Cheesy Pull-Apart Pesto Bread
My cheesy pull-apart pesto bread is so incredibly delicious, a combination of salty, fresh pesto, mozzarella and parmesan, and fluffy dough. Listen, it’s literally the best of all those worlds. And, it’s easy to eat because you can pull it apart!
Basically, you make the dough. Then, you divide it into roughly 16-20 golf ball sized pieces, fill them with mozzarella, and shape them into balls. You coat the dough balls in pesto, then arrange them in a cast iron or oven safe circular pan. Let it rest, then sprinkle them with tons of cheese and bake! At the end, broil for a minute or two to brown the cheese even more.
The dough is simple, it’s basically a generic pizza dough. You can buy pizza dough if you’d like to skip this step. However, the dough is super doable and I’d recommend trying it out.
For the pesto, I use my homemade spinach pesto. You could also use a basil pesto, or any storebought pesto. I just think my spinach pesto works great with the other ingredients and is super easy to make!
And finally, for the cheese: I like the combination of mozzarella and parmesan, but feel free to customize with cheddar, colby jack, or even gruyere! Options are basically endless, you can work with what you’ve got in the fridge.
Finally, some extra tips: be generous with the cheese and the pesto! It is a cheesy pesto bread, after all.
For some other bread recipes, check out my artisan bread and challah recipes!
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups bread flour (250g)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 150 mL water, slightly warm
Filling/Toppings
- 1 1/2 cups pesto of choice, or homemade spinach pesto
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 4 oz mozzarella (in ball/stick form)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan
- black pepper
Instructions
Dough
- Start by making the dough. You can skip this step if you want to use pre-made pizza dough. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and yeast.
- Add the warm water and olive oil. Mix to combine, then knead for 7-10 minutes until it bounces back when poked softly. This is an indicator that the gluten in the dough has been developed enough.
- Let the dough rest for at least an hour until it is doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 16-20 golf-sized chunks.
Filling/Toppings
- Take the mozzarella that is in ball form and cut it into about 16-20 chunks. Taking one piece of dough at a time, flatten it slightly. Place a piece of cheese inside, then roll up the dough ball again. Set aside, and repeat with each dough chunk.
- Roll each filled dough ball in pesto, then place inside a round cast iron pan or other circular oven safe pan. Arrange them however you want, see above for a reference.
- Let the bread sit and rest for at least 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Top the bread with the shredded mozzarella, parmesan, and extra black pepper.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, then broil for an additional 2 minutes. Let it cool for like 10 minutes, then enjoy!
Cheesy Pull-Apart Pesto Bread
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups bread flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 150 mL warm water
Filling/Toppings
- 1 1/2 cups pesto , homemade spinach pesto (see above)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 oz mozarella in ball form
- 1/2 cup parmesan shredded or grated
- black pepper
Instructions
Dough
- In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Mix until combined.
- Add the olive oil and water. Mix, then knead for 7-10 minutes until the dough bounces back.
- Let the dough rest for an hour until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 16-20 sections.
Filling/Toppings
- Cut the mozzarella ball into 16-20 chunks, matching the amount of dough balls.
- Taking one chunk of dough at a time, flattening it slightly. Press in a piece of cheese, then close up the dough and roll it into a ball.Set it aside, then repeat with the rest of the dough and cheese.
- Coat each filled dough ball with pesto, then arrange them in a round cast iron or oven-safe circular pan of choice.
- Let the bread rest for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella, parmesan, and black pepper over the top of the bread. Bake for 20-25 mintues, then broil for 2 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- Macros: 11.3 g fat, 44.4 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein
- See the blog post for more detailed descriptions, helpful pictures, and customization options! I also share a delicious recipe for spinach pesto.