Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.If you’re a sourdough baker and you need the perfect appetizer for game day or just a fun gathering, you’ve got to make this cheesy pull apart sourdough bread. This recipe is so easy and so super delicious. Ooey, gooey, full of melty cheese, herbs and butter, this cheesy pull apart sourdough bread is a crowd favorite. Use a loaf of sourdough bread you’ve already made, cut it into sections, stuff it full of cheese, melted butter & herbs, then bake it up and serve. It’s so simple. It’s so delicious. You are going to love this easy cheesy pull apart bread!
Ingredients in Cheesy Sourdough Pull Apart Bread
- 1 loaf sourdough artisan bread: This recipe starts with a loaf of pre-made sourdough artisan bread. Use your favorite recipe and make sure your bread has cooled completely before slicing and filling.
- Unsalted Butter: I always bake with unsalted butter. It gives me more control over the flavor of my baked goods. If you choose to use salted butter, decrease the salt a little bit in the recipe.
- Salt: Adjust the salt to your liking. I always start with a small amount because the parmesan adds a salty flavor to the bread as well.
- Oregano: This is one of my favorite dried herbs. Dried or fresh parsley would also work well. I recommend using it or choosing a favorite herb. You can use a few Tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs in place of the dried herbs if desired.
- Garlic Powder: I have tried this recipe with freshly pressed garlic and garlic powder. I prefer the flavor of garlic throughout the loaf you get with the garlic powder, BUT if you want the freshly pressed garlic, you can substitute 2-3 cloves for the garlic powder.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Mozzarella cheese melts stringy and delicious. It’s mild in flavor, letting all the other flavors of this pull apart bread shine. One piece of advice, use freshly grated mozzarella. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking agent on it which makes it difficult to melt together. If you want to try a different cheese, choose one that is a good melting cheese.
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan gives extra flavor to this cheesy sourdough pull apart bread. I like mixing it together with the mozzarella before stuffing it in the bread.
Slicing the Bread
To get the perfect pull-apart bread, you want to make two sets of crisscrossing cuts. Slice a loaf of sourdough artisan bread into about 6 sections one direction. Stop slicing before you reach the bottom crust of the bread, so the bread stays intact in the loaf. Turn the loaf and slice again into about 6 sections so you are left with little squares of sourdough artisan bread that are easy to pull out of the loaf.
Stuffing the Bread
Melt the butter and add the salt, garlic powder and herbs. Mix together and use a spoon to drizzle butter in between every one of those cut cubes of bread in the loaf. I like to get every side of the bread, so I’ll start on one side going across and then turn the loaf and go back on the other side. Reserve any extra butter for pouring over the top of the bread after you stuff in the cheese. Grate the cheeses and mix them together. Then stuff the cheese into every part of the bread that you can. You want it evenly dispersed throughout the whole loaf. This process is a little messy and there’s no real exact science to it. Lots of melted butter and cheese – doesn’t get much better than that!
Baking Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread
Once the loaf is stuffed full, take two large pieces of aluminum foil and place them on the counter perpendicular to each other, one on top of the other. Place the loaf in the middle of the aluminum foil and wrap the loaf up so it is completely covered in foil. Place the loaf directly in a preheated 350°F oven for 40-50 minutes. Check on your loaf around the 30 minute mark and see if it needs more time to melt the cheese. The cheese should be melted completely before serving this. Once the cheese is sufficiently melted and the bread is warm, open the tinfoil and let the loaf bake 5-10 minutes until the top is crispy.
This cheesy sourdough pull apart bread is the perfect appetizer or warm snack. Everyone loves pulling pieces of bread and cheese out of the loaf. It’s super delicious! And don’t forget the bottom of the loaf – once all the pulling is over, tear pieces off the bottom where all that butter and extra cheese melted down. So yummy!
Frequently Asked Questions
This bread stays good for about 24 hours at room temperature, but if you want to save it for a long time, definitely freeze it. Make sure to warm it up if it’s been sitting or frozen for awhile to get that cheese nice and melty again.
Yes! This recipe can be assembled ahead of time. Slice the bread, spread with softened butter and herbs, stuff with cheese and wrap in tin foil. Refrigerate for 24 hours OR freeze for 1-2 months. Pull it out and bake according to recipe directions, adding a little extra time if it was cold (in the fridge) and even more time if coming out of the freezer.
Yes. Use whichever you prefer. I’ve tried it both ways, and prefer garlic powder because it spreads more evenly and gives every bite a nice garlic flavor, but fresh garlic works well too.
Yes! This recipe works well for any loaf of crusty bread. I prefer a homemade sourdough bread – this sourdough artisan bread or no-knead sourdough is perfect, but if you are in a pinch, grab a crusty loaf of bread from the store or an artisan bakery.
Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough artisan bread
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, melted
- ½ teaspoon salt 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano 1 gram
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 gram, see recipe notes
- 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Slice a loaf of sourdough artisan bread into about 6 sections. Stop /slicing before you reach the bottom crust of the bread, so the bread stays intact in the loaf. Turn the loaf and slice again about 6 sections so you are left with little squares of sourdough artisan bread that are easy to pull out of the loaf.
- Melt the butter. Add salt, ground oregano and garlic powder. Stir together. You can add any other spices or flavorings you want to the unsalted butter at this point.
- Spoon the melted butter mixture in between the pieces of bread, going one direction and then the other direction until most of the butter is used up inside the walls of the sourdough bread.
- Stuff the shredded cheeses in between the cut pieces of bread until cheese is in between each crevice. Pour any extra butter over the top of the bread.
- Wrap the bread completely in aluminum foil and stick in a pre-heated 350°F oven for 40-50 minutes until cheese is melted all the way through. The bread can sit directly on the oven rack wrapped in foil. Unwrap the foil and let the bread bake another 5-10 minutes until the top is crispy.
- Unwrap the bread, serve and enjoy warm!
