some of that Seriously Sharp from the fridge to make this Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread.
If this Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread looks familiar, it’s because I made a smaller version back last fall. I posted the recipe for these Cheesy Garlic Butterflake Rolls prior to Thanksgiving last year – those are one heck of a tasty dinner roll! That post was one of the most popular recipes on my blog throughout the holiday season, so I decided to keep that ball rolling as we head into the new year. This Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread is simply a larger version of the individual butterflake rolls.
Instead of baking this pull apart bread in muffin tins, you’ll need an 8″x4″ loaf pan for this one. However, the result when you bring this loaf to the table is the same! I’m not gonna lie – it’s just downright fun to peel layers of cheesy garlic bread off of the larger loaf here. Even Robbie, our 5-year-old son, got into the action here as he peeled away two pieces for his dinner. (Earlier in the day, Robbie helped me make the dough for this bread. If you have kids who like to help in the kitchen, then make sure to check out Cabot’s Cooking with Your Kids series!)
Like many cheesy recipes, you can alternate or combine different types of cheese to change the flavor of this pull-apart bread. I personally love this bread with Seriously Sharp cheddar, but I could see using half Seriously Sharp and half Habanero Cheddar for a spicy kick. Or perhaps a bit of Horseradish Cheddar instead? That would be fun! No matter which flavors of cheddar you use, I hope you enjoy this pull-apart bread as much as we do. Happy baking!
Did you bake a loaf of this Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) and Cabot (@CabotCheese) on Instagram – we’d love to see your version!
Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread
Ingredients
For Bread
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 5 tsp sugar
- 1¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp milk warm
- 1 large egg yolk
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
For Cheesy Garlic Filling
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1½ tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 6 oz. Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded (~1½ cups)
Instructions
For Bread
- Using a countertop mixer, add all ingredients for the bread (flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk, egg yolk and butter).
- Mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing for 3-4 more minutes.
- Transfer dough into a large oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm (85°F) location for 60-75 minutes, or until dough has almost doubled in size. (Tip: I typically let my dough rise in the oven. The oven light is turned on, but the oven itself is off.)
For the Cheesy Garlic Filling
- Spray an 8”x4” bread pan with nonstick baking spray; set pan aside.
- Using a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning and kosher salt.
- Roll dough into a 12” x 18” rectangle.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough lengthwise into 4 equal strips.
- Cut each strip widthwise into 5 pieces. (At this point, you should have (20) smaller rectangles of dough.)
- Spread pieces of dough out onto a floured surface. Brush tops of dough with melted butter mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of dough.
- Stack several pieces of dough on top of each other. Turn stack on its side and place in greased pan. Repeat process with remaining pieces of dough.
- Spray top of dough with baking spray and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Place pan in a warm location for 80-90 minutes, or until dough has risen about ½-1” over the top of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until top of bread is golden brown in color. (Note: Check bread after about 25 minutes. If necessary, lay a piece of foil on top to prevent top of bread from burning.)
Looking for more tasty cheesy recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Howdy David! I got to say I’ve been absent for several weeks, but I’m sure happy to see you can still cheese it up. A yummy looking pull-apart bread and one I’d love to dip in mustard…
Hey there, Ron! Glad to see you’re back up and running again. (Well, maybe not running, but you know what I mean!) We’re cheesing it up here for sure lately, and this pull-apart bread is a winner. The mustard? Intriguing, but I can see how it would work. Next time…next time…
This is something I want right out of the oven, with the cheese warm and melting! Yum. 🙂 ~Valentina
Oh man, the hardest part was waiting for this bread to cool off so we could start pulling off the layers. It was so fun to eat – not to mention delicious! Thanks, Valentina!
This sounds really amazing, whats not to like in this one. Garlic, cheese and a nice bread, this is a surefire dining table winner
Yeah, this one is packed with all things good – you can’t beat a good cheesy, garlic bread. Comfort food at its best! 🙂
i enjoy a really mature or Vintage cheddar. the tangier the better. not that i’m a huge cheese eater but i find the more mature the better for my (kinda) lactose intolerant stomach. this sounds fabulous david! you must visit cheddar gorge some day.
Oh, Cheddar Gorge sounds awesome – I just googled pictures of it. (I just wish the fields were covered in cheddar cheese – haha. Just kidding!) I’m with ya on the more mature cheddars. I guess it depends on my mood, though, as sometimes I enjoy a good mild cheddar just for snacking. Either way, this bread turned out really well. Cheesy, garlicky and delicious. Thanks, Sherry!
