I had my cousin Karen and her partner Christine over for dinner one night and I really wanted to make something yummy and delicious for an appetizer. So I decided to make this pull apart cheesy, garlic bread loaf. It was super easy and is usually a big hit...unless your friends are lactose intolerant...or gluten intolerant. Eeek! Great for a party appetizer or maybe just for yourself whilst wearing stretchy pants and rolling on a Netflix binge.
All you need:
sourdough bread loaf (round is preferable, but you can also use a long loaf)
cheese (cheddar works best, but I like to use both cheddar and colby cheese)
half a stick of butter (the real stuff, please)
2 tablespoons of fresh, crushed garlic
2 tablespoons of chopped green onion
black pepper
Start by grabbing a serrated knife.
The teeth in the knife will help you cut evenly through the bread without tearing it.
Place your loaf onto a sheet or two of aluminum foil.
Cut lines about half inch apart being careful NOT to go all the way through the bread.
Turn the loaf and cut the other way about half inch apart again being careful not to cut all the way through. Think checkerboard.
I really LOVE sharp cheddar cheese and use it whenever I can. I use already sliced cheese and cut t them into about half inch by inch rectangles. I also make long strips of some of the cheese. You'll see why in a bit.
I start with the longer strips of cheese and push them into my cuts.
Choose one direction and make sure a piece of cheese goes into each line.
Like this...
Then I take the shorter pieces and work them into the cuts the other way.
I push each small rectangle in long side down to get as close to the bottom as possible.
Make sure you don't skip any spaces. We don't want to miss any spots!
Then, in a microwaveable container, I add my crushed garlic, chopped green onions and half a stick of butter. I put into the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Season with black pepper. I don't add salt because there's a lot of cheese happening in this dish.
Make sure you fold up the sides of your foil before this next step!
Pooooouuuur the melted butter garlic all over you loaf.
It already looks amazing.
Wrap the foil over the top and bake for 15 minutes on 350F.
Unwrap for another 5 minutes to get the top brown.
And that's it! Just get in there with your fingers and pull it all apart and stuff in your face.
MMMMMMMMM!!!!
If you opt to use a longer loaf, just cross section the knife cuts at a diagonal.
Still just as mmmmmmm.
