Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread
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This festive Christmas Tree pull-apart bread doubles as a tasty appetizer and centerpiece for your holiday table. It’s a delicious blend of pizza dough filled with gooey mozzarella cheese and then brushed with melted butter and seasonings. Serve it up with a side a marinara or pizza sauce.
This recipe for this pull-apart Christmas tree bread begins with making a simple pizza dough. All you need is water, flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. You could mix the dough by hand, but I just mix it in my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook.
Ingredients to make Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread
- WATER
- SUGAR
- YEAST
- FLOUR
- SALT
- STRING CHEESE
- BUTTER
- PARMESAN CHEESE
- GARLIC POWDER
- ITALIAN SEASONING
- MARINARA SAUCE OR PIZZA SAUCE FOR SERVING
how to make the Christmas Tree Pull-apart Bread
Start by adding the warm water to your bowl with the yeast and sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. It will get all nice and bubbly. Add in the flour and salt and mix to form a dough.
Now, you need to divide the dough into 32 pieces. You can do this however you like. However, I like to divide the dough into four pieces. Then, I roll each piece into a rope. Next, I cut each rope into 8 pieces.
This next part is where the cheese comes in. You will need 7 sticks of sting cheese. Make sure it is not a light version of sting cheese, because the light cheese will not melt. Cut each piece of cheese into 5. You will end up with a few extra pieces. Add a piece to each piece of dough and shape the dough into a ball encasing the cheese.
How to form the tree shape
Arrange the pieces of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet to form the Christmas tree shape. Start with the tree leaving enough room for the trunk. Make a row of 7 on the balls of dough. They should be touching. Then follow that with a row of 6, then 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Now you have your tree. You should have 4 dough balls left. Make 2 rows of 2 to form the tree trunk.
Last, mix the melted butter with the parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings in a bowl. Brush the mixture all over the tree. Place in a 425 degree oven and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot on a platter with marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store bought pizza dough for the pull-apart Christmas tree?
Yes, you can use 1 pound of pre-made pizza dough to make these even easier. Many grocery stores sell refrigerated ready to use pizza dough.
Can I customize the fillings or toppings?
Absolutely! Feel free to change up the cheese for the filling. Just use about a 1 inch piece of whatever cheese you like. For example, try Monterey jack cheese along with a garnish of fresh parsley.
You could even make a sweet version. Place cream cheese inside the dough balls, brush the tree with melted butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for a sweet version. Make a simple powdered sugar icing or chocolate ganache for dipping.
How do I store any leftovers?
Store any remaining bread in an air tight container for a day or two. For longer storage refrigerate and reheat when ready to enjoy.
FOR MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS, TRY:
- Christmas Tree Brownies
- Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
- Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Teats
- Christmas Tree Cheese Platter
Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread
Real Mom Kitchen
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1½ cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp yeast
- 3½ cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
Filling:
- 7 sticks of string cheese
Topping:
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- marinara sauce or pizza sauce for serving
Instructions
- In your bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water, sugar and yeast together. Stir together and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add in flour and salt. Mix with a dough hook until smooth. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut each string cheese sticks into 5 pieces. You will had a few extra since you only need 32.
- Spray your counter with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the pizza dough into 32 pieces. I just the dough into 4 and make a rope out of each piece. Then cut each rope into 8 pieces.
- Flatten out a piece of dough and place a piece of cheese in the center. Gather the dough up and around the cheese. Secure the dough around the cheese and roll evenly. Repeat until all 32 cheese balls are formed.
- Arrange the balls on the prepared pan. Start with 7 balls on the bottom then build the tree up by placing one less ball on each row. Work your way up the tree in the order of 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Once you reach the top of the tree last four balls in two rows at the base of the tree for the trunk.
- In a bowl, combine the melted butter with the parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough balls generously with the topping mixture. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before putting into the oven.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Serve with a marinara sauce or pizza sauce on the side for dipping.
Nutrition
This recipe is adapted from The Recipe Critic.
