Pioneer Woman Pull Apart Cheese Bread

Pioneer Woman Pull Apart Cheese Bread is a warm, gooey appetizer made with a round sourdough loaf stuffed with roasted garlic, mozzarella, fontina, Parmesan, and Romano, then baked in foil until bubbly in about 35 minutes.

Ree Drummond featured this recipe on The Pioneer Woman during the “Elevate This!” episode, where she transformed a simple store-bought bread loaf into a four-cheese showstopper. She uses roasted garlic mashed into a paste and mixes it with all four cheeses, chives, and crushed red pepper flakes before stuffing it into every cut of the bread.

Cut the bread in a crosshatch grid pattern but stop about half an inch from the bottom so the loaf holds together in one piece. Cutting all the way through separates the bread into individual chunks that fall apart on the baking sheet, which means the melted cheese spills out instead of staying nestled between the squares.

Pioneer Woman Pull Apart Cheese Bread

Author: Hamdi Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:American Courses:Appetizers Sides

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 35 minutesRest time:1 hour Total time:1 hour 55 minutesServings:6-8 servingsCalories:422 kcal Best Season:Available

Description

A crispy-on-top, melty-in-the-middle party bread loaded with roasted garlic and four Italian cheeses that pulls apart into warm, stretchy, golden squares straight from the oven.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (55g) grated mozzarella
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 round artisan or sourdough loaf
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup (55g) grated fontina
• 1/2 cup (50g) grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup (50g) grated Romano
• 2 tsp chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 stick (1/2 cup / 115g) salted butter, melted
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Roast the garlic. Place the garlic cloves on a square of heavy-duty foil, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly and roast at 400F (200C) for about 45 minutes until soft and golden. Let cool, then mash into a paste.
2. Mix the cheese filling. Combine the roasted garlic paste with the mozzarella, fontina, Parmesan, Romano, chives, crushed red pepper flakes, and a few grinds of black pepper in a bowl. Stir until evenly mixed.
3. Cut the bread. Place the loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cut slices across the bread in one direction about 1 inch (2.5cm) apart, stopping half an inch from the bottom so the loaf stays intact. Rotate the bread 90 degrees and cut again in the other direction to create a crosshatch grid.
4. Stuff the cheese. Gently pull apart the cuts and stuff the cheese mixture generously into every crevice, pushing it down between the squares so it reaches deep into the bread.
5. Drizzle with butter. Pour the melted butter evenly over the top of the loaf, letting it seep into the cuts and soak the bread.
6. Bake covered. Wrap the entire loaf snugly in foil and bake at 350F (180C) for 25 minutes.
7. Bake uncovered. Open the foil to expose the top of the bread and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is hot, bubbly, and lightly golden on top. Serve immediately.

Keywords:Pioneer Woman Pull Apart Cheese Bread, Pull Apart Cheese Bread, Ree Drummond’s Roasted Garlic & Four-Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

FAQs

Why does this recipe use four different cheeses instead of just one?

Each cheese brings something different to the bread. Mozzarella gives you the long, stretchy pull when you tear off a piece, while fontina melts into a smooth, buttery layer. Parmesan and Romano add a sharp, salty punch that keeps the flavor interesting.

Using just mozzarella alone would melt well but taste bland, and using only Parmesan would be too dry and crumbly. The combination creates a filling that is both gooey and deeply savory, which is why Ree chose this specific blend for the recipe.

Can you use a different type of bread for this recipe?

A round artisan loaf or sourdough works best because the thick crust holds its shape during baking while the soft interior absorbs the butter and melted cheese. A boule-style bread with a firm outer shell is ideal for keeping the grid intact.

Avoid soft sandwich bread or thin-crusted loaves because they tear apart when you stuff the cheese and collapse under the weight of the filling. French bread can work if you cut it lengthwise instead of in a grid, but you lose the signature pull-apart squares.

Why roast the garlic instead of using it raw?

Roasting transforms garlic from sharp and pungent into sweet, caramelized, and spreadable. Raw garlic would overpower the cheese blend with a harsh bite that lingers on the palate, since the bread only bakes for 35 minutes total.

Mashing the roasted cloves into a paste lets you distribute the flavor evenly through the cheese mixture so every square tastes the same. You can roast the garlic up to three days ahead and store it in the refrigerator, which makes this recipe even faster to assemble.

Why wrap the bread in foil before baking?

The foil traps steam around the loaf for the first 25 minutes, which melts the cheese all the way down into the deepest cuts without burning the top. Without foil, the exposed crust browns too fast while the cheese in the center stays cold and unmelted.

Opening the foil for the final 10 minutes lets the top crisp up and the cheese edges turn golden and bubbly. This two-stage method gives you the best of both textures, with a crunchy top layer and a fully melted, stretchy interior.

How do you keep the bread warm for serving at a party?

Pull the bread from the oven and leave it on the foil-lined baking sheet, loosely tenting it with the same foil you used during baking. This holds the heat for about 15 to 20 minutes while the cheese stays melted and stretchy.

If you need it to last longer, set your oven to its lowest temperature around 170F (75C) and keep the bread inside with the door slightly cracked. Reheating leftovers works best in a 300F (150C) oven for 10 minutes rather than the microwave, which makes the crust rubbery.