This cheesy pull-apart bread appetizer is a cheese lover’s dream and is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser at any party!
One of my first “work friends” was a woman I met at my job right out of college in Denver. The two of us bonded with over food. We often talked about food when we had a break or over lunch, and shared a lot of recipes with each other. The original recipe for this was something that she shared with me all those years ago – I mean a lot of years ago! Some of the original ingredients do still remain, however it was the idea of the cheesy warm bread that kept me making and tweaking it year after year. It has always been one of my favorites for football and other “Sunday Funday” parties.
Cheese and bread are always an awesome combination, and melty cheese and bread, well who can resist that! There are lots of flavor combination options when it comes to pull-apart bread, and of course, they always include cheese. This one combines swiss cheese and mushrooms for an extra special taste. Throw in a few mix-ins like poppy seeds and Dijon mustard and you have perfection. Just one bite of this warm, toasty bread and you’ll be wanting more!
You’ll be cutting the bread in a grid pattern, making sure you don’t cut all the way through the bottom. You want the loaf to stay together so you can pull out those cheese bites! Slice the loaf in one direction first, I usually do lengthwise if I’m using an oval loaf. Then slice across at a 90-degree angle to create cubes. If a few pieces fall out, just pop them back in. Once the cheese melts it will hold it all together.
I’m not gonna lie, there is a lot of cheese in this, and once you start eating, it’s a little hard to stop. But it’s totally worth it! Every cheesy bite will make you very happy! This cheesy stuffed loaf is one way to help guarantee your game day party, or any party for that matter will be a smashing success!!
notes from the kitchen
- The bread can be stuffed a few hours ahead of when you plan to serve. If you are going to stuff it ahead of time, wrap it in foil and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.
- The best bread for this recipe is a loaf of crusty sourdough. An Italian loaf with a good, hearty crust will work well too. It needs to be able to hold up to all the slicing! The loaf can be either round or oval and should weigh about a pound. It’s ok if the size isn’t exact – you might just have a little bit a cheese left over!
- The leftover edges make a great midnight snack — sprinkle with a little extra cheese and throw it under the broiler until warm and bubbly.
things you may want for this recipe
Bread Knife – Using a bread knife makes slicing any type of bread so much easier. I also find that it works well when slicing hard cheeses.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Game Day Bread
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf sourdough or crusty Italian bread
- 2 ½ cups grated swiss cheese
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms
- ⅓ cup sliced green onions
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp butter, (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Using a serrated bread knife, slice the bread lengthwise and crosswise, forming cubes, making sure NOT to slice all the way through the bottom. The bread "cubes" should still be attached at the bottom of the loaf.
- Mix cheese, mushrooms, onions, poppy seeds and mustard in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Stuff the bread with the cheese mix, being sure to stuff it all the way down to the bottom of each slice in the bread. Don't worry if a few of the bread cubes pop out while you are stuffing the cheese in, just push them back in. Once the cheese melts it will hold everything together.
- Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30-35 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
My husband would probably have tears if he saw this. He loved mushrooms until he found out he’s become allergic and can’t have them any more, he gets a bit sad when he sees a dish he would have enjoyed.
I love love love love mushrooms and swiss! What a fantastic idea to turn those flavors into a pull apart bread.
I’ve got a friend who makes cheesy pull apart bread pretty often when we go over for dinner parties. It’s really a ridiculously good combination! I love that this has mushrooms too! (Maybe I should just send this to her– I prefer NOT to have the cheesy wonderful leftovers in my fridge later haha)
Seriously though!!! I am swooning over this bread!
Yummm! This sounds amazing! I love anything involving lots of cheese and mushrooms. Loving the addition of dijon mustard in this. Need to put this one on the to do list for sure 🙂
I have never made a cheesy pull apart anything but I’ve been dying to try. I LOVE mushrooms but my family hates them (they must be crazy!) Too bad for them, more cheesy mushroom pull apart bread for me!
That cheesy-licious bread will not last long in our house!! I can imagine it to be such a hit at any party!
I keep seeing people on Instagram and Facebook posting pictures of pull-apart bread, but I have never tried it. Looks delicious!
Oh dang, this looks amazing! Yep, I reckon I could polish at least half of this cheesy deliciousness off by myself 😉
This looks so great. And I love all of your notes and tips, so I feel like I’ll have no problem tackling this bad boy myself! Yum!
I’ve made these baked cheesy bread dishes before, but I do believe, you’ve taken it to a whole new level with the addition of mushrooms and mustard! Wow! I’ve never thought of adding extra ingredients/toppings before. That just opens up a whole new world of possibilities, doesn’t it!?
Thanks Byron! Adding the “extras” it definitely makes it even tastier, and there are so many options!
This recipe is so pretty I came back for a second look! Nothing better than melted cheesy goodness on warm artisan bread!
Oh my goodness. See, I’d make this – with the intention of sharing – then… devour the whole thing. That cheesy yummyness would be too hard to resist! Love that you shared how the recipe came to you!
Thanks Kylee. I really had to restrain myself from devouring the entire thing the day I took these photos! 🙂
I love how you took the popular pull apart bread schtick and made it your own! This looks right up my alley!
That just looks so rich and luxurious! Love the Swiss cheese and mustard – and, well, we like mushrooms in anything. (Somehow every appetizer I serve my family and friends seems to end up with mushrooms – they devour them.)
OMG! Never thought there is a recipe that can transform a loaf of bread into this melted cheesy amazingly looking dish! I love the addition of mushrooms and Dijon mustard 🙂
Thanks Oana! I’m a pretty big fan of melty cheese!! 🙂
I make pull apart breads often, but I make the bread too from scratch. This sounds like a lot less work and is perfect for entertaining. Love the idea of store bought sour dough bread. Would work great with the mushrooms and the Swiss cheese
I love this – it’s like fondue, without the fear of losing your skewered bread into the big pot of melty cheese. The mushrooms sound like such a delicious addition, too. What a great appetizer for a party!
Cheesy bread is SOOO hard to say no too. So I’ll just eat it all.
This looks so rich and yummy!
Yeah… this… this is everything! Can’t wait to make it 🙂
I can’t believe I have never tried a cheesy pull apart bread before. I mean, it has all the things! This seriously looks delish!
I have always wanted to make pull apart bread, but my fiance hates it!! So I would be the only one eating it. But now that I think about it, would that really be such a bad thing?? 😉
That definitely wouldn’t be a bad thing!! 🙂
We are always looking for new recipes to try as a family. It has helped our kids to expand what they eat being involved in this. We found your recipe and are adding it to next week’s menu to try! YUM
So nice to hear about families cooking together – it’s such a great way for kids to learn to cook and love different types of food. I hope you all enjoy making it!