Easy Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread with Frozen Bread Dough
Turn frozen bread dough into an easy cheesy garlic pull-apart bread loaded with buttery garlic flavor and gooey mozzarella cheese.
If you've been following along lately, you know I've fallen down a bit of a frozen bread dough rabbit hole.
It all started when I bought frozen Rhodes bread dough to make my Copycat Dollywood Cinnamon Bread. That sweet cinnamon loaf turned out so beautifully that I immediately started wondering what else I could do with the remaining frozen dough.
And since I'd started with something sweet, I decided it was only fair to give savory a turn.
Enter this easy cheesy garlic pull-apart bread.
An Easy Shortcut Garlic Bread
This recipe uses the same basic technique as my Dollywood-inspired cinnamon bread. I partially thawed the frozen loaf, cut it into sections, and added the good stuff between the pieces.
Only this time, instead of butter and cinnamon sugar, I went with garlic butter and mozzarella cheese.
The result was a golden, fluffy loaf with melted cheese tucked between the pieces—and one seriously impressive cheese pull when I tore into it.
This would be a fun alternative to traditional garlic bread alongside spaghetti, lasagna, soup, or just about any meal that needs a warm loaf of bread on the table.
Ingredients
You'll find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here's a quick look at what you'll need:
- 1 loaf frozen bread dough
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
- 1–1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Optional: a light sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
A note about salt: I got a little enthusiastic with the seasonings when I made mine, so my finished bread was saltier than I intended. That's why I recommend unsalted butter and measured seasonings here. You can always add salt at the table, but you can't take it back out of the bread!
How to Make Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
Generously grease a standard loaf pan.
Place the frozen loaf of bread dough in the pan and loosely cover it with plastic wrap that's been lightly sprayed on the underside with nonstick cooking spray.
Allow the loaf to thaw for about two hours, or until it's still cool but soft enough to cut and manipulate.
Remove the partially thawed dough from the pan and place it on a clean work surface. Cut it into several thick sections.
Mix the melted butter with the garlic powder and optional Italian seasoning. Brush the garlic butter generously over the exposed surfaces of the dough.
Add shredded mozzarella between the sections. Don't worry if things get a little messy. Once the dough rises, the sections will expand and settle together.
Carefully return everything to the greased loaf pan.
Cover again with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the bread to continue rising until noticeably puffy, approximately another 1 ½–2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Bake the Bread
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and baked through and the mozzarella is melted and bubbly.
If the cheese or top of the loaf begins browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil.
Allow the bread to cool for several minutes.
Pull apart and serve warm. And yes, you're definitely going to want to pull apart a piece while the mozzarella is still warm enough to stretch.
What to Expect
This is a simple, fluffy yeast bread with buttery garlic flavor and pockets of melted mozzarella running between the pieces.
The best part is that you get the experience of homemade yeast bread without mixing, kneading, or worrying about whether your yeast is alive. The frozen dough has already taken care of the hard part.
It's an easy shortcut—and nobody looking at that beautiful golden loaf needs to know just how little work you actually did.
What to Expect from This Cheesy Garlic Bread
This bread is wonderfully light and fluffy on the inside with buttery garlic flavor and pockets of gooey mozzarella tucked between the sections. Because you're starting with frozen bread dough, you get that lovely homemade yeast-bread texture without mixing, kneading, or waiting for yeast to activate.
I especially loved the cheese pull on this one! Serve the bread while it's still warm and the mozzarella is soft and stretchy.
This isn't a heavily seasoned garlic bread, and that's intentional. The bread and mozzarella both get a chance to shine, while the garlic butter adds plenty of flavor without overwhelming everything else.
What to Serve with Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
This is the kind of bread that can go with almost anything, but it's especially good anywhere you would normally serve garlic bread.
Pair it with spaghetti, lasagna, baked ziti, chicken Parmesan, or another favorite Italian meal. It would also be wonderful alongside a bowl of tomato soup, vegetable soup, chili, or a hearty stew.
You could even serve it as an appetizer with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
And, of course, there's nothing stopping you from pulling off a warm cheesy piece and eating it all by itself. I certainly won't tell.
Variations on this Easy Pull-Apart Bread
Once you know how easy it is to doctor a loaf of frozen bread dough, there are all sorts of ways you can change this recipe.
Parmesan Garlic: Add grated or finely shredded Parmesan along with the mozzarella for a sharper cheese flavor.
Extra Cheesy: Try a combination of mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan.
Pizza Bread: Tuck a few pepperoni slices between the sections with the mozzarella and serve with marinara sauce.
Garlic Herb: Add a small amount of Italian seasoning or dried parsley to the garlic butter. Don't go overboard with dried herbs because they can darken as the bread bakes.
Spicy Garlic Bread: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the garlic butter.
Cheddar Garlic: Swap some or all of the mozzarella for cheddar for a completely different flavor.
