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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.
Does the actual bread also bake at 400 like the garlic or should the temperature be lowered? I made this recipe and it ended up slightly overbaked. I also may have rolled it out too thin.
Hi Cynthia,
So sorry to hear this! I baked mine at 400, but all ovens differ, so you may need to lower your heat if your oven runs hot. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Hi! I wanted to make this for Christmas Day. Could you use a pre made dough to make this to save time?
Merry Christmas!!
I saw her comment on instagram, I think, that you can use pizza dough.
Hi Erika,
Yes, that will work well for you. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, happy holidays! xTieghan
Do I need to use Rapid Rise yeast or active dry yeast?
Hi MaKenzie,
You can use either one, if you use instant yeast just follow the recipe as is. If you use active dry, you will need to dissolve in the warm milk and honey first. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
I am starting to do some prep work for Christmas dinner. Can I store the dough in the fridge for a couple of days after the rise?
Thank you,
Adriana
Yes I’d like to know the same!!
Yes, that will work well for you Lisa!
Hey Adriana,
Yes, that will work well for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can you use bread flour?
Hi Elsie,
Yes, that should work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this today to pair with some Chicken, Rice & Veggie Soup. I used Romano because that’s what I had, and let me tell you… this is delicious! Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. I did take it out of the oven early, because it started to burn like many commenters have also mentioned. I would recommend cooking it at 400 for about 10 minutes instead of the full 25 minutes.
Hey there,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!??
Could you use bread flour?
Hi Anna,
Yes, that would be okay to use. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
We loved it! It was fun & festive and the whole family thought it was yummy.
Hi Anna,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
I really want to make this for a gathering, but we are staying in a rental with a very ill-equipped kitchen (no mixer, no rolling pin, etc.). Do you think this recipe would work with a store bought pre-made dough? Thanks!
Hi Marty,
Yes, that should work well for you. I hope you love the recipe and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hey Tiegan,
Absolutely loved this dough. It was delightful to work with on every level.Believe the “scraps” from the main triangle could be frozen and used for a smaller version.
My issue was there needed to be a little something else in between that was the “glue” to additional taste. Maybe some provolone or prosciutto???
All in all, it was wonderful, as usual! You are beyond amazing!
Hey Lori,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! You could certainly add more cheese to your liking. Happy Holidays!??
Is the oven temp supposed to be 400 when you bake it? I set mine for 25 mins and checked it when it had 9 mins left because it was already so fragrant and it was way over done. I didn’t change anything other than omitting the sage and adding a little Colby jack cheese after I spread the first layer of butter. It still tastes delicious, but it really is way too cooked. Should I have lowered the temp to 350?
Hi Sierra,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I did bake mine at 400. Sorry to hear yours was over cooked. xTieghan
Delicious!! It was so pretty and tasted so good. Mine cooked super fast though and almost burned at about 20 min when I checked on it. Did I miss it somewhere that you’re supposed to turn the oven down from 400 after roasting the garlic? It was still so yummy though ?
Hey Rebecca,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Nope, 400 is correct. Happy Holidays!??
Can you make this ahead and refrigerate overnight, then bake in am?
Hey Jeanie,
Yes, that will work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
If we don’t have a stand mixer, is it possible to mix the dough by hand? Or would that be too hard?
Hi Jenny, you can mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand, just use a little elbow grease:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
So excited to make this for a holiday party!
Can I make the the dough and butter ahead of time and refrigerate it for 24 hours, or even assemble the whole thing and refrigerate for 24 hours or does it need to be more of the day of recipe?
Can’t wait to try it!
Hey Aimee,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, happy holidays! xTieghan
Looks amazing! In the photos is looks like you smeared the herbed butter on both of the bottom and the entire top of the dough and then rolled the sides then add whatever butter is remaining to the top after being rolled?
Also, do you think adding in addition to the parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese? (For an extra cheesy cheese pull?)
Hi Shani,
Yes, you will spread with butter on both pieces of dough and you can certainly add more cheese to your liking. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan