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This festive Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread is light, soft, buttery, garlicky, perfectly salted, and SO delicious. Serve this warm right out of the oven with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt and marinara for dipping. It’s melt in your mouth good…and oh so impressive. This is simpler than you’d think to make, and such a fun pull-apart bread for all of your upcoming holiday dinners.
I’ve already made a pull apart wreath so I figured it was time to add a Christmas tree to the mix! I’ve seen these for years, but wanted to give it my own touch. And you guys, I love this bread!
It’s oddly simpler than you’d think to make (you have to look at the photos, visuals make it much easier). And so flipping good! It’s hard to beat garlic bread, but shape it like a Christmas tree?
Yes, it’s just that much better.
I’ve wanted to make this for a long time. Last year I ran out of days in December. So this year I put it on our content calendar way back in October…and never moved it off. When I told my mom the idea, she immediately said, “oh you have to make that!!”.
In our house, no holiday dinner is complete without a side of homemade bread. Most of the time I’ll make some form of a soft, buttery roll. But this year I wanted something a bit more festive.
Going into this recipe I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, I was actually nervous. I just wanted it to work and turn out great so badly! I had a vision in my head and it needed to match! And thankfully I got it just right!
It’s delicious, festive, and well…it smells amazing while baking away in the oven.
The details
I know this bread might look like it takes hours to make, but trust me, it’s not as tricky as you think. First, make a milk-based bread dough, roll it out, then cut the dough into a triangle. Next, spread on plenty of roasted garlic butter. Then add another triangle of dough on top.
From here, simply cut slits up the tree and twist them! Seems crazy, I know, but it’s going to be great!!
Use the photos as a visual guide, they will really help!
The dough
Flour, instant yeast, and a pinch of salt with milk, eggs, and butter. The combination creates a beautiful golden crust on the outside, but the inside stays incredibly soft and fluffy.
I prefer to use instant yeast to keep the dough making process quick and simple! It also prevents the dough from rising too much in the oven, which helps the tree keep its shape better.
The roasted garlic butter
Roasting garlic is really easy. If you’ve never done it before it really adds a layer of deliciousness to your recipes.
Slice the top portion of the garlic head off to reveal the cloves. Then place the garlic on a small piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap the garlic up. Roast for about forty minutes, until the garlic is deeply golden and soft.
I like to mash the garlic with butter, parmesan, and herbs. Nothing fancy, but wow, so good.
What’s great about this pull apart bread is that while it’s a nice addition to your dinner party menu, it also works as an appetizer. It would be nice to have this ready just as your guests arrive. They can snack on bread and enjoy cocktails before dinner. It’s always nice to have something for people to graze over while chatting away.
The most important thing you must do? Serve the bread warm with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Truly nothing is more delicious. I can’t wait to serve this to my family on Christmas Eve…my brothers and Asher are already excited. They all love a soft garlic bread!
Looking for other bread recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Easy Pull Apart Garlic Parmesan Bread
Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls
Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns
Lastly, if you make this Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread
Servings: 16
Calories Per Serving: 132 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick + 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 pinch chili flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. Slice off the top portion of the garlic head to expose some of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap it up, and bake for 40-55 minutes, until deeply golden and very soft.3. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm milk, honey, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining 1/4-1/2 cup of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.4. Let the garlic cool, then squeeze the cloves out into a bowl. Add 1 stick butter, the parmesan, sage, basil, oregano, parsley, and chili flakes. Mash the cloves into the butter with a fork. 5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each dough into a large rectangle (roughly 15×11 inches). Place one rectangle on top of the other. To cut a large triangle, cut from the bottom corner to the center of the top. Repeat on the other side to make a large triangle in the middle. Peel away the corners and save for another use. 6. Separate the 2 triangles and place 1 triangle on the prepared baking sheet. Spread 2/3 of the garlic butter over the triangle, carefully place the second triangle on top, matching the corners. Cut the triangle into horizontal slices about 1 inch apart from the top to bottom, leaving the middle “trunk” of the tree intact. Pull the strips and twist (see above photo).8. Brush the top with the remaining garlic butter. Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce.
Tried this recipe today in the shape of a football instead of a christmas tree for the super bowl….I also had issues with the bake time. 400 at 25 minutes was much too overcooked 🙁 I’ll definitely be trying this again at 350 though because it still smells delicious!
Hi Kaylee,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues with the bake time! xx
Made with store bought pizza dough crusts to save some time and it turned out great! Also baked at 350 for ~20 minutes or rather than at 400.
Hi Sophia! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xT
Make it every year such a big hit!!
Thank you so so much Lori! xT
Excellent recipe! I have made this twice now, and instead of a Christmas tree I rolled the dough out and spread the butter mixture on it. Rolled it up and sliced it down the middle and braided it into a wreath. I brushed it with egg wash before baking and when it came out of the oven I used the leftover butter mixture melted and poured it over it before serving. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xT
The bake temperature and time is not quite right. I set the timer to the lower number (25 mins) at 400, and the bread was overbaked, and almost starting to burn. If I make this again, I will lower the temp to 350 or only bake for 15-18 mins.
Hi there! Thank you so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it! xT
This what a hit at my girls Christmas party and turned out so cute! I cut out a star for the top of the tree and twisted up some candy canes with the leftover dough. Think I’ll add some mozz cheese next time 😋
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Have a wonderful holiday season! xT
The time and temperature on this is off. I checked after 20 minutes and it was already overbaked. Had to throw the entire thing away before a party. Keep a close eye on it. 25-30 mins at 400 is not right.
Hi Tieghan,
I am making this for dinner party tonight and can’t wait! Can I go ahead and make it this afternoon and bake it just before dinner? If so, can I just leave it covered on counter or does it need to be in frig?
Hi there! You can definitely leave it on the counter! xT
Hi there – not sure if this comment will find you, but maybe someone in the community might have an answer! Any tips on making the dough without a stand mixer?
Hi there! Yes you can just mix by hand with a wooden spoon until it’s all incorporated and then knead by hand for a bit! xT
Any chance I can make ahead and freeze, then back the day of the party? Would appreciate your thoughts on making in advance!
Hi there! I haven’t tried that before but that should work just fine! xT
Hi Tieghan would it be possible to prep the dough and let it rise overnight in the fridge to serve it for lunch the next morning? Thank you for such a cool recipe! Looking forward to try it!
Hi there! Yes, that definitely works! xT
Hi Tieghan! Can I use your no-knead pizza bread dough(have some in the freezer already) for this recipe?
Came here looking for a comment like this! Bummed to not see a response from Tieghan, but I’m planning to use a pre-made dough. Maybe some year I’ll make a homemade dough, but 2023 is not the year for that lol
Could you provide info on the best way to split this recipe into a two day process? Would it be best to make the dough one day and finish the rest the second day? Or would you make the entire tree the first day and then just bake the second day? Thanks! Excited to try it!
Hi Megan! I would make the entire tree and then bake the next day! xT
If I make the tree the day before, can I just leave it out in the counter or does it need to be refrigerated?