pull-apart cheesy garlic christmas tree

 

this pull-apart garlic bread is so friggen good. like so good that i could eat it all by myself because garlic bread is life. each piece is stuffed with aged cheddar cheese (just a personal preference to use a flavourful cheddar over mozzarella) & brushed with homemade garlic butter. dipped in pomi USA's marinara sauce & you won't be able to stop. pomi's sauce is slow-cooked with 100% italian tomatoes, garlic & basil. it makes for a quick & delicious dip! it is also super fun & festive to assemble, making it a beautiful holiday appetizer to serve table side or to enjoy while watching your favourite christmas movie!

for the base you can use either store bought or homemade pizza dough, although i highly recommend trying to make your own as i find the shape of homemade dough holds better. another trick i learned is to chill the dough just before baking to slow down the yeast & ensure it doesn't spread to much on the pan. this will yield a perfect christmas tree everytime! for the shape itself, i think it is easiest to follow the images & build from the bottom "stem" up.

wishing you all a safe & wonderful holiday season! i'll be signing off here until the new year, but will be sharing a few more festive recipes over on instagram. merry christmas friends! xo

ingredients

  • 200 g aged cheddar cheese
  • 1 lbs pizza dough, store bought or homemade
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsely, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • pomi's marinara sauce, for serving

directions

  • line a baking sheet with parchment paper. preheat oven to 425(f) degrees. cut cheddar cheese into 1-inch cubes & set aside.
  • on a floured surface divide pizza dough into 33 evenly sized rounds. roll each piece of dough to flatten & wrap around a piece of cheese. pinch the edges to seal tightly. repeat with remaining rounds.
  • place the stuffed dough seam side down on prepared baking sheet in the shape of a christmas tree.
  • brush generously with egg wash & bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
  • as dough bakes prepare the garlic butter. to a saucepan over low heat melt together the butter & garlic. whisk in parsely & parmesan. remove from heat.
  • drizzle garlic butter over the baked christmas tree & brush into each nook. top with additional parmesan cheese & serve with marinara.

this post was created in partnership with pomi USA!