This cheesy, garlicky Christmas tree pull-apart bread is THE perfect Christmas potluck appetizer and dinner rolls you NEED for Christmas get-togethers! The bread is super soft, fluffy, buttery, garlicky, and cheesy. Not to mention how amazing it tastes!
We've been making this cheesy Christmas tree pull-apart bread every year for Christmas, and it has never failed to not be a huge hit!
The bread has the best combinations ever! Soft, fluffy, cheesy, buttery, garlicky, and so darn flavorful. It's addictive! As Kyong says, it's be best stuffed crust you'd ever want on a pizza.
If you're looking for more recipes to Christmas, also try our Christmas crack (only 4 ingredients and 100% addictive!), japchae (Korean glass noodle stir fry), and kimchi mac and cheese. And if you have leftover turkey, make our turkey chili! It freezes really well and is super hearty and tasty!
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Ingredient notes
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
For the bread:
- Milk - Instead of using water, milk adds a bit of natural sweetness to the bread and enriches it. Feel free to use whole, 2 percent, or other low fat milks.
- Active dry yeast - This is the leavener for the bread. Active dry yeast requires dissolving before use. You could also use instant yeast. The difference is that instant yeast can be added straight into the dry ingredients without dissolving first.
- All-purpose flour, sugar, and salt - These are the dry ingredients for making the pull-apart bread.
- Mozzarella sticks - We recommend using mozzarella sticks because it's the most convenient method. Shredded mozzarella would be a little messier to stuff into the dough, while a whole block of mozzarella would require extra cutting.
- Butter, fresh garlic, dry parsley and dry oregano - These are the ingredients for the garlic herb butter. It adds tons of flavor to the bread and should not be skipped. Although, if you prefer, you can skip the dry herbs.
Optional toppings and garnish:
- Grated parmesan - Adds an extra layer of cheesy flavor to the Christmas tree pull-apart bread that mozzarella doesn't provide.
- Shredded mozzarella - It fills up the spaces between each roll and makes the bread extra cheesy. Win-win!
- Crushed red pepper flakes - To add a mild kick to the bread and some color. It's similar concept as sprinkling red pepper flakes onto a pizza.
- Kosher salt - To help add flavor contrast to the pull-apart bread. It just adds that tiny bit of "oomph" need to complete the flavors. We recommend using a coarse salt like Kosher salt, but fine salt is okay too.
- Parsley - Fresh parsley adds color to the Christmas tree pull-apart bread. It's totally optional.
How to make this Christmas tree pull-apart bread
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
Make the dough:
1. Activate yeast. Mix together active dry yeast and warm milk. Set aside to let yeast dissolve.
2. Make dough. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and add the milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Knead the dough until it passes the window pane test.
📝 Note: Window pane test is used to see how much gluten has developed in a dough, which determines how much structure a dough has. Take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers until silhouette can be seen through it. If the dough can be stretch that thin without tearing, it passed the window pane test. If not, keep kneading.
3. Enrich with butter. Once the dough passed the window pane test, add the softened butter and knead until all butter is absorbed by the dough.
4. First proof. Round out the dough by pulling the edges to the bottom of the dough. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover. Leave the dough in a warm area to proof until doubled.
🌟 Pro tip: The oven is a great place to proof dough! Simply keep the oven off and just turn on the oven light. This will give the oven enough heat to help proof the dough. However, on cold days, you could briefly turn on the oven to warm it up before using it to proof dough.
5. Portion dough. After the dough has doubled, punch down the dough and roughly round out the dough. Transfer it to a clean work surface and divide the dough into equal 19 pieces. Roughly round out each piece of dough into a ball.
6. Stuff and shape dough. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, flatten it between your palms. Place a piece of mozzarella stick in the center and wrap the dough around the mozzarella. Pinch together the edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and cheese.
🌟 Pro tip: Keep both the dough and the stuffed dough covered with a damp towel while working. This prevents the dough from drying out.
How to make the Christmas tree shape:
7. Arrange the stuffed dough ball. When all of the dough are stuffed with mozzarella, prepare a half or full size sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Arrange the stuffed dough onto the pan, seam side down and about ½ to 1 inch apart.
