Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread

8 December 2022

Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread

Full of mozzarella and dipped in tangy tomato, this gooey garlic dough tree makes a delicious centrepiece for your christmas buffet. Impress everyone at your party with the fun and festive recipe.

Servings: 24

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

For the dough:

450g bread flour + more for dusting
1 tbsp sugar
7g dried yeast
80g melted butter
250ml warm water or milk
1 pack of mozzarella pearls
1 egg for egg wash
Fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese

For the Garlic Butter:

100g butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh parsley

For the Dipping Sauce:

150g chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Method

Start by preparing the dough. Mix the flour, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl.
Add in the melted butter and water/milk and mix until just combined.
Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes to activate the yeast. Form into a ball.
Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Let the dough rise for 1 -2 hours until it doubles in size.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape into discs.
Fill each disc with a mozzarella pearl and pull up the side of the dough to encase the cheese.
Place the prepared balls onto a baking tray in a festive tree shape.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 370ºF / 180ºC
Brush the dough with egg wash.
Bake the dough for 20-25 minutes until browned on top.
In the meantime, prepare the garlic butter. Melt butter in a saucepan, add garlic and fresh parsley.
Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients together.
Once the tree is baked, brush with the prepared garlic butter.
Let the tree cool down for 10 minutes in a pan and then transfer onto a serving platter. Top with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Enjoy with everyone!