Oh my goodness, this is my kind of bread! I love cheddar – well really any cheese – and garlic! Yes, please!!! I love pull apart breads because they really are fun to eat, but the softness and flavor between each layer is amazing. I can’t wait to get baking…and oh, I’m adding Cheddar England to my list of visit too…one day!
*high-five* for cheesy, garlic bread! I’m with you here, Kathy. I love garlic bread, and adding cheese to it? Yes, please! The pull-apart is a really fun way to make this one, too. Also, if you go to Cheddar before me, will you get me a shirt that says, “Someone I know went to Cheddar and all I got was this lousy t-shirt?” Haha!!
Oh I love a good sharp cheddar and I am a fan of Cabot. I am definitely making this. I just picked up on a genius tip in this recipe—spray the top of the bread instead of the plastic wrap (which is clunky and gets spray everywhere)! I make bread fairly often, and I have NEVER thought of that! I do have a question. I typically weigh my bread ingredients for more consistent results. Can you tell me how you volume measure your flour (scoop and level or fluff-spoon-level, etc)? I have found that how you measure can affect the end result (and people do it differently), so just want to be on the same page as your recipe. 🙂
Yes! That’s one of my favorite tricks for making bread dough, too, Kim. I always hated how the plastic wrap (evenly lightly covered) would end up sticking to the bread dough and then deflating it. The spray makes a world of difference!
So I 110% agree with you about measuring ingredients. I prefer that method, too. However, I think we’re in the minority here in the States, so that’s why I publish recipes with volume instead. With that said, I use King Arthur’s ingredient – weight chart quite often: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart Oh, and I use the scoop and level method when measuring. I hope this helps!
Finally, cheese. Cheddar cheese. YUM! 🙂
David, I love your butterflake rolls! In fact, I made them for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I’m sure I’d love a cheesy, garlicy version. I also love the way you laid them out in a bread pan. They look fantastic.
Ah, I thought I remember you really enjoying the butterflake rolls, Jeff. They are one of my favorites! As noted in the post, I got to wondering what would happen if I used a bread pan instead of a muffin pan. Well this is the answer, and it’s glorious! 🙂
Add another to the game day eats roster! This cheesy garlic bread would be totally up my husband’s alley! Love how it’s made in a bread pan too 🙂
Oh, the gameday eats are coming fast and furious around here, Michelle! I mean the game is a good excuse, but really it’s just cold, snowy and dreary outside – that means comfort food is a requirement! 🙂 Thanks so much!
I’m a sucker for pull apart breads, both sweet and savory. This beautiful, cheesy loaf is the perfect side for soup season and game days!
I’m a sucker for all things bread, and if you add cheese and garlic? Well count me in!! Thanks so much, Marissa. And, yes, this would be a great loaf to serve alongside a bowl of homemade soup. Yum!
Nothing like a good sharp (or extra-sharp!) Cheddar! One of my all-time favorites, too! This bread sounds amazingly delicious! I love the simple dough, too! And you know, anything with cheese and garlic is a total winner in my book! thanks for the recipe, David!
I’m with ya, Laura! I love sharp cheddar cheese. We almost always have a bar open in the fridge, and I’ll slice off a little piece with lunch or as a snack. But then baking with it? That takes it to a new level! This cheddar garlic bread is a fun gameday appetizer, or as Marissa pointed out, it would be great served with a bowl of homemade soup. Brr…it’s cold out there. We need homemade bread and soup! 🙂
How fun is pull apart bread! It’s definitely something I don’t make enough of but it would be so popular with my kids, especially when it’s this cheesy! What a fabulous baking idea for the weekend, thanks David!
You should totally try your hand at pull-apart bread, Katerina! It takes a bit more time in the prepping stage, but it’s not too bad overall. And then the kids have a blast pulling off the layers! 🙂
You are killing it with the bread recipes! This sounds so delicious and added bonus that I can just attack this savagely and not worry about needing a knife! BTW, I’m so looking forward to your post about your trip to Cheddar, England!
I do love making homemade bread – there is just something so rewarding about it. And I’m not even referring to the taste! Of course, the taste here was amazing thanks to the garlic and cheddar cheese. 🙂 Stay tuned about my (hopeful) trip to Cheddar. I need a t-shirt from there. Haha!
That’s a lovely cheesy garlic sharing bread there David. That wouldn’t last long in our household and there’s just 2 of us (although our cat has been known to try just about any kind of food too. Ha ha!).
Hey, there’s only 3 of us here – maybe 2.5 would be more accurate, and I can say with certainty that this bread didn’t last long here either. The cheese + garlic is a great combination, and the pull-apart just makes it fun to serve! Thanks, Neil!