Description
This festive Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread is a delightful holiday appetizer featuring soft pizza dough stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese, seasoned with Italian herbs and garlic, and baked to golden perfection. Shaped like a Christmas tree, it’s perfect for sharing and dipping into warm marinara sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough and Cheese
- 1 pound prepared pizza dough
- 8 mozzarella cheese sticks
Seasonings and Coating
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
For Serving
- 1 cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Dough: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Let the prepared pizza dough come to room temperature for about 15 minutes to make it easier to work with.
- Cut Cheese and Dough: Slice each mozzarella stick into 4 bite-sized pieces, giving you 32 pieces total. Roll the dough out and cut it into 32 squares, matching the number of cheese pieces.
- Assemble Dough Balls: Place one mozzarella piece on each dough square. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic powder evenly over them. Fold the edges of each square up toward the center, pinch tightly to seal, then gently roll into smooth balls.
- Arrange on Baking Sheet: Place the dough balls seam-side down on the lined baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree, including a small trunk at the bottom. Use 29 balls for the tree and set aside the remaining 3 to bake separately.
- Brush with Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush this mixture over each dough ball to help them brown beautifully in the oven.
- Bake: Bake the dough balls for 16 to 18 minutes, or until they turn golden brown and the cheese inside has melted.
- Add Finishing Touches: Remove from the oven and immediately brush the melted butter over the bread balls. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese for added flavor and festive color.
- Serve: Serve the Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread warm with a side of marinara sauce for dipping, making it a perfect party appetizer.
Notes
- This recipe makes an excellent centerpiece party appetizer during the holidays.
- You can substitute mozzarella sticks with other types of mozzarella cheese cut into similar sizes.
- For extra flavor, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the seasoning.
- Ensure dough is properly sealed to prevent cheese leaking during baking.
- Serve immediately for best taste and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 ounces
- Calories: 265 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 818 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 46 mg
