This Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread is EPIC! “Crack bread” is an appropriate name for this because it’s garlic bread – on crack…..
It’s basically a cheesy garlic bread, but so much more fun AND delicious! Cheese, garlic and bread – in pull apart bread form. You can’t go wrong. Guaranteed to be the most popular thing at any gathering you take it to!
A CHEESY PULL APART GARLIC BREAD
“You will never be able to look at garlic bread the same again….”
If you haven’t tried this Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread before, let me warn you now: garlic bread will never be the same again. It’s like a pull apart bread, but tastes like garlic bread plus you have the mozzarella cheese which stretches wonderfully as you pull bits off.
This is INSANELY delicious. I especially love the way the bread is cut into diamond shapes so you can tear bite size pieces off. Every piece is garlicky and buttery and oh-so-cheesy…….
“Kids go NUTS over this…. and adults turn INTO kids when they get stuck into this!!”
This is one the kids go NUTS over, don’t say I didn’t warn you! And grown ups turn into little kids when they get stuck into this. I made this for a dinner and let me tell you, it took 5 hands about 30 seconds to demolish this!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHEESY BREAD IN THE WORLD!
Best bread – The best bread to use for Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread is crusty sourdough or another dense type of bread, but it works well with plain crusty loaves as well.
The reason it works better with sourdough is because the bread is denser so the bread tends to hold together better when you pull bits off. But believe me, there is no compromise on flavour if you use other types of bread! In fact, in the photo I chose to use a crusty Vienna loaf because it was on special.
Best cheese – I really recommend using mozzarella cheese for this, you want it to stretch and pull when you tear the pieces off.
Other flavourings – I kept the flavours quite simple, going for a garlic bread with cheese, but you can go really wild with the flavours for this! Ranch dressing, kick of chilli, other herbs – the possibilities are endless!
When it comes out of the oven, it’s all golden, crusty and buttery on the inside and you know that’s just the start of the eating experience that’s about to commence….
….then the devouring begins…. that cheesy pull! That buttery, garlicky bread!! And yet, and yet, there’s even more to come….
THE BASE IS THE BEST BIT!!
Everybody goes so nuts over the cheese bits that you pull out, but my favourite part is the base of the bread. All the butter and cheese drips to the bottom and it bakes so nice and crispy…..
PULL APART BREAD for parties!
This is a great centrepiece for a dinner that could just be accompanied by a fresh salad to make a complete meal. Or as a fabulous appetiser or party food – think game day!
It’s by far the most requested party food by my family and friends. I usually make it at home then take it to the venue and bake it there. The best way to make ahead is to use softened butter instead of melted butter and slather it into the cracks, then stuff with cheese. Wrap and bake before serving.
But you can even bake it in advance then reheat quickly in the microwave as long as you use a crusty sourdough. The crust gets so crusty when you bake it, it stays crusty even if you reheat it in the microwave.
Go forth and enjoy! Make this cheesy garlic bread once, and you’ll be asked to make it again and again and again…. – Nagi x
CHEESE and GARLIC CRACK BREAD
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread (Pull Apart Bread)
Ingredients
- 1 crusty loaf , preferably sourdough or Vienna
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (or other melting cheese)
Garlic Butter
- 100 g / 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter , softened
- 2 large garlic cloves , minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Combine butter, garlic and salt in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave. Stir through parsley.
- Cut the bread on a diagonal into 2cm/1″ diamonds but do not cut all the way through the bread.
- Use your fingers or a knife to pry open each crack and drizzle in a teaspoon of butter and stuff in a pinch of cheese. This might sound like a bit of an effort, but I promise you it is worth it! You don’t need to be super neat, it’s nice to have some of the butter drizzled over the crust.
- Brush surface with remaining butter.
- Wrap with foil and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese has mostly melted, then unwrap and bake for 5 – 10 minutes more to make the bread nice and crusty.
- Serve immediately. (See note 1 for best make ahead methods)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Yesterday, today, tomorrow… #HardLifeOfDozer
Hi! I haven’t tried to make this yet, but I’m planning on making it some time this week as a side dish, do you have any recomendations of what main meal to serve with it?
Hi Keira! Well to be honest, I have only served this up as a snack / party food. But if I were to serve it as a side, I think it would go well with something relatively plain because this is quite rich and loaded with flavour!! Like a plain soup. Pumpkin, cauliflower, or any other creamy soup would go especially well (I have both those on my site) Or fish piccata! I have a recipe on my site. It’s so easy to make and pretty fresh. You could leave out the potatoes and have this bread on the side instead!
