Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread (15-Minute Prep)

About the Taste

This pull-apart bread has the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth, ooey-gooey cheesy center. The savory roasted garlic butter and a hint of sweet honey soak into the pillowy brioche as it bakes. The sharp white cheddar and nutty parmesan melt together to give you the ultimate cheese pull. The inside is incredibly soft, while the outside develops a golden-brown crust.

Prep the Ingredients

Roasted garlic: You can roast the garlic up to four days in advance. Squeeze the cloves out and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge so they are ready to mash.

Parmesan: Grate this yourself instead of buying the pre-shredded bags. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starches that prevent it from melting smoothly which gives you that signature pull-apart texture. You can keep freshly grated parmesan in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Roasted garlic honey butter: Mix the roasted garlic, honey, and butter ahead of time. Keep it in the fridge, but make sure you pull it out an hour before assembly so it is soft enough to actually spread into the bread.

Fresh herbs: Wash and chop the chives and rosemary up to 24 hours ahead. Store them in the fridge wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel inside a sealed bag so they stay fresh.

Illustration of the text 'and that is it'

Ingredient Swaps

Brioche: Japanese milk bread is the closest swap for that signature pillowy texture. You can also use a French loaf, which is much easier to find, but the outside will be much crispier and the inside won’t be as buttery.

Sharp White Cheddar: Gruyère or Monterey Jack are great if you want to switch up the flavor.

Honey: If you aren’t into the sweet-and-savory vibe, swap this for red pepper flakes to give this brioche garlic bread a spicy, herby finish. Or just leave it out entirely.

Chives: Freshly minced parsley or finely minced scallions work perfectly as a swap.

Similar Recipes

Cheesy Ranch Bread: This herby, zesty bake uses a ranch butter and plenty of melted cheese.

Tomato Brown Butter Bread: Nutty tomato brown butter, grated gruyere, and parmigiano over sliced, toasted ciabatta.

French Onion Bread: This recipe spreads caramelized onion butter and grated gruyere and parmigiano on top of baguette halves and then bakes it till golden.

The Perfect Pairings

Grapefruit Elderflower Sour: A frothy Empress Gin cocktail shaken with a homemade dried elderflower and grapefruit syrup, fresh citrus, and egg whites for a silky foam. This is the perfect refreshing cocktail to eat with your savory pull-apart bread.

Pasta Alla Zozzona: This is a combination of the 4 Roman Pastas: Carbonara, Amatriciana, Cacio E Pepe and Gricia. It has spicy Italian sausage, crispy pancetta, and a pecorino egg yolk sauce.

Arugula Fennel Salad: Shaved fennel and peppery arugula tossed in a honey dijon dressing and topped with plenty of freshly shaved parmesan.

Pistachio Crème Brûlée: A velvety, no-torch yogurt crème made with labneh and nutty pistachio cream, finished with a glass-like stovetop caramel shell.

Cocktails

Grapefruit Elderflower Sour

Mains

Pasta Alla Zozzona

Sides

Arugula Fennel Salad

Desserts

Easy Pistachio Crème Brûlée (Yogurt-Based & No-Torch)

Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread FAQ

Can I use a regular French loaf instead of brioche?

You can use a French loaf or sourdough, but the result will be much crunchier and less pillowy. Brioche or Japanese milk bread will be what gives you that melt-in-your-mouth texture.

My loaf started to fall apart after I cut it, what should I do?

If you accidentally cut too deep and the bread is spreading open too much, it’s okay. Just wrap the foil tightly around the bottom and sides of the loaf before you bake it. This acts as a support system to hold the shape together while the cheese melts and keeps everything intact. Once it’s all baked the pull-apart bread will hold together no problem.

Can I use pre-grated parmesan cheese?

Skip the pre-shredded bags or the grated cheese in the green cans. Those are coated in fillers like cellulose to keep them from clumping, which means they won’t melt smoothly into the butter.

Nadia’s Tips

The Wooden Spoon Trick: Place the handles of two wooden spoons flat on the cutting board on either side of the bread. When you slice down, your knife will hit the wood, leaving a sturdy, half-inch bottom crust completely intact to hold the melted butter and cheese.

Tent with Foil: Brioche is an enriched dough so the top will burn before the insides can melt. Make sure you wrap the foil tightly around the bottom and sides of the loaf to hold it together and keep the butter from leaking out, but leave the top loosely tented. This allows the cheese to melt gently before exposing it to direct heat for the last few minutes.

Hosting Prep: You can fully assemble the pull-apart bread a few hours early and store it covered in the fridge. If you are doing this, either pull the loaf out 30 minutes beforehand to take the chill off, or add 5 to 10 extra minutes to your covered bake time so the center gets completely hot and gooey.