To arrange the bread like a Christmas tree:
- Row 1: 1 piece of dough at the top center.
- Row 2: 2 pieces of dough under row 1 to form a little triangle.
- Row 3: 3 pieces of dough under row 2.
- Row 4: 4 pieces of dough under row 3.
- Row 5: 5 pieces of dough under row 4. At his point you should have made a large triangle with a total of 15 pieces.
- Row 6 and 7: 2 pieces each at the center of the triangle. This forms the trunk of the Christmas tree.
Note* The photo below is the Christmas tree bread sideways.
8. Second proof. Once the dough has been arranged, cover and let it proof in a warm area until doubled.
Bake the bread:
9. Preheat oven and make garlic herb butter. When the bread is half way or almost doubled, preheat the oven to 400°F. In a heatproof bowl, combine the butter and minced garlic. Microwave for 30 to 45 seconds until the butter is hot and melted. Carefully remove the bowl and add the dry herbs. Stir to combine then set aside until needed.
10. Add toppings. Brush the proofed dough with half of the garlic herb butter. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella between all the dough balls and gaps. Then, top the bread with the optional toppings like parmesan and red pepper flakes.
11. Bake. Once the oven is up to the temperature, bake the Christmas tree pull-apart bread for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush on the remaining garlic herb butter. Lightly sprinkle with a little kosher salt.
12. Garnish. Top the bread with some chopped parsley and enjoy while hot!
Recipe tips
- Use pre-made dough. If you are short on time, you can use store-bought pizza dough and just follow the shaping and baking instructions.
- Measure the flour properly. Too much or too little flour can change the consistency of the dough. We recommend measuring with a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. If using dry measuring cups, make sure to fluff up the flour first. Then, spoon it into the measuring cup. Lastly, Scrape off the excess flour with a straight-edge, like the back of a butter knife. DO NOT tap or pack the flour into the measuring cup!
- Every oven can differ. Some ovens run hotter than others. So keep an eye on the bread, especially towards the latter 5 minutes to make sure it doesn't get too dark. We also recommend having an oven thermometer to ensure the oven is at the right temperature.
- Use the oven for proofing. This is super helpful in the colder weather! Keep the oven off and simply turn on the oven light and proof the dough in the oven. On the super cold days, you could even turn on the oven very briefly to slightly warm up the oven.
Storage and reheating
Allow leftover pull-apart bread cool completely before storing in an airtight container. It will be good for up to 5 days, refrigerated. To reheat, microwave briefly until warm or bake at 350°F for about 5 to 10 minutes, until heated through.
FAQ
Absolutely! If you're short on time, feel free to use store-bought pizza dough.
If you wish to make this Christmas tree bread ahead of time, follow the steps up to stuffing the dough balls with mozzarella. Freeze the stuffed dough balls on a tray, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or air tight container. When ready to make the Christmas tree bread, arrange the stuffed dough balls on the sheet pan and let it proof in a warm area until they are thawed and doubled. Continue with the rest of the instructions.
The main difference between the two dry yeasts is that active dry yeast requires dissolving in a warm liquid before use. Instant yeast can be added directly to the dry ingredients (flour mixture) without the need to be dissolved first. If using instant yeast, do use the same amount of milk requested but you can skip the step for dissolving the yeast.
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
📖 Recipe
Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- ¾ cup milk warm (between 95 to 105°F)
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour (fluffed, spooned, and leveled)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt fine salt is okay too
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 4 sticks string mozzarella (each stick cut into 5 pieces, you will have 1 piece left over)
For the garlic herb butter:
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (about 2 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon dry parsley flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano (optional)
Optional toppings and garnish:
- Grated parmesan
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Kosher salt or other coarse salt
- Parsley chopped
- Marinara sauce For dipping
Instructions
For the bread:
- Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and give it a stir. Set aside to let the yeast dissolve and activate, about 3 minutes.
- Into the stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and give everything a mix.
