Description
Cheesy pull-apart pizza bread brings classic Italian flavors to life in this crowd-pleasing appetizer. Home cooks can easily craft this shareable dish with simple ingredients and minimal preparation time.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large loaf crusty bread (sourdough or Italian)
- 1 cup (240 ml) mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) pepperoni slices, diced
- 4 tbsps (60 ml) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) marinara sauce (for dipping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Create strategic diagonal cuts across the bread loaf, slicing almost to the bottom but keeping the base intact, forming a crosshatch pattern.
- Combine melted butter with garlic powder and Italian seasoning in a small mixing bowl.
- Carefully separate the bread sections, allowing space for filling without breaking the loaf’s structure.
- Generously drizzle the seasoned butter mixture into each bread crevice, ensuring even distribution.
- Nestle mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and diced pepperoni into the bread’s cuts, filling every available space.
- Completely encase the prepared bread in aluminum foil, creating a sealed packet to prevent excessive browning.
- Bake the foil-wrapped bread for 15 minutes, allowing the cheese to begin melting and flavors to meld.
- Remove the foil and return the bread to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, enabling the exterior to crisp and cheese to become golden and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 3-5 minutes to stabilize the melted cheese.
- Serve immediately with warm marinara sauce for dipping, allowing guests to pull apart the savory, cheesy sections.
Notes
- Use sharp kitchen knife to create precise, even diagonal cuts without slicing through the bread completely, ensuring each piece remains connected.
- Choose dense, crusty bread like sourdough or Italian loaf for best structural integrity and maximum flavor absorption during baking.
- Customize toppings by swapping pepperoni with vegetarian alternatives like roasted bell peppers, mushrooms, or plant-based sausage crumbles to accommodate different dietary preferences.
- For gluten-sensitive individuals, substitute regular bread with gluten-free bread options while maintaining the same delicious pull-apart technique and seasoning method.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 412 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg