Garlic hits the air first—warm, toasty, and a little sharp—followed by the smell of bread browning in cast iron. When the Dutch oven lid comes off, the top is deeply golden and the seams between the cuts are bubbling with cheese and herbs. Dutch Oven Garlic Cheese Pull-Apart Bread doesn’t need plates or forks; it lands in the middle of the camp table and gets claimed in hot, stretchy pieces.
When everyone’s hovering around the fire and snacking between tasks, this loaf keeps things easy without feeling like an afterthought. Baking it in the Dutch oven gives you a crisp crust and a soft center, and the pockets stay rich even as the evening cools. If it sits too long, set the pot near the coals for a minute to bring the melt back and revive that garlic-butter aroma.
Serve it alongside chili, soup, or grilled sausages, or let it run point as an appetizer while the main meal finishes. Cleanup is camp-friendly too: parchment helps, and most of what’s left is just a quick wipe before you’re back to tending the fire and passing the loaf around again.
Dutch Oven Garlic Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
Equipment
- 12-inch Dutch oven
- parchment paper
- campfire or charcoal
- Knife
- bread knife
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread unsliced, round
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare 24 hot coals or a medium campfire for Dutch oven baking.
- Slice bread in a crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut all the way through. Gently separate openings with fingers.
- Mix melted butter, garlic, parsley, and salt in a bowl.
- Stuff shredded cheese between the bread cuts, then drizzle garlic butter mixture evenly throughout.
- Place bread on parchment and lower into Dutch oven. Cover with lid and arrange 8 coals underneath and 16 on top.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, turning oven once during baking, until cheese is melted and top is golden and crisp.
- Serve hot—pull apart and enjoy.