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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.
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Ingredients
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Warm whole milk
- Instant yeast
- Honey
- Large eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Salted butter
- Grated parmesan
- Chopped fresh sage
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Dried parsley
- Chili flakes
What you will need in the kitchen:
- Stand mixer and bowl
- Foil
- Medium bowl
- Forks and knives
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This came out so cute but I think the oven temp is too high.. I luckily checked on it after 16 min and it was very crispy and a min longer and would have been burnt. It’s pretty dry because of this. I think 350 and this recipe would be perfect!
Hi Samantha,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
Loved making this with my teenage boys! Not sure if not having a mixer mattered but mine dough did not turn out as well. Maybe too much flour as I was confused about the comment about if dough is wet add the additional 1/2 flour. What additional flour? I used the full 3 and a quarter cups of flour to begin with and so our dough was a bit dry. Maybe I was supposed to start with less. Otherwise it came out beautiful and fun presentation but our dough was not gooey but dry so I must have messed something up.
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner.
I love how festive it is, however, I agree with some of the other comments that the oven temp is too high. It would have been a charred mess had I allowed it to cook for the recommended time.
Hi there,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
Hi there,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Sorry to hear about the flour, yes next time just start with the 3 cups of flour. Merry Christmas!?? xT
So excited to make this for Christmas, but we don’t have honey! Any substitutions? Or should I just omit?
Hi Breann,
I would use maple syrup in place of the honey. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Great recipe, Tieghan! I made this for a family dinner last week, and it was a huge hit so I’m making it again for Christmas. I made two oversized triangles with the dough and then followed the rest of the directions for the “tree branches”. I also just added all the butter to the center because I was in such a hurry. I had so many other things going in the oven (like your fabulous cranberry beef stew with polenta) that I cooked this at a lower temperature and just kept an eye on it. It was AMAZING! Honestly, when I read these comments, I think the best advice I can give people is that they just need to watch their breads because altitude plus different ovens mean that cooking temps and time differ. When it gets golden, pull it out. Don’t wait until it’s burnt because you’re married to the timer and the instructions.
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
I made the dough and it feels hard and not stretchy :/ what did I do wrong? I used the full 3 1/4 cups, and then realized the directions said to add the remaining 1/4-1/2 cup flour if the dough is too sticky. But I didn’t see where you should add less flour than the recipe states. Help!
Hi Alicia,
So sorry, to hear this! What kind of yeast did you use? Does it just need to rise a little longer? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Can I store this in fridge for a few hours before baking tonight?
I would also love to know if this is possible as I’m a bit ahead of the game.
Hi Bailey,
Yes, that will work! xT
Hi Carolyn,
You bet, you can even just leave it on the counter covered:) I hope you love the recipe and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
What temperature do you bake this bread? Thanks!
Hi Melinda,
The bread will bake at 400F. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Merry Christmas!
My sister is highly allergic to egg, but I’d love to make this for her. Do you think using a powdered egg substitute would be alright in this case?
Hi Mary,
I’ve never tried that, but you could certainly try it out, it should work well for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I just made this beautiful bread. In order to get it to roll out to the dimensions you state, the dough was very thin. I put it all together and it almost came out burnt. I’m very disappointed since I usually love your recipes. I even put it in for 25 rather than 30 minutes. I hope it tastes ok tomorrow.
Hi Jessica,
So sorry to hear this, what kind of dough did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Making now. Should the dough double in size?
It should yes:)
Really wishing I had read the comments and baked for 19 min at most! Followed recipe exactly and baked for 25 and it was overdone & crunchy…not what you want in garlic bread. Such a bummer! I’ll watch the time much more closely if I make again.
Hi Kylee,
So sorry to hear this! Thanks for trying the recipe! xT
Just made this! It’s yummy. One piece of advice – use a jelly roll pan or a pan with sides instead of a cookie sheet… the butter spilled off the edges and is burning on the bottom of my oven. Otherwise great ?
Hi Stacie,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
Hello!
I made my dough and it has sat for over an hour and has risen very little. I followed the instructions and mixed the yeast into the dry ingredients and then added milk, however any other time I’ve used yeast I’ve always dissolved it in a warm liquid first. Would doing it this way help with the “failure-to-rise” problem?
Hi Courtney,
Sorry to hear this. What kind of yeast did you use? When using instant yeast you can mix right in with the flour, but if you used active dry you will to dissolve in the warm liquid and honey. Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Can you use sourdough dough for this recipe?
Sorry for posting again- I added my previous comment as a response to someone.
Hi Kalyanne,
Yes, that should work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Is there any reason I would not be able to substitute gluten free 1:1 flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Nikki,
You can use an equal amount of GF flour here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can this be set out uncooked for more than an hour? I am trying to prep ahead of time. Thanks!
Hi Natalie,
You bet! I hope you enjoy the recipe, Merry Christmas! xTieghan
I want to make this for tomorrow night, any advice on making this dish in advance?
Ditto…following
Same!
Hi Kaitlyn,
I would make up until the point of baking and then cover and pop in the fridge. Bake once it has returned to room temp. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this twice, second time with a more experienced baker.
We noted that different baking time needs to be 19 minutes or less. The time at the top of the recipe is better than in the method section. They are not the same.
Add an extra 1/4c of warm milk.
Add at least 1 more tbsp of butter to the garlic butter.
Triple the amount of parmesan.
Add more garlic.
Use all of the garlic butter between the layers of dough. Then paint the top layer of bread before twisting.
Use a toothpick to draw a double line for the trunk before cutting – easier to centre the trunk.
When rolling out the dough, use a piece of parchment the size of a cookie sheet as a size model. Then lift the parchment with the dough on it to place on the cookie sheet. Repeat for second layer needs a slide or flip
I just used a spaghetti sauce for dipping. Great idea for Christmas.
Thanks for sharing what worked well for you Bev! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Can you use sourdough dough for this?
Hi Kalyanne,
Sure, that would work for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan