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Loaded Italian Pull-Apart Bread

As a child, I remember having so much fun making monkey bread. Small pieces of dough rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar. Every holiday, we knew we would be making this delicious treat and would enjoy every moment. Today I thought it would be great to create a savory version of this recipe.

My family loves Italian food, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate these flavors to serve with pasta or even a salad for dinner. I started with the same theory, basic bread dough and butter. I then created pockets of cream cheese, parmesan, pepperoni and sundried tomatoes. The results were crazy good!

I really believe this will be a new family tradition. I know if I bring this to a family gathering or a pot luck dinner it will be the hit of the party. Monkey bread will still have a place in my heart, but when I need a savory companion to a meal-this recipe will be the ticket.

Servings

Ingredients

½ cup salted Challenge Butter, melted
3-4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
6 ounces Challenge Cream Cheese, softened
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
¼ cup pepperoni, diced

Directions

1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2
Combine butter, garlic and Italian herbs in a small bowl. Brush the inside of a Bundt cake pan thoroughly with butter mixture. Sprinkle inside of pan with 3 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese.
3
Roll bread dough into a 12 x 12 inch square on work surface. Brush with butter mixture. Spread an even layer of cream cheese over dough. Sprinkle with ½ cup of the parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes and the black olives.
4
Starting on one side of the dough, roll bread dough “jelly roll style” pushing bread dough tightly as you roll dough. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, make a lengthwise slice to the center of the roll to “unfurl” and open your slices. Slice roll into 1 inch pieces. Lay pieces in the Bundt pan side by side. A cake pan can also be substituted if a Bundt pan is not available.
5
Brush top of dough slices with butter mixture and top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Loosely cover with plastic wrap in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size. This will take 1-2 hours depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
6
Place bread into preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
7
To serve, let guests “pull-away” pieces of your delicious warm bread. Serve with any extra butter mixture if desired.

Recipe By

Living a Creative Life

Suzanne Clark is a mother of five and enjoys living in Phoenix with her husband and her family. Every day is a creative endeavor for Suzanne. A self-taught artist and cook, she creates award winning recipes and decorates homes with her unique style and artwork. See more at Living a Creative Life.