Last Updated on August 28, 2019 by Slow The Cook Down
There's nothing quite as lovely as homemade bread, however, I don't think I have made any homemade bread since I was about 10! I've been meaning to make some for a while now, but i've been trying to come up with a cracking recipe to incorporate it into. And lo, Pull Apart Pizza Bread was born!
What is pull apart pizza bread?
You've probably seen similar recipes for stuffed bread out there, and this is my take on it. Classic pizza toppings baked into soft white bread - honestly, what's not to like? Super indulgent and fun to make with garlic butter, tomato sauce and lots and lots of cheese! Just make sure you remember to share it!
How to cut pull apart pizza bread
The key to an awesome pull apart pizza bread is all in the preparation, you want to cut the bread fairly deeply, but no so much that the bread pulls apart. Take your time cutting in a criss cross pattern, carefully sawing the bread with a serrated bread knife, whilst holding the bread in tact with your other hand.
How to make pull apart pizza bread
If you are short on time, you can obviously use a store bought loaf, but make your own for that extra bit of something special. Great British Bake Off fever has hit in our house, so I used a Paul Hollywood recipe that worked really well, you can find it here. It has a nice crust on it and a light texture. When you are stuffing the bread, take your time and don't break the bread as it can be quite delicate. Be creative and add your own pizza toppings - pineapple and olives maybe?!
Looking for more pizza inspiration? Check out my Chicken Tandoori Naan Bread Pizza or my White Pizza
If you are all about the cheese and bread, be sure to check out my Cheese, Bacon and Bread Bowl.
Pizza Stuffed Bread
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 6 ripe tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- juice of ½ lemon
- a good pinch of black pepper
- 1 pint chicken stock (500ml)
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp dried basil
For the garlic butter
- 4.4 ounces salted butter (125g)
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
For the filling of the stuffed bread
- 7 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese (200g)
- 10 pepperoni slices
- 5 salami slices
- 1 ball mozzarella
- 0.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (15g)
Instructions
- Prep the bread first. Cut lines into the bread, two thirds of the way down and every 1cm. Turn the bread and cut across these lines to form a criss cross. This can be a bit tricky, so do take your time.
- For the tomatoes sauce, heat a glug of oil into a medium sized saucepan. Chop the tomatoes into quarters and add these in, along with the garlic, lemon juice and black pepper. Cook over a medium heat for 10 mins stirring occasionally, then add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. Cook for about 30mins until tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has reduced by two thirds. Push through a fine sieve and leave to one side.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180º.
- Put a saucepan on a low heat and add in the ingredients for the garlic butter. Melt everything together, then pour into a jug.
- Gently pour the garlic butter up and down the cuts in the bread, try to get an even coverage. Do the same with the tomato sauce. Stuff the grated cheese into the cuts, being careful not to tear the bread. Add in the meats, pieces of mozzarella and strips of sundried tomatoes.
- Wrap the bread in foil and put in the oven for 20-30mins until the cheese has all melted. Serve to the table warm and tuck into some perfect stuffed bread.
Notes
Nutrition
This pull apart bread is perfect! I would totally substitute this for pizza night!
Oh yum! This sounds incredible with that garlic butter. Can't wait to try.
I would totally smash this, single handedly, with no shame!
Wow this is on my blogging inspiration list 🙂 looks incredible 🙂
Thanks Simon! I can confirm it is delicious!