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Cheesy, herby, spinach and artichoke pull apart pretzel bread. Two words…The Best! Soft, buttery, and salty pretzel dough, layered with cheesy spinach and artichoke dip, baked in the oven, and served warm. Serve this at your next party, perfect for game day, or just as an easy appetizer. Either way, everyone will thank you.
Hello and happy Tuesday (that feels like a Monday). I hope you all had a fun, but relaxing long weekend, and are left feeling re-energized and ready to face the remainder of the week. The days following Labor Day are always so exciting to me. I love that there’s a new crispness in the air, excitement for fall foods, Sunday night football, talk of Halloween, and yes even the impending holiday season. I know some of this may seem a little premature, but just admit it, you are totally thinking the same!
It’s always sad to say goodbye to carefree summer days, but there’s something I love so much about this time of year. My food cravings slightly shift, and I begin to think more along the lines of slow cooker dinners, apple desserts, and game day recipes. With football season officially starting back up this week, I thought it would be fun to share a new recipe that’s perfect for entertaining and happily munching your way through the game with family and friends.
Enter this addictingly good herbed spinach and artichoke pull apart pretzel bread. Really all I have to say is this, if you try one new thing this month, it needs to be this cheesy pull apart bread, it is the BEST.
{dough cut into squares before being stacked}
{dough squares stacked into 4 stacks}
I made this bread on a whim last week, unsure of how it was going to turn out. But about five minutes into making the spinach and artichoke filling, I knew this bread was going to be good.
Let me break it down for you. Softy, buttery, and salty homemade pretzel dough, layered with a three cheese spinach and artichoke filling, baked, and serve warm.
It’s like spinach and artichoke dip with soft pretzels, but better because they’re baked together to create one incredibly delicious bread. I mean, it’s honestly too good.
Here are the details.
Start with the homemade pretzel dough. This is simple. You just need your basic bread dough ingredients plus a coarse salt. I love using this pretzel salt (order it guys, it’s good), but sea salt works in a pinch too. The key to soft pretzel dough is a little bit of butter in the dough. It makes the dough really easy to work with, keeps it flavorful, and well, extra soft!
For the filling, I did a simple version of spinach and artichoke dip with mascarpone cheese, fontina cheese, and parmesan. I seasoned it with fresh thyme, garlic, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. I love the addition of the thyme here. Not going to lie, I can find spinach and artichoke dip to be more on the boring side, but the simple addition of a fresh herbs, like thyme, takes it to something special.
When the dough is ready, you’ll roll out into a rectangle, spread with the spinach and artichoke filling, and then cut the dough into squares. Stack the squares (see my photos for visuals so you are not totally confused when making this, promise it’s really easy, just hard to explain) and then layer them in a bread pan.
Let the bread rise one more time, then bake, and EAT.
You have to eat this warm, right out of the oven it’s the only way to serve it. If you’d like to prepare the bread ahead of time, you can assemble it in full, cover and place the bread in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Then just pull the bread dough out of the fridge while the oven preheats and bake as directed.
My recommendation? Test out this bread tonight, enjoy it for dinner, maybe alongside this soup, and start to welcome the beginning of cozy food season. Sounds perfect!
Also, you should know that as I type this it could not feel more like fall here. It’s a little after 9pm and I can feel the chill in the air outside (because my I have old barn doors and there is a serious draft). I’m typing this post up huddled by my oven and just like that I am back in my coziest spot, and it feels like fall again. All I need now is my favorite candle.
I realize most of you are still experiencing hot temperatures, but around here the weather is shifting. It’s cozy food weather and I am so into it.
Next cookbook I write should be, Half Baked Harvest the coziest recipes…
What do you think?!
If you make this spinach and artichoke pull apart bread, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Herbed Spinach and Artichoke Pull Apart Pretzel Bread
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 905 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- coarse pretzel salt or sea salt, for sprinkling
Spinach and Artichoke Filling
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of excess water
- 1 jar (6-8 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
Instructions
- 1. to make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, honey, 3 1/2 cups flour, salt, and butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. if the dough feels too sticky, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone, fontina, parmesan, garlic, thyme, and a pinch of crushed red pepper and salt. Stir in the spinach and artichokes. 4. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. 5. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Evenly spread the dough with the filling. Cut the rectangle into about 16 equal squares. Stack the squares into 4x4 stacks (see above photo) and then arrange the squares vertically in the prepared loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 20-30 minutes, until puffy. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 6. Brush the top of the bread with water and sprinkle with coarse salt. Transfer the bread to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes. Carefully lift the dough out of the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm. Enjoy.
Another deliciously addictive recipe & loving everything spinach and artichoke! One quick question- the top of my loaf was a little too airy and crunchy. Could it be that I let the dough rise too long Tieghan? Just checking…❤️ Not to worry, I couldn’t stop enjoying this, so wonderful while still warm from the oven, and the fresh thyme definitely made the filling mix ‘pop’! Yummmmmmmmm!?
HI Gia! Hmm, too light? How long did you let the bread rise before baking? If it was too crunchy, try covering the top during the last 15 minutes of cooking. I think that would help. Please let me know if you have any other questions. so glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I made this bread this morning while college football was on. It was a HUGE hit! Thanks for another awesome recipe, Tieghan!
Thank you so much Sara!
Would this work with gluten free flour?
I have not tested this with gluten free flour so I cannot say for sure how it would turn out. I would think it would be OK, but again, I can’t say for sure. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
spinach and pretzel pretzel pretzel make the cake more attractive. I like this cake very much.
Thank you!
Any suggestions to make it dairy-free?! ?
HI! Saldly, I can’t recommend swaps as this recipe uses a lot of dairy. SO SORRY. Really with I could help! If you wanted to try, you could use vegan butter and omit the cheeses all together, but not sure how this will taste. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much! xTieghan.
THIS IS INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO excited to try this!! Such a creative and fun idea, and perfect for guests! 🙂
Thank you so much Brittany!
This looks phenomenally good and also incredibly addicting. Pretty sure it will turn into my entire dinner if I make it. Choices. No regrets.
Thank you so much! And no worries I would totally do the same!
Can you use fresh spinach and should you cook it first.
Then drain it?
also will cream cheese work instead of mascarpone?
Thx
Yes, but cook then squeeze dry! Cream cheese will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Love this and will make soon. Also, love the idea of coziest recipes book. Holidays book also sounds fun. I can taste this bread already:)
Thank you so much Joyce!
Confused on the stacking in the bread pan. Are you stacking the four piles side by side when putting in pan or placing those stacks vertically? Make any sense??
Hey Lisa! You will be arranging the stack vertically in the pan. Does this make sense? Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I love bread. I learned to make braed at channel https://www.youtube.com/user/adilson19711
Thank you so much!
Tieghan, this looks AMAZING! Definitely a fun weekend appetizer which I will be putting on my to-do list. (Right now I am at the office, sneak-peaking the HBH site, and already planning my w/e. Shhh.) 😉
I very much like the sound of a “Coziest Recipes” book! Ooooh…you know what other cookbook I would go nuts over and order immediately? “Half Baked Harvest Holidays” – all your best holiday recipes and cocktails…with all your glorious pictures. Let me know if you need a food taster/cocktail mixer…eh…and cocktail taster for future books. 😀
Ah that is such a great idea! Thank you so much Aline!!
There was no link to the pretzel salt you prefer?? I’m making tonight!!
Such a great party food option to have out for people!!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Thank you Rebecca!
If I bake this, no one will thank me. I’ll have gobbled it all down before it even reaches the table!!!
Haha I am with you on that one! Thank you Ruth!