This cheesy, herbaceous pull-apart bread wreath is perfect for any holiday meal, but there's no need to wait for a special occasion. You won't believe how easy it is to make!
Just grab a ball of pizza dough (I especially love my overnight dough for this recipe), a block of good gruyere cheese, and a mix of fresh herbs. I went with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme because they complement traditional Thanksgiving and holiday dishes (and also this, of course), but you can use any herbs you like.
Ready? Let's get started!
Step-by-Step Directions (with Tips)
Time needed: 40 minutes
- Divide and roll out the pizza dough.
Make sure your dough is at room temperature; otherwise it will not cooperate when you try to roll it out. First, divide it in half, then press or roll out each piece to a roughly 4 x 8-inch (or slightly larger) rectangle.
- Cut the dough into 24 equal-ish pieces (and cut the block of cheese into 24 equal-size cubes).
Use a bench scraper, pizza cutter, or sharp knife to cut the dough into 24 pieces. As you can see in the video above, my pieces were not all the same shape — that's OK! All you need is 24 pieces of dough that are about the same size and 24 cubes of cheese that are about the same size, too. You can match up the smaller pieces of dough with the smaller pieces of cheese (and vice versa) in the next step.
- Fill the dough with cheese and assemble the wreath.
Grease a Bundt pan and place it nearby on your work space. To fill each dough piece, put a piece of dough in one palm and press a cheese cube into the center of the square (or whatever shape). Then, fold the dough up and around the cheese to seal it in, and squeeze your hand around the dough to make a ball. Put filled dough balls in the prepared pan, seam-side down, in the shape of a wreath.
- Brush with egg wash and bake.
When all the dough pieces are filled and the wreath is assembled, brush it with a quick egg wash. Then, transfer the pan to the oven. Bake at 425°F until the wreath is golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Melt butter and mix in herbs.
Meanwhile, melt some butter and mix in some salt and chopped fresh herbs.
- Take the wreath out of the oven and top with the herb butter.
When the cheesy pull-apart bread wreath is finished baking, transfer it to a serving platter. Brush the top with the herb butter, enjoy the first cheesy roll yourself, and then bring it to the table.
Looking for more pizza dough bread recipes? Browse similar recipes here, and don't miss my Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread and Herbed Dinner Rolls.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread Wreath with Gruyere and Fresh Herbs
Equipment
- Bundt pan or large rimmed baking sheet
- Rolling Pin
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 (1-pound) ball pizza dough (I especially like my overnight dough for this recipe)
- 8 ounces gruyere cheese, cut into 24 (approximately ½-inch) cubes
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (I used a mix of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a Bundt pan or tube pan with olive oil.
- Divide the pizza dough into two equal portions. On a lightly floured work surface, press or roll out each piece of dough to a roughly 4 x 8-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut each rectangle into 12 equal-size squares or rectangles.
- Place one cheese cube in the center of each square of dough. Pull the edges of dough up and around the cheese and press to seal, making 24 cheese-stuffed balls. Arrange the balls, seam-side down, in a wreath shape on the prepared Bundt pan, gently smooshing them together so they are all touching.
- In a ramekin or small bowl, whisk together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the assembled dough-ball wreath with the egg wash. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.
- While the wreath bakes, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt and finely chopped fresh herbs. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- When the tree is done baking, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a serving platter. Brush it with the butter-herb mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
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