Looking for a fun (and tasty!) bread recipe? Bake up a loaf of this Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread…and then have fun peeling off layer after layer of cheesy bread!
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For me, I really enjoy a good sharp cheddar. Did you know that the sharpness of cheddar is entirely based on how long the cheese is aged? I was reading recently, and I learned some really fascinating tidbits. All cheddar starts out the same way. Cow’s milk is heated to 162°F for exactly 16 seconds (talk about precision!), and then the milk is cooled to 88°F. At this point you’ve got pasteurized milk.
From there, a safe type of bacteria is added to the milk that starts the cheese-making process. As the cheese forms, the liquid (whey) is drained off and the solids (curds) are packed together under pressure to create blocks of cheese. After that, the only remaining variable is how long the cheese gets aged.
Cabot’s Mild Cheddar Cheese is only aged for 2-3 months while an extra sharp cheddar might be aged for 12 months or longer. Cabot also makes . Last year, we opened a package of each and did a vertical tasting of all 3 cheeses. All three cheeses started with the same pasteurized milk, but the resulting flavor was fascinatingly different! If you ever get a chance to try different aged cheddars side-by-side, do it!
While those extra-long aged cheddars are quite tasty, today’s recipe uses a more common variety. is one of their most iconic cheeses. I personally find Seriously Sharp to be great for both snacking and cooking. I almost always have an open package in the fridge, and I often go in for a nibble when I need an afternoon pick-me-up. I borrowed some of that Seriously Sharp from the fridge to make this Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread.
If this Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread looks familiar, it’s because I made a smaller version back last fall. I posted the recipe for these prior to Thanksgiving last year – those are one heck of a tasty dinner roll! That post was one of the most popular recipes on my blog throughout the holiday season, so I decided to keep that ball rolling as we head into the new year. This Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread is simply a larger version of the individual butterflake rolls.
Instead of baking this pull apart bread in muffin tins, you’ll need an 8″x4″ loaf pan for this one. However, the result when you bring this loaf to the table is the same! I’m not gonna lie – it’s just downright fun to peel layers of cheesy garlic bread off of the larger loaf here. Even Robbie, our 5-year-old son, got into the action here as he peeled away two pieces for his dinner. (Earlier in the day, Robbie helped me make the dough for this bread. If you have kids who like to help in the kitchen, then make sure to check out !)
Like many cheesy recipes, you can alternate or combine different types of cheese to change the flavor of this pull-apart bread. I personally love this bread with Seriously Sharp cheddar, but I could see using half Seriously Sharp and half Habanero Cheddar for a spicy kick. Or perhaps a bit of Horseradish Cheddar instead? That would be fun! No matter which flavors of cheddar you use, I hope you enjoy this pull-apart bread as much as we do. Happy baking!
