This cheesy garlic-herb bread is everything you want from a warm, shareable loaf; crisp edges, soft centers, and plenty of melty cheese tucked into every crack. The garlic and herbs soak into the bread as it bakes, giving it big flavor without being heavy. Mozzarella melts down into the loaf, creating those irresistible cheese pulls when it’s sliced. It’s rich, savory, and perfect for tearing apart while it’s still warm from the oven.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Loaf of crusty bread – We love sourdough for this recipe. We recommend a 16 – 24 ounce loaf.
- Mozzarella – Or melty cheese of your choice, freshly shredded.
- Your choice of one of the following toppings
- Pesto – Buy premade or make your own Fresh Basil Pesto.
- Olive oil mixed with freshly pressed garlic
- Butter and garlic bread seasoning
- Butter mixed with freshly pressed garlic, fresh basil, rosemary, and parsley
How to Make Cheesy Garlic-Herb Bread
- You’ll start off by slicing your bread every 1 1/2 inches or so, creating a grid pattern. You don’t want to slice all the way through the bottom.
- Spread your chosen topping mixture between all the cuts. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just try to distribute it fairly evenly. Brush a little of the topping across the top of the loaf as well.
- Then gently stuff your shredded cheese into all the cuts, and sprinkle a little extra across the top.
- That goes into the oven on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy cleanup. After baking for about 15-20 minutes you’ll see your loaf fan out and crisp up. Let it sit for a few minutes after removing it from the oven, and then serve.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftovers, tightly wrapped, at room temperature and enjoy within 24 hours for best results. If stored in the refrigerator, enjoy within about 3 days.
- If you’d like to plan ahead, you can assemble the whole loaf, wrap tightly, and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Feel free to assemble your bread with toppings and cheese, then wrap in foil and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You can also assemble and freeze. Wrap the assembled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 1-3 months. When ready to bake, place the frozen loaf on a foil lined pan, tent loosely with more foil, and bake for 15-20 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the top is golden and everything is hot and bubbly.
For best results, reheat leftovers in the oven at 350°F, wrapped loosely in foil, until warmed through, about 10-15 minutes. You can unwrap the last 5 minutes of baking to let it crisp up if desired. You can also reheat small pieces in the air fryer. Air fry at 300°F for 3-6 minutes. Both the air fryer and oven will give better results than microwaving, which can make the bread rubbery.
The amounts listed give good coverage, and you don’t want your bread dripping in oil or butter, but feel free to add a little extra as you see fit!
You can make a more traditional style garlic bread with this method and leave the cheese out if desired, especially if you’re using a garlic bread seasoning that has parmesan cheese in it already. Otherwise, just sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top of your desired fillings and call it a day.
Sure! You just want something kind of substantial that holds up well to being cut. If using a long, skinny loaf, like a baguette, I would just slice straight across in one direction (don’t cut all the way through).
Cheesy Garlic-Herb Bread
Ingredients
Bread and Cheese – Start here and then pick one topping option from the following list
- 1 loaf 16-24-oz. crusty bread (we recommend sourdough)
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese freshly grated
Topping Option 1
- ½ cup pesto
Topping Option 2 – Mix and allow to stand for at least an hour before brushing onto bread
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves pressed garlic
Topping Option 3 – Mix and allow to stand for at least an hour before brushing onto bread
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves pressed garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
Topping Option 4 – Mix before topping bread
- ½ cup butter melted
- 3 tablespoons garlic bread seasoning
Topping Option 5 – Mix before topping bread
- ½ cup butter melted
- 2 cloves pressed garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Slice bread into 1 1/2″ slices, not cutting through to the bottom. Rotate the loaf 90 degrees and slice the bread again every 1 1/2″ so you have a grid of 1 1/2″ pieces that are still attached to the bottom of the bread.
- Place the loaf on the prepared baking sheet. Gently spread the desired filling into the cracks. Gently stuff the cheese into the cracks (you can just put the cheese going in one direction rather than on all four sides of each piece). Brush a little of the remaining filling on top of the loaf and sprinkle with a little remaining cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bread is toasted on top and the cheese is melted. Allow to stand a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Store leftovers, tightly wrapped, at room temperature and enjoy within 24 hours for best results. If stored in the refrigerator, enjoy within about 3 days.
Planning Ahead
- Refrigerator: Assemble the whole loaf, wrap tightly, and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Freezer: Assemble the whole loaf, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 1-3 months. When ready to bake, place the frozen loaf on a foil lined pan, tent loosely with more foil, and bake for 15-20 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the top is golden and everything is hot and bubbly.
Questions & Reviews
this is my husbands favorite thing now- he even LOVES (and he’s a picky eater) me to prepare this on a slice of sourdough for a sandwich (and this comes from a guy who, when he’s asked how the food was, says “good” or “ok”. So when I got an enthusiastic “really good!” from him about this, it made me feel special!)
I am pretty sure I’m in love.
I’m in the midst of preparing this for Father’s Day. I’ve already gone through one loaf of bread. It’s probably common sense to everyone but me to use a serrated bread knife! I ran out to the store to buy another loaf and a serrated knife after I botched the first one. It sliced up much easier (and prettier). I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Made this for dinner tonight with chicken cordon blue and restaurant style smashed potatoes and green beans. It was WONDERFUL! All that lovely butter dripped through the cracks and the cheese was nice and melty. I use your garlic bread seasoning on a regular basis. Thank you for all your great ideas! I’m a total food blogaholic.
I made this and my pants were angry with me the next day. Holy cow.
I spread the pesto and sprinkled cheese on homemade french baguette (thanks to my neighbor) so there wouldn’t be any waste for a smaller portion size. Amazing!
Tried this at a get together this weekend and it was a huge hit! We loved it and will be making it again! I’m telling everyone about this wonderful, newly found website. Thanks Sara and Kate!
I made this last night with plain spaghetti sauce since my basil isn’t up yet, (okay, I really killed it) and your rosemary foccacia bread. I live in nowhere utah and we don’t have artisan breads. It was VERY good. I would just skip the rosemary next time in the bread so I could actually taste the sauce. I can’t wait to try it with some pesto.
My dinner menu last night was planned around this bread. It was SO good! I am having some friends over for a game night soon and this will be one of the appatizers I set out while we play.
oh I love this cheese bread idea what a fun idea for a dinner party- thanks