Starting from a simple buttery homemade dough, this everything bagel pull apart bread is filled with cheesy garlic & herb cream cheese and topped with everything seasoning. Baked until golden brown and served pull-apart style, this snack is truly irresistible. It’s flaky, salty, savory, garlicky, and cheesy—plus it’s fun to eat & share.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
A few readers requested savory football food recipes and snack-style pull apart bread came to mind first. After weeks of brainstorming, asking your suggestions, and a little recipe testing… I baked the BEST PULL APART BREAD you will ever eat. If you have ever tried these pizza pull apart rolls, you know that’s a bold statement. This loaf-style pull apart bread is prepared with easy homemade bread dough, garlic herb & mozzarella cream cheese filling, and everything bagel seasoning on top.
- My assistant said “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
- Our friend said “This stuff is dangerous.”
- Another friend said “Alert me when you publish the recipe so I can make it.”
- And then “Get this away from me because I can’t stop eating it.”
- And, finally, I said: “This is another example of why I love carbs.”
Pull Apart Bread Dough
The everything bagel pull apart bread begins with homemade dough. A lot of homemade yeasted bread recipes yield 2 or more loaves, but I only wanted 1. It required a little testing, but I found the perfect ratio of ingredients. Pull apart bread dough combines 7 simple ingredients: sugar, milk, butter, salt, egg, flour, and yeast. Here’s the purpose and importance of each:
- Sugar feeds the yeast. Only 1 Tablespoon in the recipe.
- Milk hydrates the yeast and gives the bread a softer texture (as opposed to water).
- Butter and salt give the bread flavor.
- Egg contributes to the bread rising as well as providing texture/structure.
- Flour is the structure of the bread.
- Yeast makes bread… bread!
Baking with Yeast Guide
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
Let’s Talk About the Yeast
We’re using a superior yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star. Red Star Platinum Superior Baking Yeast is an instant yeast that strengthens our dough and provides extra volume to the final product. It’s my preferred yeast for any and all bread baking—I use it exclusively in my kitchen because it’s always a guarantee!! If you don’t have Platinum, Red Star Active Dry or Quick Rise Yeast works too! If using active-dry, your dough may take a little longer to rise. We only need 2 teaspoons of dry yeast which is a little less than 1 standard packet.
The dough rises twice.
- The first rise is after the dough is prepared and kneaded. (By the way, I have a detailed tutorial on How to Knead Dough, if you need some extra help with that step.) It will rise for about 1 hour until doubled in size. After the first rise, you can continue with the recipe, refrigerate the dough to use later in the week, or freeze it.
- The second rise is after the pull apart bread is assembled. It will rise for about 45 minutes.
During the first rise, get your everything bagel goodies prepared.
Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning
Everything bagel seasoning is so easy. You can buy it from the store or mix it up at home with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced onion, dried garlic flakes, and coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt—the same seasoning I use for homemade everything bagels and these everything biscuits.
Other uses for everything bagel seasoning: sprinkled on hummus, homemade cheese bread, scrambled eggs, toast, fish, chicken, homemade soft pretzels, soft pretzel rolls, cornbread, salads, guacamole, pizza, and more!
Garlic, Herb, & Mozzarella Cream Cheese
We’re combining, butter, cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, and your choice of fresh or dried herbs. This mixture will be spread on top of the dough before it’s shaped in the pull apart style. The first time I made this everything bagel pull apart bread, I skipped the mozzarella cheese. It was good. When I added the cheese, it was GREAT. Much more of a stretchy cheesy pull apart style.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out. Spread on the cream cheese mixture.
How to Assemble Pull Apart Bread
There are a billion ways to shape/assemble pull apart bread. King Arthur Flour has a blog post about different ways to shape pull apart bread that I found interesting. This particular way doesn’t require a ruler, strict measurements, or any precise measuring:
- Break out a round cutter. You can use a round biscuit cutter, anywhere around 3.5-4 inches. I have this set of round cookie cutters and the various sizes always come in handy.
- Cut dough into circles.
- Fold the circles in half and arrange in the loaf pan.
What to do with the leftover dough scraps? Scroll down to below the recipe. I have something AWESOME you can make. The results are unbelievable!!
Here are all the filled circles folded in half and lined up in the loaf pan:
Let the assembled pull apart bread rise for about 45 minutes, then sprinkle with our everything bagel seasoning. Look at how puffy it got:
Bake until golden brown, then pull it apart and dig in!
