Garlic Bread Christmas Tree

Introducing our Garlic Bread Christmas Tree – a gorgeous and cheesy recipe that takes only 10 minutes to put together. You can never go wrong with cheese and bread – you’ll make all your guests happy. To make this as simple as possible, we recommend going for the convenience of store-bought pizza dough, but you can always try homemade pizza dough if you prefer.

What stands out

This beautiful tree comes together so easily. You’ll have your guests thinking you were in the kitchen for hours, when you and we will know this took you mere minutes to prepare. Creating a Garlic Bread Christmas Tree is just so festive!

This bread can also be enjoyed plain or made with brie and jam or Nutella for a sweet twist. For the sweet variation, skip the butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Whether fresh out of the oven or reheated, this fun holiday treat promises to bring a smile to everyone’s face because of how it looks and even more importantly how it tastes.

How to Prepare

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Apply a small amount of oil to the counter for smooth rolling of the pizza dough. Place the dough on the counter and sprinkle with flour.

Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. Cut it into 23 equal pieces. If there are extras, they can be baked separately.

Take each piece, add a cube of mozzarella or preferred cheese, and shape it into a ball.

Then, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, assemble the tree by placing six dough balls, then five, four, three, two, one, and two more for the base.

Once assembled, cover and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. After resting, brush it with egg wash, avocado oil, or coconut oil if egg-free.

Now bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. If not golden, broil for 1-2 minutes while watching closely.

Mix and brush the garlic-herbed butter over the tree. Enjoy it hot while the cheese is melted, or let it cool, refrigerate, and reheat the next day in the oven.

Kitchen tip

You can make this the day before letting it cool completely and wrapping it up tightly with saran wrap. The following day you can reheat it in the oven at 350F until it’s nice and warm. This way, your Garlic Bread Christmas Tree is ready without much fuss when needed.

Swaps

This festive Pull-Apart Garlic Bread Christmas Tree is such a fun addition to any holiday celebration you may have. There are so many ways that you can make it your own. Don’t forget to let us know in the comments what you try with yours!

1. Feel free to try different cheeses like cheddar, gouda, or even a blend of different cheeses.
2. As we mentioned above, you can feel free to make this a sweet bread and use brie and jam, Nutella, or even cinnamon sugar. If you opt for this version, we would recommend leaving out the butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar instead.
3. You can definitely experiment with additional herbs in your garlic-herbed butter; you could try adding rosemary, thyme, or oregano.
4. If you need to make a gluten-free version, we recommend looking for a pre-made gluten-free pizza dough.
5. Similarly, if you’re looking for a vegan option you could check your local grocery store for a plant-based pizza dough. Don’t forget to use vegan butter if you’re going this route.

Questions

Can we make this ahead of time?

You can make this the day before letting it cool completely and wrap it up tightly with saran wrap. The following day you can reheat it in the oven at 350F until it’s nice and warm.

What are some vegan alternatives for this recipe?

If you are vegan, feel free to leave out the cheese and you can substitute the egg wash for avocado or coconut oil and you can use vegan butter, herbs, and garlic to brush on top.

Can we make this recipe Gluten-Free?

If you are gluten-free, please try to find a gluten-free pizza dough.

What Type of Salt Do you Use?

We use mark Redmond Real Salt, please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be less or more salty. Salt is always to taste. Always taste and adjust as you cook.

Ingredients

Makes 23 rolls

• 1.5 pounds pizza dough, store-bought
• 1 tablespoon oil
• sprinkle of flour, for dusting
• 23 cubes mozzarella, or any cheese
• 1 egg, for the egg wash
• 1 tablespoon water, for the egg wash

The Garlic Butter

• 3 tablespoons softened butter
• ¼ cup Parmigiano, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• fresh or dry parsley, to taste

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Rolling Pin
• Pastry Brush

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add a little bit of oil to the counter so that the pizza dough can roll out nicely. Place your dough on top and sprinkle a little bit of flour.
2. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a nice rectangular shape. Cut out 23 equal pieces and if you have more, you can definitely bake those on the side. Take each piece of dough and add a cube of mozzarella or any cheese you like and form into a ball.
3. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper begin to assemble your tree. Add six doughballs, then five, four, three, two, one, and two more for the bottom of the tree as a base.
4. Cover it and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes and once it has rested you can brush it with some egg wash or even some avocado or coconut oil if you are egg-free.
5. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes and if it’s not fully golden we like to put ours as we watch it the whole time on broil for 1-2 minutes.
6. Mix the ingredients for the garlic herbed butter and brush it on top!
7. This bread best enjoyed hot while the cheese is melted but you can also let it cool completely by putting it in the fridge and then re-heat it the following day in the oven. Enjoy.