Caprese Pull Apart Bread

Cheesy Pull Apart Bread stuffed with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella – This truly is the ULTIMATE Caprese bread!

The ULTIMATE Caprese Bread

First things first, just for anyone wondering – 

I don’t know about you, but when I think of ‘Caprese’ it usually brings imagery of a nice delicate and healthy plate of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, right? Well not on this blog. We’re stuffin’ it into bread. Take what you thought you knew about Caprese appetizers and, well, just get your eating pants on okay, things are about to get intense 😂

Here’s why you’re going to LOVE this Caprese bread:

• Easy – Incredibly easy and so much fun to make!
• Flavour – Think gorgeous Caprese flavours but enhanced x100.
• Appetizer – The PERFECT shared appetizer to make for a gathering.

Caprese Pull Apart Bread

Pull apart bread aka ‘crack bread’ is truly the perfect shared appetizer. Everybody diggin’ in, cheese pulls left right and centre. Love it. It’s one of those recipes that’s been done so many times, so I thought I’d come up with a little twist. Pull apart bread generally is just cheese and possibly garlic and/or parsley, but you can really add anything you like. Since the classic caprese and pull apart bread are both already delicious appetizers in their own right, I thought why not mix the two?

Spoiler alert, the result is bloomin’ INCREDIBLE!

How to make Caprese Pull Apart Bread (quick summary)

1. Combine mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes.
2. Combine melted butter with seasoning.
3. Grab a loaf of bread (see recipe for notes on this)
4. Slice down to the bottom of the bread (not all the way through) in slices to make diamond shapes.
5. Pour butter into cracks, then stuff with cheese filling.
6. Wrap in foil, bake, then unwrap and bake again.

Can I make this ahead of time?

If you want to make it ahead of time you absolutely can, just use softened butter instead of melted. The melted butter will seep into the bread if left for too long and make the whole thing soggy. Softened butter will be firm enough not to do that, but also soft enough to spread through the cracks. Just make up until baking then wrap and store in the fridge.

Can I sub fresh tomatoes?

Unfortunately fresh tomatoes are not suitable for this recipe. They are too watery and will make the bread too soft as it bakes, meaning it’ll fall apart when you pull it.

Can I sub dry basil?

Fresh basil is far better suited for this recipe. Dry herbs are great for longer cooking times, so they have the opportunity to infuse what they’re paired with. They’re not suited for a recipe as it’s fairly dry too.

What kind of bread to use?

You want a 14oz/400g loaf, preferably quite crusty and dense like a Sourdough.

How to serve Caprese bread

Use it as a centre piece appetizer at dinner, or even bring it to pot luck. It’s a perfect kind of tear ‘n’ share kind of deal. To complete the Caprese theme, I also serve this with a little dish of 1 part good quality extra virgin olive oil and 1 part balsamic vinegar. In general just serve this with whatever meal you’d serve garlic bread.

If you like this sound of this Caprese garlic bread then definitely check out my Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread and Garlic Butter Potato Skins!

Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?

Shared Appetizer Recipes

• BBQ Chicken Nachos
• Cream Cheese and Onion Ball
• Bloomin’ Onion
• Homemade Hummus
• Baked Feta

Okay, let’s tuck into the full Caprese pull apart bread recipe shall we!?

How to make Caprese Pull Apart Bread (Full Recipe & Video)

Cheesy Caprese Pull Apart Bread

Cheesy Pull Apart Bread stuffed with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella - This truly is the ULTIMATE Caprese bread!

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Servings (click & slide): 6

Course: Appetizer / Starter

Cuisine: finger food

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 376kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £1 / $1

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Equipment:

• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Suitably Sized Baking Tray
• Foil
• Small Mixing Bowl
• Small Pot (for butter)

Ingredients (check list):

• ▢ 1x 14oz/400g loaf of Bread (see notes)
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups / 150g Mozzarella, shredded
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups / 125g Sun Dried Tomatoes, very finely diced
• ▢ 3.5oz / 100g Unsalted Butter, melted
• ▢ 2 tbsp Fresh Basil, very finely diced
• ▢ 1 large clove Garlic, very finely diced & mashed with blade of your knife
• ▢ 1/4 tsp each: Salt and Black Pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 356F/180C.
• In a bowl, combine 1.5cups/150g mozzarella and 1.25cups/125g diced sun dried tomatoes. Place to one side.
• In a smaller bowl or pot, combine 3.5oz/100g butter, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt & pepper (or to taste). Place to one side.
• Carve slices into your bread to create diamond shapes approx 1" in size, making sure you go right to the bottom, but not all the way through. (see video for guidance).
• Use a spoon to drizzle the basil butter in and around each section. Repeat with the mozzarella mix. You want to make sure you try and evenly spread the mixtures through each crack and crevice, from top to bottom. Tedious, but worth it.
• Wrap in foil and bake for 15mins, or until the cheese starts to melt. The unwrap and bake for another 10mins or until the bread goes nice and crispy. Serve with a pot of 1 part quality extra virgin olive oil and 1 part balsamic vinegar.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) What type of bread to use? - You want a nice crusty dense bread. If it's too soft, it'll fall apart when you try and pull it. For my UK readers, I use Giraffe or Tiger bread, for all readers Sourdough works great too.

b) Can I make this ahead of time? - Sure! Just make sure you use SOFTENED butter, not melted. Melted will seep into the bread and make it soggy if left for too long. The butter should be firm enough not to seep into the bread, but soft enough to spread.

c) Garlic Powder Sub - 1 large clove of fresh garlic will be around 1/2 tsp garlic powder

d) Calories - shared between 6 people without the oil dip.

Your Private Notes:

Click here to add your own private notes or reminders about this recipe.

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Cheesy Caprese Pull Apart Bread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 376 Calories from Fat 161

% Daily Value*

Fat 17.93g28%

Saturated Fat 9.871g49%

Trans Fat 0.018g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.75g

Monounsaturated Fat 4.929g

Cholesterol 40mg13%

Sodium 702mg29%

Potassium 508mg15%

Carbohydrates 40.05g13%

Fiber 3.2g13%

Sugar 8.31g9%

Protein 14.31g29%

Vitamin A 1300IU26%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 260mg26%

Iron 3.8mg21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

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