This pull apart bread hits the spot. It’s:
- Buttery
- Salty
- Bagel-y
- Flaky
- Cheesy
- Garlicky
- Soft in the center
- Crisp on the edges
- Fun to eat
- Fun to share
- So addicting it’s scary!!
With make-ahead and freezing instructions, there are so many ways you can prepare this pull apart bread ahead of time. Or if you have a few hours one day, make it all in one go. Truly one of the best savory snacks we’ve had and I guarantee you’ll say the same after 1 bite. See more below the recipe!
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Everything Bagel Pull Apart Bread
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Starting from a simple buttery homemade dough, this everything bagel pull apart bread is filled with cheesy garlic & herb cream cheese and topped with everything seasoning. Baked until golden brown and served pull-apart style, this snack is truly irresistible. It’s flaky, salty, savory, garlicky, and cheesy– plus it’s fun to eat & share.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast*
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 2 and 1/3 cups (291g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1–2 teaspoons Italian seasoning*
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup (70g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Everything Bagel Topping
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds*
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes*
- 1 teaspoons coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Make the dough: Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave until warm to touch, about 110°F (43°C). Pour warm milk on top of yeast/sugar. Whisk gently to combine, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy after 5-10 minutes.
- If you do not have a mixer, you can mix by hand in this step. Add the butter, egg, flour, and salt. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Dough will be soft.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, around 60-90 minutes. (If desired, use my warm oven trick for rising. See my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- As the dough rises, prepare the filling and topping in the next steps and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Make the cream cheese filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat all of the filling ingredients together until combined. Cover tightly and set aside until ready to use. (Don’t refrigerate unless making well in advance. It’s easiest to spread on the dough when at room temperature. If refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before spreading on dough in step 7.)
- Make the topping: Combine the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced onion, dried garlic flakes, and coarse salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Assemble the bread: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll out until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. The dough can be any shape, just as long as it’s around 1/4 inch thick. Spread cream cheese filling on top. Using a 3.5 – 4 inch circle cookie cutter, cut into circles. I get about 12 circles. Fold circles in half and line in prepared baking pan, round side up. See photos above for a visual.
- 2nd rise: Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and allow to rise once again in a slightly warm environment until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position then preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Brush dough with the 2 Tablespoons of melted butter and sprinkle everything bagel seasoning on top. (Use as much of the seasoning as you want; extras can be used for any of the suggestions listed in the post above.)
- Bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. If you find the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and serve warm.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Freeze baked and cooled bread for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven to your liking. The dough can be prepared through step 3, then after it has risen, punch it down to release the air, cover it tightly, then place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Continue with step 5. To freeze the dough, prepare it through step 3. After it has risen, punch it down to release any air. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Then let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before continuing with step 5. (You may need to punch it down again if it has some air bubbles.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl and Silicone Spatula | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Rolling Pin | Circle Cookie Cutters | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack | Coarse Sea Salt or Flaky Sea Salt
- Yeast: I always use Platinum Yeast from Red Star, an instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise times could be slightly longer. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Italian Seasoning: I used Italian seasoning blend in the cream cheese mixture. You can use any dried or fresh herbs you like. Dried works a little better in the baked bread. Dried basil, parsley, oregano, etc.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning: If you don’t care for one of the everything bagel seasonings, feel free to swap it out with another that you love.
- Leftover Dough: To avoid having leftover dough scraps with the garlic herb mozzarella cream cheese mixture on them, you can spread the mixture individually onto each circle. Make sure you load it onto each! Then just save the leftover scraps to make pizza, rolls, whatever. But I found it easier to spread the whole thing with the garlic herb mozzarella cream cheese mixture. See below for what I do with my extra dough scraps!
Leftover Dough
Since we’re using a cookie cutter for shaping this pull apart bread, we’re going to have some dough scraps leftover. The dough scraps are topped with the herbed cream cheese mixture so WHY NOT shape into a ball, then roll it out to make pizza? Pizza on top of a tender and flaky homemade garlic herb cream cheese dough. This pizza might even be better than the everything bagel pull apart bread itself!!
