This pull-apart christmas tree bread is going to be the perfect addition to your holiday party table this season! Pizza dough is divided up and wrapped around mozzarella sticks to make delicious, cheesy bites for dipping in marinara sauce.
Why I love this christmas tree bread recipe:
We all know I’m a sucker for a low effort, high reward recipe and that’s exactly what this is! Cheese, garlic and dough are a few of my favorite things and in less than 30 minutes, I can be in heaven with this christmas tree cheese bread! Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t make this all for myself! This share style recipe is perfect for enjoying with others and always a hit when made as a holiday appetizer.
You’ll only need a handful of ingredients:
- Mozzarella sticks
- Egg
- Salted butter
- Garlic powder
- Basil, parsley and oregano: fresh or dried
- Parmesan cheese
- Marinara or pizza sauce (for dipping)
My top tips for making christmas tree pull-apart bread:
- Divide the dough into equal pieces by starting with 3 even cuts, then cutting each one of those into 10. This will get you 30 small pieces of dough.
- Make sure each piece of dough is completely covering the cheese pieces. If there’s gaps or holes in the dough, the cheese will ooze right out when it bakes, which we don’t want!
- Don’t skip on the egg wash! This is what makes the bread perfectly golden and delicious on the outside.
- Place the dough balls seam sides down on the baking sheet to have nice rounded tops and avoid them bursting open in the oven.
- This pull apart bread is best enjoyed warm. This way, the butter mixture will spread on easily and the inside will be full of cheesy goodness!
FAQ:
I buy mine from Trader Joes but you can buy canned Pillsbury pizza dough at most grocery stores, as well as ready to bake dough near the deli in most Kroger grocery store locations.
Although it may not be exactly the same, you can make this recipe using canned crescent rolls or biscuit dough. Just be sure to section whatever you’re using into 30 equal sized dough balls.
If you’re looking to change it up, colby-monterey jack cheese sticks, extra-sharp cheddar cheese sticks, or even mozzarella pearls would work as well for filling the dough balls. If you want to skip the step of cutting up the cheese, those mozzarella pearls would be a great choice!
To make this even easier, you can substitute the dried herbs with an all purpose italian seasoning which is mainly made of dried oregano and basil.
Pull-Apart Christmas Tree Bread
Equipment
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 sharp knife
- 2 small mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough
- 8 mozzarella string cheese sticks
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fresh or dried basil
- 1 tsp fresh or dried parsley
- 1 tsp fresh or dried oregano
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- marinara or pizza sauce for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide pizza dough into 30 equal pieces. I do this by cutting the dough into 3 pieces, then each 3rd into 10.
- Remove the mozzarella sticks from their wrapping and cut each one into 4 pieces.
- Working one by one, wrap each piece of dough around each piece of mozzarella, forming a tightly sealed ball.
- Place balls seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet in the shape of a christmas tree. The edges should be lightly touching.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tbsp water to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash on the surface of all the dough balls (you don't have to use it all).
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the pull-apart bread bakes, microwave butter in a small microwavable bowl until completely melted. Add in the garlic powder, herbs and parmesan cheese. Mix to combine.
- When the bread comes out of the oven, brush the melted butter mixture all over the surface.
- Serve warm with marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.
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