- Once the yeast has dissolved, add it to the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough comes together. Then, increase the speed to medium high or high and knead the dough until it's smooth and passes the window pane test. Once the dough has passed the window pane test, add the softened butter and knead the dough until all the butter is absorbed.*Please refer to the post above for photo reference and more details about the window pane test.*
- Round out the dough into a smooth ball and place in back into the bowl. Cover and let it proof in a warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- When the dough has doubled, punch it down then round it back up into a ball. Divide the dough into 19 equal pieces, about 28 to 30 grams each. Roughly round up each piece of dough into a ball.
- Working with one dough ball at a time, flatten the dough ball in between your palm. Place a piece of the string mozzarella sticks in the center and wrap the mozzarella in the dough. Pinch together the edges to seal. Roughly round the dough ball in between your hands to make them as round as possible. Repeat with remaining dough balls and mozzarella sticks.*We recommend covering the dough with clean, damp towel while working to prevent the dough from drying out.*
- Prepare a half size sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Arrange the cheese stuffed dough balls on the prepared sheet pan, about ½ to 1 inch apart, seam side down to make a Christmas tree. Cover and let the dough balls proof in a warm area until, about 45 minutes.*To make a Christmas tree shape, place the dough balls on the tray in this order: Row 1 - 1 pc; Row 2 - 2pcs; Row 3 - 3pcs; Row 4 - 4pcs; Row 5 - 5 pcs; Row 6 - 2pcs; Row 7 - 2pcs. Also refer to the post above for photo references!*
For the garlic herb butter:
- While the dough is proofing, make the butter mixture. Combine the butter and garlic in a heat proof bowl and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, until the butter is melted and hot. Carefully remove the hot garlic butter and stir in the dry parsley and dry oregano. Mix well and set aside until needed. If needed, reheat the butter mixture so that the butter is melted.
Bake the pull-apart bread:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- When the dough balls have doubled, brush them with half of the prepared garlic herb butter. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella between all the dough balls and gaps and sprinkle with grated parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bake the bread for about 12 minutes or until the breads are golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush them with the remaining garlic butter, followed by a light sprinkle of kosher salt.
- Garnish the bread with some parsley and enjoy while hot, on its own or with some marinara!
Notes
- Store-bought dough - If you're short on time, you can skip making your own homemade down and use your favorite store bought pizza dough instead.
Tina says
Hi! I'm very excited to try this recipe! But I am wondering, why is all purpose flour used to make bread instead of bread flour?
Thank you for answering my question!
Mei says
Hi Tina!
Although bread flour is what most recipe calls for when making bread, all-purpose (A/P) contains enough protein (which in short, kind of determines how much gluten will develop) to make pretty good bread. Bread flour is crucial for making breads like sourdough, because will provide more gluten structure, which a high hydration dough needs. However, when it comes to basic dinner rolls and this Christmas tree pull-apart bread, A/P flour will suffice. These breads, don't require as much gluten structure. We also chose to create this recipe around A/P flour since it's much more accessible to most people and it's more budget friendly. If you wish to make the pull-apart bread with bread flour, you'd need to adjust the amount of milk used, as bread flour absorbs more moisture than A/P flour.
Hope this answered your question!
Mei ❤️
Tina says
Thank you!! May I know if it is possible to double the recipe?
Danielle says
WOW! I made this dough for Christmas and it was a show stopper, the star of a very competitive meal lol. I made the dough in my stand mixer first and just failed, I incorrectly measured too much flour. I made the dough again with my bread machine using the dough cycle and added a splash more milk and a sprinkle of yeast. This recipe is actually very forgiving for novice bread makers like myself. I have another batch rising for New Year’s Eve right now, had to bring it back by popular demand. I’m trying mozzarella pearls instead of string cheese. The moisture content is higher but it also melts better, should be tasty.
Such a winner, will forever be in my recipe repertoire!
Mei says
Hi Danielle!
Thanks for trying out our recipes! So glad to hear that it turned out well and that everyone enjoyed it! And using mozzarella pearls is such a awesome idea! Thanks for sharing =) Also, great to know that the recipe works in a bread maker too!
Mei ❤️