Buttery-soft and flaky, this pesto pull-apart bread is brimming with fresh flavor. Stuff homemade herbed dough with mozzarella cheese and homemade pesto, then arrange it all in a loaf pan. When it’s warm out of the oven, add a dose of garlic butter and watch as the bread disappears piece by torn-apart piece.
One reader, Nicky, commented: “Oooh this was such a good recipe! I am always scared of baking with yeast, but these instructions were so easy to follow, along with all of Sally’s helpful guides on How to Knead Dough, Baking with Yeast, etc. This was so delicious. ★★★★★“
When it comes to flavored and shaped yeast bread, pull-apart bread is my favorite variety. It usually consists of pieces of dough stuffed or smothered with cheese, butter, herbs, or something sweet like cinnamon and sugar. When it bakes, the filled dough forms one big loaf that you can tear apart for serving, revealing the flavors tucked inside. This rosemary garlic pull apart bread is a popular variety and starts with a simple homemade dough that I also use for this everything bagel pull-apart bread.
This is Pesto Pull-Apart Bread
Today I’m sharing a basil pesto variation with mozzarella cheese and garlic butter. The pesto and cheese infuse into the dough and the garlic butter seeps down into every crevice, altogether making a snackable bread you truly will not be able to leave alone. (Or be left alone with… good luck.)
There are many pull-apart recipes that call for a loaf of store-bought bread that you cut up and stuff with fillings, and who could ever resist something like that? But I really like making this type of bread from scratch, and especially with today’s particular dough.
You need just 9 ingredients including: yeast, sugar, milk, butter, salt, egg, flour, garlic powder, and dried basil. Sugar feeds the yeast, while milk hydrates it and gives the bread a softer texture (as opposed to water). Butter, salt, garlic powder, and basil add flavor. Egg contributes to the rising and provides more texture and structure.
And together they make one fabulously flaky bread, ready for oodles of garlicky pesto.
You Can Use My Homemade Pesto Recipe
Have you ever made homemade pesto before? It’s extremely easy and tastes infinitely better than any shelf-stable options at the store. Fresh basil and pine nuts are the main ingredients and you need a food processor or blender to make it. It’s:
- Fresh and flavorful
- Ready in minutes
- Made with just a few ingredients
- Easy to customize with what you have on hand
My homemade recipe is the exact version I use when I make pesto pizza and this creamy pesto shrimp dish.
Note about the pine nuts: Pine nuts can be pricey and sometimes difficult to find, so if you’re having trouble picking up a bag, use walnuts, almonds, or pistachios instead. For a nut-free version, readers have tried sunflower seeds, pepitas, and cooked/cooled edamame.
How to Assemble Pesto Pull-Apart Bread:
Let’s bring everything together to make our pesto pull-apart bread. Don’t get nervous to assemble this; it’s really hard to mess it up!
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Flatten into 4-inch circles. They don’t need to be perfect.
- Spread pesto on top, usually 1 to 2 teaspoons will fit nicely. Sprinkle with a heaping Tablespoon of cheese.
- Fold the circles in half so they look like little pesto tacos and arrange them upright in a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Pesto Bread Step by Step Photos
Make and knead the dough, referencing my How to Knead Dough tutorial if needed. This dough requires 2 rises. For the 1st rise, let the dough rise until doubled in size.
Punch down the risen dough and divide into 12 pieces. They don’t have to be exact, but if you’d like to be precise, each piece of dough is about 1/4 cup or 50g.
Flatten the dough rounds and spread each with pesto.
Sprinkle with cheese and fold in half to resemble a taco.
- Why fold the circles in half? Folding the dough circles in half gives the bread a solid base where no pesto/cheese can seep through. While some cheese melts around the sides here, the bread’s base is pretty solid, so you can easily remove it from the loaf pan and serve.
Line folded circles in a greased loaf pan.
Allow to rise for just 45 minutes or until slightly puffy. Do not extend this 2nd rise, as the shaped bread will puff up too much and the fillings could spill over the sides of the pan.
Before & after the 2nd rise:
Bake until golden brown, then brush with melted butter mixed with garlic powder:
Before serving, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and you can even drop a couple small spoonfuls of pesto on top, too. You can dig into the bread while it’s still warm, slicing or tearing off pieces. I love it with spaghetti or baked ziti, minestrone soup, or this baked lemon garlic salmon.
However you serve the bread, I’m confident you’ll immediately want to print and laminate this recipe after your 1st taste. Pesto perfection.
P.S. If you’re craving sugar, this homemade monkey bread is another pull-apart style of bread… and equally mouthwatering.
Print
Pesto Pull Apart-Bread
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade pesto, mozzarella cheese, and garlic butter infuse into this soft and flaky bread, making for a snack you truly cannot resist. Do not overthink the shaping; as long as it all goes into the loaf pan, it’ll taste delicious.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180g/ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 and 1/3 cups (291g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Filling
- 1/2 cup (125g) basil pesto (I recommend my homemade pesto)
- 1 cup (125g / 4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese
- optional for garnish: extra pesto
Instructions
- Make the dough: Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Whisk in the warm milk, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy after 5-10 minutes.
- If you do not have a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in this step. Add the butter, egg, flour, salt, garlic powder, and dried basil. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Dough will be soft.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, around 60-90 minutes. (If desired, use my warm oven trick for rising. See my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- As the dough rises, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and prepare the pesto.
