Description
This Pull Apart Pizza Bread is a delightful twist on classic pizza, combining crispy baguette slices layered with garlic butter, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and optional red onion and parsley. Perfect for sharing, this baked dish is easy to prepare and makes an irresistible appetizer or snack with gooey cheese and a golden crust.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1/3 cup salted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced (or 2 if you prefer a stronger garlic flavor)
- 1 baguette/french bread, 60cm / 2 feet long (or multiple short ones)
- 1/3 cup pizza sauce
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 4 oz / 120g pepperoni, sliced or diced (mini pepperoni works best)
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced (optional)
- 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely diced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) to prepare for baking the bread stack perfectly.
- Melt Butter with Garlic: Melt the salted butter in a small pan and add the minced garlic to infuse the butter with garlic flavor, stirring gently.
- Slice the Bread: Cut the baguette into approximately 1.5 to 2 cm (about 3/5 to 4/5 inch) thick slices, resulting in about 25 slices including the ends, and lay them on your work surface.
- Brush Bread with Garlic Butter: Brush each slice generously with the garlic butter, ensuring some minced garlic is spread on each piece. Use most of the butter but reserve a little for later.
- Assemble Toppings: Spread a small amount of pizza sauce on each bread slice, then add diced red onion if using, followed by grated mozzarella cheese and finally the pepperoni slices on top in that order.
- Stack the Bread: Stack 6 or 7 slices of the prepared bread on top of each other carefully. Hold the top and bottom slices and gently place the stack vertically into a 22cm (8 inch) square baking dish. Repeat to fill the dish as desired.
- Top with Remaining Butter: Brush the top of the stacked bread with the remaining garlic butter for extra flavor and browning.
- Bake Covered: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is mostly melted and the bread is heated through.
- Bake Uncovered for Crispiness: Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to allow the bread to crisp up and turn golden brown to your liking.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired, and serve immediately while warm and gooey.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of garlic to your taste—adding more will give a stronger garlic flavor.
- Using freshly grated mozzarella cheese yields a better melt and texture compared to pre-shredded versions.
- The stacking technique in a square baking dish creates a pull-apart effect, making it easy to share and enjoy.
- If you don’t have pepperoni, substitute with other cured meats or vegetables.
- To make it vegetarian, simply omit the pepperoni and increase the cheese or add veggies like bell peppers or mushrooms.
