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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.
What would you suggest if you don’t have a stand mixer for the mixing of the dough?
Do you have a recipe for marina sauce you make for this?!
Hey Sonya,
You can go ahead and mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball. I used jarred sauce, Rao’s is our fave! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
One more question! Can I make the garlic butter ahead of time or do you recommend it be made same day as the bread?
Sure, you can make the garlic butter ahead of time! xx
Hi can this be prepared a day or 2 in advance ?
Hey there,
You could make the dough in advance, but I would wait to finish the recipe for when you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This turned out so cute! Actually much better for me than I was picturing 😂 Trying it Christmas morning with cinnamon/ sugar/ butter. Yum, thanks for a fun recipe!
Hey Leslie,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
Can I use bread flour instead of AP.
Hi Courtney,
Sure, that should be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
Has anyone tried a gluten free version?
Hey Katrinna,
You should be able to use an equal amount of gluten free flour here:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I don’t know if it because of the pizza dough I used (Trader Joe’s), but I couldn’t separate the 2 triangle after putting the dough rectangle on top of each other…so I had to ball them up, start over and cut them separately.
Hi Arianna,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Sorry to hear you had some issues, you may have needed to add some flour while working with the dough. xx
This was a huge hit at our church’s kid’s Christmas program. I baked it on a pizza stone, which also helped keep it warm for the dinner after. Definitely adding this to my Christmas “regulars” file.
Hey Patti,
Love it!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Happy Monday!🎄
Hi! If using pre-made pizza dough, how many rounds do you suggest getting – one or two?
Hi Janine,
I would think 1 ball of dough would be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi! I want to make this for an upcoming party. Can you give me some advice on making the dough ahead of time? Thank you!!
Hi Katherine,
Just make through step 3 and keep covered until you are ready to finish the recipe. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Made this for a family birthday party as a side to lasagna. Used 2 pre-rolled rounds of pizza dough from Publix. It was a hit! Eye catching and delicious. I do have left over dough that I’m not sure what to do with.
Hey Jen,
Happy Wednesday!! I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit:) I would make pizza! xx
Any chance I can make this with store bought pizza dough? On our way to a dinner party and have your brown butter maple cookie pie in tow- our newest favourite of yours!
Hey Logan,
Yes, that should work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I have a go-to recipe for dinner rolls that I absolutely love the texture and flavour of. Do you think it would work (it’s a milk bread recipe), or safer to go with your bread recipe? Thanks.
Hey Renee,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope it’s delish! xx
Tiegan I really want to serve this as an appetizer on Christmas day. Turkey will be in the oven at 325°. Is there any way to bake this in advance and just warm it up?
Hey Wendy,
Sure, go ahead and make it and then warm in the 325F oven for 10ish minutes to heat. I hope this helps! Happy Holidays! xx
Can you make these with prepared some kind of prepared dough. I don’t have a mixer.
Hi Patti,
Sure, you could use pizza dough or just follow the recipe mixing with a wooden spoon and then kneading by hand, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This recipe is wonderful – and It looks cute – I made it three times last holiday and just got it back out for this season! I served it with pre-made pizza sauce
Hey Lisa,
Happy Friday!!❄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
This was such a hit. I made it for an Xmas party last year and they got devoured! Everyone was super impressed by it. I’m actually making it again tomorrow, but without the tree, because it is so tasty. *Chef’s kiss*
Hey Staci,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it out! Have a great weekend! xx