Herbed Cheese Pull-Apart Bread Recipe

Divide the dough into 35 pieces — some small, some bigger. Stuff each one with sharp cheddar. Dip in herb oil. Stack them in a bundt pan and watch what happens.

Why You’ll Love This Herbed Cheese Pull-Apart

Takes two hours start to finish, but you’re mostly waiting. Great for a party because people just pull chunks apart instead of slicing.

Tastes like garlic bread and cheese had a baby. Warm, soft, shiny with herb oil.

Works as an appetizer. Works as bread for dinner. Works cold the next day, maybe better.

The dough’s easier than it looks. Thirty-five pieces sounds like a lot until you realize you’re just pinching off chunks and stuffing them. No shaping. No braiding.

Brioche dough soaks up all that herb oil without getting greasy. It’s how this actually works — the bread drinks it.

What You Need for Herbed Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

Herb oil: Olive oil. Three quarters cup. Mix in chopped parsley, chives, fresh thyme, and grated garlic. Season with pepper. That’s it — you’re making the flavor foundation.

For the dough: Unbleached all-purpose flour. Sugar. Instant yeast. Fine sea salt. Warm water. The basics.

Sharp cheddar. Cut into small cubes — not shredded, not chunks. Cubes. They hold their shape when you stuff them into the dough balls, and that matters. You need about 160 grams.

Parmesan cheese. Freshly grated. Sprinkle it on at the end. Pre-grated tastes like dust.

A bundt pan. Three liters. Non-negotiable. The shape is the whole point — the bread rises around the center, and when you flip it, you get that dramatic hole in the middle.

How to Make Herbed Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a mixer bowl. Add warm water slowly. Low speed with the dough hook until you see clumps forming. Then turn it up. Knead six minutes until the dough goes smooth and elastic — you’ll feel it stop being ragged and start being… cooperative.

Now the herb oil goes in. Half of what you made, added in three parts. Keep the speed low. Knead a bit between each addition. The dough will absorb all of it, get shiny, get supple. It’s weird how much oil it takes without getting slick. Then crank the speed back up. Four more minutes of kneading.

Form it into a ball. Put it in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit somewhere warm and humid for an hour or until it doubles. Your kitchen probably works. A turned-off oven with the light on works too.

Oil your bundt pan generously while you wait. This matters. Generous.

Once the dough’s risen, divide it into roughly 35 pieces. Don’t be precious about it. Some small, some slightly bigger — it doesn’t matter, the variation actually looks better when it’s baked. Stuff each piece with one or two cubes of sharp cheddar. Seal it loosely around the cheese. Shape them into balls without overthinking it. Soft. Loose. Done.

Dip each ball into the remaining herb oil. Coat it well. Layer them in the bundt pan, leaving small gaps between — not packed tight, just layered. Pour whatever oil’s left in the bowl over the top. Cover with plastic again. Let it rest 40 minutes at room temperature.

Or chill it overnight up to eight hours. That’s actually better if you have time. Cold dough bakes more evenly.

How to Get Garlic Herb Pull Apart Bread Golden Brown

Center rack. Preheat to 175°C (347°F). If your bundt pan is dark — the nonstick kind — watch closer, maybe pull it at 40 minutes. Light-colored pans take 45. Golden brown means golden brown, not pale, not dark.

The moment it comes out, invert the pan onto a baking sheet. Don’t wait. The bread needs to release while it’s hot or it sticks. Wait five minutes. Then gently pull the pan away.

Let it cool 15 minutes before serving. Or cool it completely if you’re going to freeze it later.

Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan the second it comes out of the pan or right after you invert it. The heat helps it stick.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Both work. Freeze it wrapped tight if you’re not eating it same day.

Brioche Pull Apart Bread Tips and Common Mistakes

The herb oil needs to actually coat every ball. Don’t skimp. The oil is how this becomes soft and flavorful — without it, it’s just bread.

Stuff the cheese inside. Don’t sprinkle it in the pan. If it’s loose, it melts out and pools at the bottom and burns. Inside the dough, it stays where it belongs.

Don’t overproof the second time. Forty minutes is right. Overnight is fine if you refrigerate. But if you let it sit at room temperature for two hours, it over-rises and collapses weird in the oven.

