Cheesy Pesto Pull-Apart Bread

There’s plenty of cheese action in this cheesy pesto pull-apart bread. Feed a crowd with this easy 4 ingredient appetizer.

If anyone’s in the mood for an easy appetizer that feeds a crowd, you’re in luck! Today we’re gonna be making a cheesy pesto pull-apart bread that is chockful of stringy cheese and pesto goodness.

There are really only four ingredients and you can get them all at the grocery store easily. All you need are French bread, butter, pesto and cheese to make this amazing appetizer with epic cheese strings. That’s it. I did say easy, didn’t I? 🙂

So taking cues from bloomin’ onion bread, this appetizer is fun and easy but packs ten times the cheese power because I used melty Italian cheese instead of cheddar cheese. So expect lots of ooey gooey, cheesy strings. Let’s get started!

CHEESY PESTO PULL-APART BREAD RECIPE TIPS

We begin by cutting the baguette. I used a crusty baguette because I figured it would be easier to cut. Use a serrated bread knife to make about 1″ cuts diagonally across the bread and cut until it almost reaches the bottom.

You’ll want to keep the bottom intact so the bread holds together. Then make diagonal cuts cross-wise in the opposite direction.  This may take some time getting used to but if I can do it (horrible at cutting bread), you can too!

Melt some butter in the microwave and pour it evenly along the cuts of the baguette. Then start spreading your pesto. I started off using a spoon but switched over to a butter knife. It gives you more control over the spreading, at least for me.

It’s great if you have two pairs of hands here, one to open up the bread and one to spread the basil. This might be a fun thing to do with your kids! But if it’s just you in the kitchen, that’s okay too. It’ll just take a little longer. I used about half a cup of pesto but if you want a very strong pesto flavor, use one cup instead.

I found the cheese stuffing part to be the easiest step. I used an Italian blend with lots of melty cheese because we want strings. Lots and lots of cheese strings! It has mozzarella, provolone, romano, asiago and parmesan cheese.

Stuffing the cheese in between cuts ends up expanding the bread a little and this is where it starts looking good. This is a fun step because it’s okay if you’re messy.

Then you wrap it up in aluminum foil and bake it for 15 minutes completely covered to warm the bread and melt the cheese. Then we open up the foil and expose the bread to bake for another 10 minutes. This is to add the crunch factor and is so worth it. Cheese + crunch = best appetizer ever!

Remove from the oven and you’re ready to serve! I advise waiting a couple of minutes, like ten or so for that sweet spot where it doesn’t hurt to touch and eat it but it’s still hot enough for a maximum melty string experience.

And you’re ready to pounce! Just be careful with the oven and don’t burn yourself like little ms. amateur here 😉

MORE BREAD APPETIZERS TO TRY

• Homemade Garlic Bread
• Parmesan Garlic Knots
• Cheddar Bay Biscuits
• Bloomin’ Onion Bread

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