Or keep it simple by sprinkling some chicken with some seasoning (lemon pepper, all purpose seasonings) and pan fry, serve with a side of plain steamed veggies.
Hope that helps! – Nagi
This looks delicious and i have to cook a recipe for my class. But its suppose to be around Shakespeares time. When i typed it in this recipe popped up. Would this be an updated version of the bread and garlic they would have ate back then? If you could please get back with me that would be great 🙂
Hi Taylor! I’m sorry, I can’t tell you for sure but I can say that around that time, both bread AND cheese were a staple! You certainly don’t need any modern equipment to make this so they could have made it in a wood fired oven 🙂
Meant *for*
My friend and I made this gir last night’s fight party. It was AWESOME! I wish I could attach the picture for y’all.
YAY!!! This is PERFECT for a girl’s night!! Fight party or otherwise! 😉 So glad you enjoyed it, thank you very much for coming back to share your feedback! N x
Nagi, I make a very similar loaf. The only difference is I usually score the loaf diagonally the same way. Then I put the
garlic, butter, and cheese in. Then I cut diagonally the other way. When I have finished, I shave some parm on top. Delicious!
Hi Carol! I do that sometimes too 🙂 It’s faster, except you don’t get quite as much cheese “the other way”. But it’s definitely a great shortcut I do when I’m in a rush!!
I can hardly wait to try this bread! I have a dense loaf in the freezer that is just .waiting for the opportunity. It will be awesome
You will LOVE it!! I haven’t heard a negative comment yet!! 🙂
I stumbled across this recipe yesterday and decided to make it for some friends. It was a big hit for adults and kids.
That’s wonderful to hear Sue! I am so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for coming back to share your feedback!! 🙂
This was SO easy to make and so incredibly delicious! We used a french loaf since that’s what the grocery had and of COURSE had to stick with the fresh garlic for the garlic butter. Saving this recipe for sure – sounds like it will be a crowd pleaser!
I’m so gad you enjoyed it!! It’s insanely good, isn’t it? And YES it is definitely a crowd pleaser!! 🙂
You’re right. This bread is as addictive as crack. We keep looking for entrees we can make that need garlic bread as a side dish just so we have an excuse to make this. My daughter loves it. I may have to start making two loaves at a time. It disappears so fast. The only thing that stops me is the fear that we will all get too fat to walk. We could eat this every day and not get tired of it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I giggled out loud at the thought of you designing menus around this bread!! It’s ridiculously addictive, isn’t it? I probably should not tell you this because it is a dangerous thing for you to know….but what I do is assemble then freeze them….then just thaw and pop in the oven (actually, you can even bake from frozen, just takes longer). The only reason I can fit through my front door still is because my freezer is not that big so I can only have a couple in there at a time 🙂 Thanks for your message! (And the early morning laugh – it’s 7.30am here in Sydney!)
I live in a small town and neither of the grocery stores carry crusty sourdough (or ANY crusty bread, actually) so I went with a Tuscan bread bowl. It’s harder on the outside than french or italian and it’s quite dense. I followed your directions on cutting, buttering and cheesing it up. It came out pretty good. My son and I both ate quite a few pieces but agreed that on sourdough, it would most likely be MUCH better.
Definitely going to try this again when I find the right bread. 🙂
Hi Alice!! Yes, using sourdough does make a difference 🙂 Though super yum still, using other breads! I’ve made this with Italian loaves before and it’s absolutely scrumptious! 🙂
Hi Nagi,
If I use garlic powder instead, how much should I put to compensate for the equivalent of the minced galic?
Best,
Tony
Hi Nagi
Thank you for your reply. I’ll try your recipe and get back to you.
Hi Tony! The rule of thumb I learned was 1/8 tsp of garlic powder for every clove of garlic. So as this recipe calls for 2 garlic cloves, that means 1/4 tsp of garlic powder. Garlic powder is much more intense than garlic cloves which is why it is so much less. Best thing to do, I suggest, is to dip your finger in after mixing in the garlic powder and adjust to your taste! 🙂
Hi!
This sounds amazing!
I just have a silly question, do you have to use bake-off bread or just regular ‘ready to eat’ bread?
Thanks for this recipe! I’m gonna try it out tomorrow for a party 🙂
Hi Ellen! It’s made with regular ready to eat bread. So it’s really simple to make!! Have fun at your party! This bread will steal the show 😉
Wow, does this look D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S !!! We are throwing a party for my dad’s 70th birthday and making more of an Italian theme next weekend. We’re making chicken cutlet parm, penne pasta with pesto, salad, meatballs & rice, BBQ chicken, veggies, red wine, and adding the garlic bread onto our menu. I will make 2! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Mouth is already watering as we speak! LOL Also making him his favorite cake, coconut custard. Thanks so much for sharing!