Since the dough is covered with the wet cream cheese mixture, you’ll need extra all-purpose flour on hand. Using well floured hands, peel the scraps off the counter and shape into a ball. This will be messy. Add more flour to the dough as needed (I probably added about 1/2 cup of flour) and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. It’s still going to be a little wet; thats ok. Flatten it out with floured hands or a floured rolling pin as best you can. Top with pizza toppings and bake in a 475°F (246°C) oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned to your liking.
I used homemade pesto, mozzarella cheese, caramelized onion, halved baby tomatoes, and when it came out of the oven, I topped it with our everything bagel seasoning. 🙂
In partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Trying this recipe out to bring to work and share. I have to leave by 6am, so I’ve made the dough to the first rise as the make ahead instructions list, but I would need to be up at 3:30 tomorrow to finish the rest. Is it possible to make this loaf until the second proof and then put it in the fridge? And let it do the final part of the rise in the morning before baking? Has anyone attempted this? It’s similar to what I do for cinnamon rolls, first proof on the counter, second in the fridge overnight until it finishes rising before baking the next morning.
If not, how long do you suggest heating this for tomorrow? Should it be refrigerated? Thank you!
Hi Kate, we don’t recommend letting the shaped bread rise overnight in the refrigerator for fear it would over-proof and lose its shape. It would be best to bake it tonight if you wish, and then reheat in the oven until warmed to your liking. We do recommend refrigerating it. Enjoy!
I’ve read through all the pull apart breads and they all have some more liquidy in between part. I don’t like cream cheese, would it totally ruin this recipe if I didn’t do the cream cheese? Or maybe I need to figure out a different filling? Thanks!
Hi Jen, we wouldn’t leave out a filling completely, but what about using a variation of the filling from this rosemary garlic pull apart bread? You can use the butter and then swap the spices for more everything bagel seasoning/spices and then add you favorite cheese. Let us know if you try it!
I did end up making this modified version. I used mozzarella cheese (low moisture block) since that’s what I had and used the butter from the rosemary version + everything spices. It was very dry, but as goes it when experimenting and changing recipes. Next, I’ll try the pesto one! I appreciate your reply 🙂
I made it yesterday and with no machine and I barely had to use extra flour. It was so soft too and ratio is on point but I added 296g of flour because my egg was 56g. My only concern was the size of each rolled circle. They were so tiny and after proofing for the second time they are like 2 inches away from the rim of my tin. (It’s in the fridge for later bake) I have used the scraps without second proofing and baked it immediately for 12 mins and it was freaking delicious, so I’m hoping my pull apart bread would puff up so nicely. Thanks for the recipe.
I also used homemade Duke’s Mayo for the cream cheese in place of butter and fresh erbs. Super wild.
can I use my bread machine on the dough setting for this? I use it for focaccia and other breads.
Hi Elaine, The bread machine should work on its dough setting for this recipe, but we haven’t tested it. Happy baking!
Made this yesterday! Substituted white cheddar for the mozzarella. This is a delicious bread!
Is there a benefit to the dough being”pull apart” and not one ball, or is it just to be easier and put the cheese in? Is there better rising or keep moisture in?
Hi Catherine! This format allows you to add the filling, and makes a fun/convenient bread for serving.
I love this recipe and have made it many times.
If I bake and freeze it or refrigerate it, how long do I bake it for before serving and at what temperature, before serving? Thank you
Hi Vandana, if the bread is already fully baked, you can just warm it in the oven to your liking (350 degrees should work well). Hope you enjoy it!
It was good, being from New Mexico I added some Hatch Green chili to the cream cheese mixture, I was worried about too much moisture in the mix but it turned out fine. Thanks for another great recipe!
This was delicious and definitely worth the effort! I have limited work space, so I divided the dough into 12 balls, flattened them, and used a small spatula to apply the spread. Worked just fine, and no scraps or leftovers to deal with.
Does this pull apart, and taste good, cool? I’m wondering about taking this camping….
Hi Laurie, While we recommend enjoying this bread while it’s warm for the best taste and texture, we’ve definitely enjoyed it leftover after it’s fully cooled! It should still pull apart. Let us know if you give it a try!
Can I make mini loaves from this recipe?
Hi Corey, we can’t see why not! We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
Very yummy!! Thanks so much for yet again, another quality recipe! And for replying! (I always appreciate when blogs reply!)
Brilliant idea of adding a Tbs of cheese, unfortunately, it’s too late as the bread has already been baked and more than half eaten
I added about 1/3 cup shredded white cheddar to the cream cheese mix, and I can confirm it was a success! Very delicious!
