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Cheesy Pull Apart Christmas Bread

Make this delicious and fun Cheesy Pull Apart Christmas Bread this holiday season. By using premade pizza dough, mozzarella pearls and garlic butter, this makes for a beautiful addition to a Christmas party buffet table or a dinner side dish.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Rise time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 48 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: North American
Keyword: christmas appetizers, easy appetizers, holiday appetizers
Servings: 32 mini rolls
Calories: 51kcal
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pizza dough
  • 32 mozzarella pearls
  • 5 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 1/2 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees f/220 degrees c. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
  • On a clean surface, lay out the pizza dough and cut it into 32 equal parts.
  • Take each piece of dough and place a mozzarella pearl in the middle. Roll the dough around the cheese and make sure it's completely covered. Repeat for all dough balls. Allow a one inch boarder around the outside of the tree for the bread rolls to rise.
  • Make the Christmas tree, by starting at the top with one dough ball, then a line of two, three and so on until you have fully made a Christmas tree. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise between 45 - 60 minutes.
  • While the dough is rising, make the garlic butter. In a small sauce pan set over medium heat, add the butter until it melts. Add the garlic and salt and stir for just a few seconds. Leave to cook for only about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the parsley. Stir well.
  • Bake in the middle rack in the oven between 15 - 20 minutes. It will be golden and puffed up when fully baked.
  • Brush the hot rolls with the garlic butter and serve hot or warm with marinara sauce if desired.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Notes

    1. Cutting the dough - I recommend cutting the dough into four equal portions first. Then cut each portion into 8 smaller pieces. It's easier to gauge the correct size this way.
    2. Make sure baking tray is large enough - Make sure you have about a one inch boarder around the outside of the tree to the edge of the baking tray. This tree will expand when it rises and bakes in the oven. If the tray isn't large enough, you won't get the desired shape.
    1. Follow step-by-step-photos - I recommend you taking a look at the step-by-step-photos in the post to understand exactly how to easily put this bread roll Christmas tree together.
    1. Prep ahead - Yes, you can prep this ahead of time and bake just before serving. You can prepare this up to overnight and store it in the fridge. Remove from the fridge about an hour before baking.
    1. Serving - This is best served hot. It's still great at room temperature and will often the way most people will serve it.
Nutrition Facts
Cheesy Pull Apart Christmas Bread
Amount Per Serving (1 bread roll)
Calories 51 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 153mg7%
Potassium 1mg0%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 0.2g1%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 55IU1%
Calcium 1mg0%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.