Italian Provolone Pull-Apart Bread – a boule-style bread round with melted Provolone, marinara sauce, garlic, and seasonings. So easy and so delicious!
This post is sponsored via the NoshOn.It Publisher Partner Program by BelGioioso – a cheese I use all the time! As always, opinions are my own.)
I made pull-apart bread a few months ago and Trevor said, “it sort of looks like a brain.” And then I kissed him, told him he’s genius, and gave him $500 candy corns.
There are a bazillion recipes available for pull-apart bread, all varied by the type of loaf you use, seasonings, and of course, cheese. I wanted an Italian taste this time around, but not too strong, so I went with my trusted BelGioioso provolone. It’s mild, but also rich and flavorful.
BelGioioso provolone is available at various retailers across the country, but I usually buy the 2-pound pack at Costco. The last time was when I had a group of friends over a month ago. One of them said, “that’s a lot of cheese. How do you use it all?” to which I laughed, “Oh, that is never a problem.”
One of the nice things is, the packaging is resealable, so it stays fresh for a long time.
Their provolone is made from Wisonsin milk, high quality, and aged for 60 days. I use it a lot in every day sandwiches, but I love that it melts well, making it perfect for this bread!
BRAIN BREAD. How awesome is this for Halloween? And a great savory option, which are few and far between.
- • 1 pound round boule-style loaf of sourdough
- • 6 slices provolone cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- • 1/4 cup marinara sauce
- • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- • chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rip off a large enough piece of foil to wrap around the loaf; coat with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet.
- Cut the loaf of bread into 1-inch slices with a serrated knife, leaving about 1/4-inch of the base of the bread intact. Repeat cuts in the opposite direction to create a crosshatch/cubed pattern. Place bread on the foil.
- Press provolone pieces between all the slices of bread.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, marinara, minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Gently pry apart the bread pieces and drizzle the mixture over the loaf evenly, making sure to get in all the seams and cover all the pieces.
- Wrap the bread up in the foil. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Open up the foil, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees, and bake another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving, sprinkle with parsley, pull apart the pieces and enjoy!
Another recipe to which I can only say…. Mmmmm! Yummy!
This looks so yummy! My hubby and I bake our own sourdough and this looks like a great recipe to try out on our next loaf! :)
Awesome, enjoy!
I am new to baking so this might be a dumb question. Do I buy a already cooked loaf of bread or just the dough ?
Hi Josh…not dumb! Already cooked. Look for it in the bread aisle or the bakery.
Oh my, this bread looks so tempting right now! I can almost smell it through my screen.
You seriously nailed and set the bar for this campaign :) Awesome!
Aaah, thank you Gerry!! Best compliment ever :D
This is absolute cheesy perfection! Can’t think of a better dish to make for Halloween!
If you need me in the next 48 hours, I’ll be eating my way into and out of this. OMG. YES.
Oh wow! This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it at home!
Bread like this is my absolute favorite thing in the world. I could eat the whole loaf!!
This looks amazing!!
This is perfect for Halloween! I love how you buy the Bel Gioi0so pack at Costco – that’s one of my must gets whenever I’m there.
Bread and cheese? Yes, please! I have to find a reason to make this. Like, ASAP.
Me + this bread + 5 minutes = Pac Man situation followed by a 5lb weight gain. And you know what? Worth it!
What a gorgeous pull apart bread! Making this stat!!
This bread looks amazing! I would totally eat it all…haha.
I am dying for a piece of this!
Ohhh brain bread! how clever. Love that!
Oh. My. Gosh. Dying for this. And I need to get that provolone for Jordan. She’s addicted!
Brain bread for Halloween…yes! but, I’m thinking more for me now! Love this recipe, Amy.
Adding this to my must-try soon list! So delicious!
What a delicious bundle of ingredients. True comfort food!
This looks heavenly!
One of my favorite kinds of bread (the pull apart I mean), I can’t wait to try this version! I love the idea of calling it brain bread for Halloween!
This bread is definitely calling to me! Pull apart bread is a must when I make Italian! Pinning!
Looks delicious and I love your thoughts of Brain Bread!
I want this in front of me asap. What an awesome pull apart bread combination!
Haha, love this Brain Bread! It looks so ooey-gooey cheesy … which is my favorite kind of food!
Brain bread! Love it! And I love BelGioioso cheese! So good!
I love the fresh perspective husbands can give sometimes! Ha ha! Great idea:) And simply loving these photos. Makes me want to tear off a bite right now!
Anyone who knows my husband, would think he came up with the name… but Trevor is actually my 6YO! Lol.
I consider myself to be the queen of Halloween, so this is perfect for fright night!! It’s beautiful too and perfect for any time of year. Pinning!
I absolutely love Halloween, too. *big high five* Thanks, Cathy!
Brain bread!! I love it! Such a great idea for a Halloween party.
This is so brilliant! My kids would go crazy over this. We are planning a Halloween party with their friends and I’ve been trying to come up with fun ideas that kids (and their parents) would like. Love this!
I’m all about the savoury Halloween options, not having much of a sweet tooth. I could probably polish off an entire loaf of your ‘brain bread’ by myself. :D
wow..you nailed this recipe! I was laughing so hard after reading the first paragraph :)
HEE. If Trevor were older, I probably would give him cash. He earned it!
This looks like perfection! My family would devour this so fast!
What a beautiful presentation bread, and it sounds and looks delicious. If we eat this, how much smarter will we become?!!
Bwah! That sounds like something Paul would say! Nice, Mom.
OMG what an amazing recipe!
I just love your creative name for this pull apart bread!
I need to try this! I swear my mouth started watering when I saw it.
That’s the best, Rachel. Thank you!
This looks so delicious and I kind of love that you call it brain bread!!