Just remember that cheese and seasonings can contain quite a bit of salt. I recommend using unsalted butter and seasoning conservatively, especially the first time you make it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. I used Rhodes frozen bread dough, but another comparable frozen yeast bread dough should work. Thawing and rising times may vary by brand, so watch the dough rather than relying solely on the clock.
No. In fact, I found the dough easier to work with when it was mostly thawed but still cold and somewhat firm. After about two hours at room temperature, mine was soft enough to cut but sturdy enough to handle without collapsing. Once filled, it went back into the loaf pan to finish rising.
As the dough rises, it can reach the plastic wrap. Lightly spraying the underside with nonstick cooking spray keeps that beautiful risen dough from sticking to the wrap when you remove it.
Of course, but I'd start conservatively. You can always increase the garlic the next time you make it. You can also use a little fresh minced garlic in the melted butter if you prefer fresh garlic flavor.
You can, but I recommend unsalted butter for this recipe. Mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic salt, and other seasonings can contribute quite a bit of sodium on their own. I got a little carried away with the seasoning on some of my early frozen-dough experiments, so I'm passing that lesson along to you!
The top should be nicely golden and the center of the loaf should be baked through. Mine took about 25 minutes at 350°F. If the top or cheese is becoming too dark before the center is finished, loosely tent the loaf with foil and continue baking.
This bread is at its very best freshly baked while the mozzarella is still warm and gooey. You can prepare the dough earlier in the day, but remember that yeast dough continues to rise. For the easiest option, bake the loaf and reheat individual pieces as needed.
How to Store Leftover Cheesy Garlic Bread
Once completely cooled, place leftover bread in an airtight container or wrap it well and refrigerate it because of the cheese.
Warm individual pieces briefly in the microwave, toaster oven, or conventional oven before serving. Reheating brings back some of that lovely soft texture and gets the mozzarella gooey again.
More Easy Bread Recipes from Out of the Box Baking
If this recipe has you wondering what else you can do with simple bread shortcuts, you're in the right place. My whole frozen-bread-dough experiment began when I made my Copycat Dollywood Cinnamon Bread, and that one loaf sent me down quite the rabbit hole!
Dollywood Cinnamon Bread (Copycat Recipe)
This is the recipe that started it all! Frozen bread dough is transformed with butter, cinnamon, and sugar into a fluffy pull-apart loaf with incredible caramelized edges.
Caramel Apple Pull-Apart Bread
This sweet version adds caramel apple filling to that same basic frozen-dough technique. The buttery cinnamon-sugar edges caramelize against the pan while the inside stays beautifully light and fluffy.
Easy Cinnamon Rolls with Frozen Bread Dough
One frozen loaf can also become a whole pan of soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls—without making yeast dough from scratch. [ADD LINK]
Everything Bagel Pull-Apart Bread (coming soon)
For another savory option, this easy loaf uses butter and Everything Bagel seasoning to create a bread that looks like something you'd pick up at a specialty bakery.
Ham, Cheddar & Ranch Breakfast Pull-Apart Bread (coming soon)
Frozen bread dough gets a breakfast makeover with ham, cheddar cheese, and a touch of ranch seasoning.
You might also enjoy my Nutella Pull-Apart Bread, which uses biscuits instead of frozen bread dough, or my Easy Honeycomb Buns if you're in the mood to make your yeast dough from scratch.
And stay tuned! I'm continuing to experiment with frozen bread dough, and I have a feeling there are plenty more sweet and savory creations coming.
Thanks for Stopping By!
If you make this delicious cheesy garlic pull-apart bread, I hope you'll stop back by and let me know how it turned out. And if you love easy bread recipes and baking shortcuts, don't forget to pin this one so you can find it again!
About the Baker
Hi, I'm Janice Thompson, the baker and recipe developer behind Out of the Box Baking. I love taking simple ingredients and convenient shortcuts and turning them into something special. After years of doctoring cake mixes, I'm having entirely too much fun discovering that frozen bread dough is another "box" I can bake out of!
Easy Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
Frozen bread dough gets an easy savory makeover with garlic butter and gooey mozzarella cheese in this simple pull-apart bread.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf frozen bread dough
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
- 1–1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
1. Generously grease a standard loaf pan.
2. Place frozen bread dough in the pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap lightly sprayed on the underside with nonstick spray.
3. Thaw for approximately 2 hours, until the dough is cool but workable.
4. Remove dough from the pan and cut into several sections.
5. Combine melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
6. Brush garlic butter over the exposed surfaces of the dough.
7. Tuck mozzarella cheese between the sections.
8. Carefully return the dough to the loaf pan.
9. Cover and allow to rise until noticeably puffy, approximately 1 ½–2 additional hours.
10. Preheat oven to 350°F.
11. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until golden and baked through.
12. Cool briefly and serve warm.
Notes
For the best control over salt, use unsalted butter and season lightly. If your cheese is particularly salty, you may not need any additional salt at all.
For extra garlic flavor, add a little minced fresh garlic to the melted butter.
Serve warm for the best gooey mozzarella cheese pull.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 50Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 19mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.
