Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread Recipe From ‘The Crepes of Wrath’

Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Here, Sydney Kramer of Crepes of Wrath shares a decadent trick to blowing your party guests away: cheesy pull-apart bread.

Here’s one way to get a party started. Photo: Sydney Kramer

Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread
Makes 1 loaf

This recipe may seem a little complicated, but it’s mostly about waiting — waiting for the dough to rise once, rolling it out, shaping it, letting it rise again, then baking. The end product is to die for, and perfect for a fancy brunch or even a casual picnic… as long as you make the bread the day before. My favorite way to eat this is alongside a few runny eggs, or even as a buffer in between bites of spicy hot wings. The choice is yours, but really, take a look at those heavenly folds and bubbles of cheese and tell me that this bread isn’t calling to you.

For the dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (usually 1 packet)
⅓ cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup warm water
2 eggs, room temperature
Olive oil, vegetable oil or butter for greasing

For the filling:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
6 scallions, thinly sliced

First, make your dough. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together the milk and butter over low heat until fully combined and melted. (Alternatively, place milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and zap in short 30-second spurts.) Stir in the water and let the mixture sit until it reaches 130°F.

Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients, and use a wooden spoon to mix them together gently until just combined. Use your dough hook to knead the dough on low speed until the liquid and flour mixture are well combined, about 3 minutes, then add in the eggs, one at a time, kneading on medium-high speed in between each egg so that each one is mixed in well before adding in the next. (Obviously, you are free to do this by hand, too, it will just take a little extra elbow grease!)

Once the eggs are incorporated, stop the mixer and add in your remaining 1 cup of flour. Knead the dough on medium-low speed until it is smooth, about 2-3 minutes. The dough should be soft and smooth, but still a little sticky.

Lightly flour a work surface, turn the dough out onto it, and knead 5 or 6 times until the dough comes together into a smooth ball.

Grease a large bowl with vegetable, olive oil, or butter. Place the dough in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a towel with a rubber band, and allow the dough to proof in a warm area for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled in size.

Generously grease a standard sized loaf pan (8½ by 4½). When the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and gently punch it down on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle, measuring about 20 inches by 11 inches.

Brush the dough with 5 tablespoons of melted butter, then sprinkle with your garlic powder and red pepper flakes, followed by your grated cheese and your scallions. This obviously does not have to be perfect (again, see the photos above).

Cut the rectangle width-wise into 6 equal strips, then stack the strips on top of one another. Cut them again into 6 equal sized squares (some of the filling will fall out, which is fine), and gently stack the squares into your buttered loaf pan (there will be space on either side) and cover again with plastic wrap or a towel and let it proof again for 45 minutes or so, until it has doubled in size.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the bread for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden but not browned. Remove from the oven, let cool for 20 minutes or so, then run a butter knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan.

This is great served warm or at room temperature, and will keep well, covered, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

More cheese-filled recipes:

Baked chile rellenos from ‘Sweet Life’

Savory kale and goat cheese muffins

Feta dip recipe with radishes from ‘Root to Leaf’

Would you serve this at your next dinner party? Tell us below!