HOWEVER, Sally and her team put a tremendous amount of effort into the published recipes, so I will always suggest following the recipe as originally written for BEST RESULTS!
but, if you are in a pinch like I was, cheddar is a fine alternative
Out of curiosity, next time can I omit the cream cheese and sub in pesto instead?
Hi Jamie, we’ve never tested pesto but it sounds delicious!
Probably pointless to ask this as I plan on making the bread today regardless, and I’m too impatient to wait for a reply
I only have cheddar cheese on hand at the moment. Can I use cheddar? I don’t think it’s possible because it seems too “melty” (?) and I know I can just omit the cheese (but who wants to do that?!) I have orange and yellow cheddar (I’m guessing yellow cheddar because it’s not so sharp??) a quick reply would be very much appreciated
Hi Jamie, You could add a Tbs shredded cheddar to the inside of each dough pocket instead of the cream cheese. Would love to hear how it goes if you try it.
I loved this! I made a few modifications… I had buttermilk I needed to use up so I subbed that for the whole milk, I had Boursin shallot and chive cheese so I mixed that with a block of cream cheese instead of mozzarella, and I rolled the dough into balls like another commenter (I just didn’t want to roll it out on my counter). I topped it off with some everything bagel seasoning I got at the store (Trader Joe’s is the best for it!) All in all this was delicious! It ended up being for dinner and the leftovers will be my lunch today with a fried egg and some avocado on top.
This was the first thing I’ve baked from scratch, and it was easy! I would just suggest that you don’t use the oven trick for the second prove. It was so cold in my house I didn’t have a choice. It still tastes amazing though!!
I love this recipe. I decided to make ot with dresh chopped chicken and veggies for a luch\dinner option. I just used a little less everything seasoning. The bead disks were perfectly sturdy with the extra wieght. I cut out the indavidual disks and filled them one at a time so i didn’t have any waste! Thanks for anotjer great amd easy recipe!
This was sooooo good!!’ Will definitely make it again.
Could you use the dough scraps the next day if kept in the fridge?
Hi Ellie, Yes you can use them! Just keep them very tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Can I do through step 8 in the morning, put it in the refrigerator and then bake when I get home from work?
Hi Judi, The best way to prepare it in the morning is to prepare through step 3, then after it has risen, punch it down to release the air, cover it tightly, then place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you get home in the evening continue with step 5.
Can I make the dough in the breadmaker,
Hi Laney! The bread machine should work on its dough setting for this recipe, but we haven’t tested it. Happy baking!
I love this recipe! I found it a week ago, and I’m on my second loaf. The only thing I do a little differently than the recipe is that instead of cutting out dough circles (I don’t have a cutter the right size) I divide the dough into 12 balls (about 44g each) and just roll each circle separately.
Hello, long story short, can you add proofed yeast to flour, salt and olive oil on day 2 or does it become null and void/die in the fridge (refrigerator) overnight? Yeast came from a new pot, so was active but has now been sitting in slightly sweet, 50/50 milk and water solution (2tbsp yeast to 1tbsp dark brown sugar) for a few hours and will be overnight by the time I get a reply in my timezone. I’m happy to bin, learn a lesson and move on but I wanted to find out in case “life happens” again. Thank you
Just wanted to share I made this recipe again with fresh yeast and milk (turns out I really didn’t read the recipe well). I loved the bread wih my changes outlined below. My only changes to the bread portion was to use half the sugar, 50/50 flour and replaced the butter for extra virgin olive oil as I’m an Italian at heart. Oh and I kneaded the bread a lot longer, until I could pull it thin without breaking (windowpane test) so I knew the bread would have a better texture. For the filling portion, I rounded the recipe down to a 180g UK pot and that was a perfect ration of cheese to bread IMO. I used light cream cheese (same flavour, slightly healthier. In the UK we can only get a Philadelphia spredable and that works no problem), replaced butter for olive oil again, half the garlic granules and 1 1/2tsp herby blend called za’atar (oregano, thyme, sumac (lemon like spice) and salt) which I prefer here over Italian seasoning. Lastly I topped my bread with sesame seeds, I tried the everything bagel seasoning and it was WAY too strong in both onion, garlic and salt even after doubling the seed portion so now I have a spice jar full of the stuff which is a shame.