The dough should be soft. Not sticky, but soft. If it’s fighting you, it’s too cold. If it’s slipping everywhere, it’s too warm. You want something that holds together but feels alive in your hands.

If you don’t have a bundt pan, a round cake pan works. Just less dramatic when you invert it.

The thyme matters less than the garlic. If you don’t have fresh thyme, skip it. Don’t use dried. Dried tastes like nothing.

Herbed Cheese Pull-Apart Bread Recipe

By Emma

Prep:

1h 30min

Cook:

40 min

Total:

2h 10min

Servings:

10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• Herb Oil
• 175 ml olive oil (3/4 cup)
• 60 ml chopped parsley (4 tablespoons)
• 50 ml chopped chives (3 1/2 tablespoons)
• 8 ml chopped fresh thyme leaves (1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• Dough
• 375 g (2 1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 50 g (4 tablespoons) sugar
• 8 ml (1 1/2 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 12 ml (2 1/2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
• 280 ml warm water (1 1/6 cups)
• 160 g sharp white cheddar, cut into small cubes
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Method

1. Herb Oil
2. 1 Mix olive oil, parsley, chives, thyme, and grated garlic in small bowl. Season with pepper. Set aside.
3. 2
4. Dough
5. 3 Combine flour, sugar, yeast, salt in mixer bowl. Slowly add warm water. Low speed with dough hook until clumps form.
6. 4 Increase speed. Knead 6 minutes until smooth and elastic dough forms.
7. 5 At low speed, add half the herb oil in three parts, kneading slightly between additions. Dough will absorb all oil, become shiny and supple.
8. 6 Increase speed, knead 4 minutes more. Form a ball. Place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Proof in warm, humid spot about 1 hour or until doubled.
9. 7
10. 8 Prepare bundt pan (3 liters/12 cups) with generous coating of oil.
11. 9
12. 10 Once risen, divide dough into roughly 35 pieces. Vary sizes: some small, some slightly bigger.
13. 11 Stuff each piece with 1-2 cubes of cheddar, seal softly. Shape loosely into balls without over-handling.
14. 12
15. 13 Dip each dough ball into remaining herb oil, coat well. Place balls in bundt pan, layering, leaving small gaps.
16. 14 Pour leftover oil over dough balls in pan. Cover with plastic. Let rest another 40 minutes at room temperature or chill overnight up to 8 hours (see notes).
17. 15
18. 16 Oven rack center position. Preheat oven to 175°C (347°F).
19. 17 Remove plastic from dough. Bake about 40 minutes if pan is dark, 45 minutes if light-colored, until golden brown.
20. 18 Immediately invert pan onto baking sheet upon removal. Wait 5 minutes. Remove pan gently.
21. 19 Cool 15 minutes before serving or cool completely if freezing.
22. 20 Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
23. 21 Serve warm or at room temperature. Can freeze at this stage, wrapped tightly.

Nutritional information

Calories

300

Protein

9g

Carbs

32g

Fat

15g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Herbed Cheese Pull-Apart

Can I make this dough without a mixer? Yeah. Hand knead it for longer — maybe 10 minutes to start, then 6 after the oil. Your arms get a workout. The dough’s easier to work with once the oil’s in, actually. Less resistance.

How long does leftover bread last? Three days wrapped up. After that it goes stale. Freezes for a month though. Thaw it wrapped so it doesn’t dry out, then warm it in a low oven.

What if I don’t have sharp cheddar? Gruyère works. Emmental works. Not mozzarella. Not mild cheddar. You need the actual flavor. Mild tastes boring in this.

Can I chill it overnight? Yes. Preferred, actually. Cold dough’s more stable, rises more evenly. Just take it out 20 minutes before baking so it’s not ice cold going in.

Why does the recipe make 35 pieces specifically? Honestly? That’s the number that fits a three-liter bundt pan with slight gaps. More, and you’re stacking too tight. Fewer, and there are big holes. Give or take a few pieces, you’re fine.

Do I have to use a bundt pan? No, but it’s why this works. The hole in the middle makes it look special. You could bake it in a round cake pan, but it’s just bread at that point. Not as much of a party moment.