- Assemble & fill the bread: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 12 equal pieces, about 1/4 cup of dough or 50g each (a little larger than a golf ball). Using lightly floured hands, flatten each into a circle that’s about 4 inches in diameter. The circle doesn’t have to be perfectly round. I do not use a rolling pan to flatten, but you certainly can if you want. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of pesto onto each. Sprinkle each with 1 heaping Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Fold circles in half and line in prepared baking pan, round side up. See photos above for a visual.
- 2nd Rise: Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and allow to rise once again in a slightly warm environment until puffy, about 45 minutes. Do not extend this 2nd rise, as the bread could puff up too much and spill over the sides while baking.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position then preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. If you find the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack.
- Make the topping: Mix the melted butter and garlic powder together. Brush on the warm bread and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. If desired, drop a couple spoonfuls of fresh pesto on top (or serve with extra pesto.) Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and serve warm.
- Cover and store leftovers at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Since the bread is extra crispy on the exterior, it will become a little hard after day 1. Reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10-15 minutes until interior is soft again or warm in the microwave.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Freeze baked and cooled bread for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven to your liking. The dough can be prepared through step 4, then after it has risen, punch it down to release the air, cover it tightly, then place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Continue with step 5. To freeze the dough, prepare it through step 4. After it has risen, punch it down to release the air. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Then let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before continuing with step 5. (You may need to punch it down again if it has some air bubbles.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Wooden Spoon / Silicone Spatula | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Cooling Rack | Pastry Brush
- Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast. The rise times may be slightly longer using active dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: Feel free to use the same amount of bread flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Can I substitute the pesto? Instead of pesto, you can use your favorite tomato sauce, or try this rosemary garlic pull apart bread.
Reader Comments and Reviews
A fun and easy recipe. Delicious results. Needed a few extra tablespoons of flour because dough was very sticky. I weighted the flour, but still needed a little extra.
This was fun to make. It is soooooo good! My son, the incredible picky eater, is loving it. I think he is amazed at how good it is. I will be making this again. Thank you for a great recipe!
Just made 2 loaves. Crispy crust and soft and tasty inside. My family loves it.
Hi. I am an experienced bread maker but I have never made a pull- apart bread. Can it be sliced for sandwiches?
Thank you!
Hi Trish, it’s typically enjoyed pull-apart style, but you could make thicker slices for sandwich bread. Let us know if you try it!
Hi! Is there a way I could make this into a quick bread instead of a yeast bread. Thanks
Hi Kristen, here is our savory quick bread recipe instead!
This was so easy to make and turned out great! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Can I use coconut milk instead of whole milk in this recipe?
Hi Lisa, we’re sure you could, but the bread may be a little less soft and rich with less fat in the dough.
Could you make them into balls and put them into a bundt pan?
Hi Suzanne, like monkey bread – what a fun idea! We have not tested that method here. Let us know if you do!
I thought so too! But should I put the cheese inside the ball I’m wondering ?
Could the rounds be put into muffin cups to make dinner rolls instead?
Hi Kathy, yes, you definitely could! We’re unsure of the bake time, but it will be much shorter so keep an eye on it.
Is the dough a brioche? Do you have a brioche dough recipe?
Hi Tori! We don’t have a brioche recipe published at this time, but keep an eye out for Sally’s next cookbook which will have a brioche bun recipe included.
Can you make this recipe with bread flour?
Hi Alana, Feel free to use the same amount of bread flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Made this with our spaghetti and meatballs dinner last night! So delicious! I used store-bought pesto. It’s amazing we have any bread left it’s so good! I will definitely be making this again!
Great recipe and clear instructions for a bread novice. I subbed olive tapenade for the pesto and it worked beautifully.
I followed this recipe step by step except that I used Store bought pesto.
This turned out great! Absolutely delicious. This recipe is a keeper for sure!
I adapted this method with my sourdough bread dough – nice change up with an Italian meal!
This recipe is so good! I buy basil from the international grocery store where it is cheap, and make tons of pesto to use in everything. I made this bread a couple of months ago and have been dying to make it again. It’s not really hard to do at all!
I’m very much a novice when it comes to baking, so I’m not gonna lie, I was intimidated by this recipe. However, it looked too delicious, so I ended up giving it a shot. It was absolutely worth it! The instructions were super easy to follow, and the result is incredible — my dad said it was “the best bread he’d ever eaten”. Looks like i’m gonna have to make some more 🙂
I was late for the challenge but still had to make this bread and it was a great decision I love it and it was not as hard as I had expected. Very delicious.
This was great! I used your homemade pesto, which was also great! Every recipe I try tastes fantastic!
This bread is amazing! The recipe is clear and easy to follow. I used store bought pesto and it’s delicious!
I have taken this basic recipe without the spices and used fruit filling. I have made huckleberry, apple and cherry pull apart so far. Then top it of with Sally’s icing. It is a big hit
I made this today to share with another family. It was fun to make and it look and tasted amazing. I may have gotten carried away with the butter on the top……
This was a fun recipe to make and so beautiful! Thank you for an excellent recipe that was easy to follow!!
Made this as part of the April 2024 SBC challenge, and loved it! The dough was so pillowy-soft, and each step was so straightforward, nothing tricky about this recipe! So cheesy and crispy but soft! My fav way to eat this was as the base for avocado toast!
This was so fun to try!
Turned out great!
What a fun and easy recipe to make. Went great with my spaghetti dinner tonight
What a fun and easy recipe to make. Went great with out spaghetti dinner tonight
This recipe was so easy to follow. We loved all of the flavors together and the flaky layers of the bread. Great addition to our dinner!
A little time consuming, so definitely plan ahead, but this was a fun recipe! My kids loved pulling apart the bread!