WOW – that sounds like some party! Your dad is one lucky guy 🙂 I hope the crack bread does the occasion justice!! Thank you for sharing. And meatballs….hmmmm….you have given me an idea, I haven’t shared meatballs yet! Happy birthday to your dad!!
I couldn’t find any sourdough or vienna bread. Went to a few places. 🙁 Can I make this with Italian bread?
Hi Sharlene – yes! I have made it with Vienna before. Just get the most dense bread you can find – you can tell a bread is dense by the weight (the heavier, the denser it is) 🙂
Hi, Nagi. I just made it with the Italian bread and everyone went wild, including my daughter and my dad (guest of honor)! Thank so much for the recipe! I will be making this time and time again! It was fantastic! 😉
Hi Sharlene – thanks so much for coming back to share your thoughts!! And I am especially glad your father enjoyed it 🙂 Approval from the Guest of Honour – very happy!!
This is fabulous!!! I made this last night for a quick appetizer and it was gone in a flash!!! Everyone loved it. I used Italian loaf because the store didn’t have the sourdough and it was great. Definately making this tomorrow and more of them because 1 is just not enough. I used marinara sauce for dipping.. Great Idea Thank you very much!!!!
Ooh, having marinara sauce on the side is a good idea! You get the flavour but you don’t have to worry about stuffing it in the cracks! SO glad you enjoyed this Agnes!! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
NAGI!! I pinned this and so did 63 other people before I even got to make it. You’re popular, girl.
I’m so happy I found you on Pinterest! I made this with an Italian grilled cheese: http://anightowlblog.com/2013/09/italian-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html/
I got my hands dirty stuffing each crack (hehe) also because I used garlic butter I got from a pizza place and that was a little thick. It was just hubby and me so there were leftovers, but man did we eat this stuff up!
I have added it to my “Dinner rotation” Pinterest board. I make a side dish and a main dish once a week from that board. This is a dish I will be making quite often, a staple in our home! Thanks for the great dish, Nagi! =)
Thanks Kat! So glad you enjoyed it!! Leftovers keep great for a couple of days in the fridge, or even in the freezer! AND if you baked it enough so it had a thick crust, then you can even microwave it to reheat and it stays crunchy! Popping over to check out that Italian grilled cheese – sounds like something right up my alley! Thank you for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Can this be made with bread other than sOUR Dough?
Hi Diane! Absolutely, it sure can. You can make it with any bread but I do recommend using a dense bread with a nice thick crust because the pieces hold together much better when you pull the pieces out. You can tell if a bread is “dense” simply by tapping the crust and also by weight – dense breads are distinctly heavier than the standard sandwich breads!
Could i make my own bread and then add everything into it? I am doing a school project that requires me to make my own bread and modify it. Thx btw.
Hi Iven! This would be so wonderful with homemade bread! 🙂 The only thing I would say is that it is best made with crusty, dense breads, like sourdough and crusty vienna loafs. With lighter loafs of bread, what can happen is that the pieces break when you pull them out. At least, that is what I found when I made this using cheap bread from my supermarket. 🙂 Love to hear how yours turns out!!
Hello, i have no oven, but I do have a microwave. How well would it work doing all of it in the microwave ??
I am looking forward to having it for Sunday’s dinner. My menfolk Love Garlic Bread like crazy !! I am sending
this recipe to all in my Facebook account. Thank you for a different way to do a yummy recipe.
Hello Jean! If you get a really REALLY crusty loaf – like a very dense sourdough – then I think you will be able to make it in the microwave. But I think you need to make the following changes to the recipe: melt the butter and garlic in a small saucepan rather than in the microwave, and let the garlic cook in the butter for a minute or two (on low heat, don’t let it brown). Then microwave the crack bread on high for the minimum amount of time you can, just until the cheese is melted (to keep the bread as crusty as possible). If you don’t cook the garlic, I think it would be too raw, that’s why I think that step needs to be changed too. I hope it works!! Love to hear what you think 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe with your friends!
How can I make the garlic crack bread for a pot luck at work with just a microwave to heat it up? I need suggestions!!! Thank you
Hi Peggy! It actually microwaves GREAT! I was surprised. You need to bake it so it gets nice and crusty, so give it a few extra minutes without the foil on. And if it’s really crusty, then even if you microwave it to reheat it, it stays crusty!
This bread is amazing! My parents made it for Christmas. I couldn’t get enough!
I can’t get enough of it either! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!