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This festive Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread is light, soft, buttery, garlicky, perfectly salted, and SO delicious. Serve this warm right out of the oven with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt and marinara for dipping. It’s melt in your mouth good…and oh so impressive. This is simpler than you’d think to make, and such a fun pull-apart bread for all of your upcoming holiday dinners.
Ingredients
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Warm whole milk
- Instant yeast
- Honey
- Large eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Salted butter
- Grated parmesan
- Chopped fresh sage
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Dried parsley
- Chili flakes
What you will need in the kitchen:
- Stand mixer and bowl
- Foil
- Medium bowl
- Forks and knives
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
I’ve already made a pull apart wreath so I figured it was time to add a Christmas tree to the mix! I’ve seen these for years, but wanted to give it my own touch. And you guys, I love this bread!
It’s oddly simpler than you’d think to make (you have to look at the photos, visuals make it much easier). And so flipping good! It’s hard to beat garlic bread, but shape it like a Christmas tree?
Yes, it’s just that much better.
I’ve wanted to make this for a long time. Last year I ran out of days in December. So this year I put it on our content calendar way back in October…and never moved it off. When I told my mom the idea, she immediately said, “oh you have to make that!!”.
In our house, no holiday dinner is complete without a side of homemade bread. Most of the time I’ll make some form of a soft, buttery roll. But this year I wanted something a bit more festive.
Going into this recipe I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, I was actually nervous. I just wanted it to work and turn out great so badly! I had a vision in my head and it needed to match! And thankfully I got it just right!
It’s delicious, festive, and well…it smells amazing while baking away in the oven.
The details
I know this bread might look like it takes hours to make, but trust me, it’s not as tricky as you think. First, make a milk-based bread dough, roll it out, then cut the dough into a triangle. Next, spread on plenty of roasted garlic butter. Then add another triangle of dough on top.
From here, simply cut slits up the tree and twist them! Seems crazy, I know, but it’s going to be great!!
Use the photos as a visual guide, they will really help!
The dough
Flour, instant yeast, and a pinch of salt with milk, eggs, and butter. The combination creates a beautiful golden crust on the outside, but the inside stays incredibly soft and fluffy.
I prefer to use instant yeast to keep the dough making process quick and simple! It also prevents the dough from rising too much in the oven, which helps the tree keep its shape better.
The roasted garlic butter
Roasting garlic is really easy. If you’ve never done it before it really adds a layer of deliciousness to your recipes.
Slice the top portion of the garlic head off to reveal the cloves. Then place the garlic on a small piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap the garlic up. Roast for about forty minutes, until the garlic is deeply golden and soft.
I like to mash the garlic with butter, parmesan, and herbs. Nothing fancy, but wow, so good.
What’s great about this pull apart bread is that while it’s a nice addition to your dinner party menu, it also works as an appetizer. It would be nice to have this ready just as your guests arrive. They can snack on bread and enjoy cocktails before dinner. It’s always nice to have something for people to graze over while chatting away.
The most important thing you must do? Serve the bread warm with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Truly nothing is more delicious. I can’t wait to serve this to my family on Christmas Eve…my brothers and Asher are already excited. They all love a soft garlic bread!
Looking for other bread recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Easy Pull Apart Garlic Parmesan Bread
Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls
Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns
Lastly, if you make this Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread
Servings: 16
Calories Per Serving: 132 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick + 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 pinch chili flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. Slice off the top portion of the garlic head to expose some of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap it up, and bake for 40-55 minutes, until deeply golden and very soft.3. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm milk, honey, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining 1/4-1/2 cup of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.4. Let the garlic cool, then squeeze the cloves out into a bowl. Add 1 stick butter, the parmesan, sage, basil, oregano, parsley, and chili flakes. Mash the cloves into the butter with a fork. 5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each dough into a large rectangle (roughly 15×11 inches). Place one rectangle on top of the other. To cut a large triangle, cut from the bottom corner to the center of the top. Repeat on the other side to make a large triangle in the middle. Peel away the corners and save for another use. 6. Separate the 2 triangles and place 1 triangle on the prepared baking sheet. Spread 2/3 of the garlic butter over the triangle, carefully place the second triangle on top, matching the corners. Cut the triangle into horizontal slices about 1 inch apart from the top to bottom, leaving the middle “trunk” of the tree intact. Pull the strips and twist (see above photo).8. Brush the top with the remaining garlic butter. Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce.
This post was originally published on December 15, 2021
Can you make this the day before? I’d love to have this for Christmas Eve but we’ve got a busy morning that day!
Hi Carrie,
Yes, that would be just fine to do, I would assemble and keep in the fridge then bake when ready to serve. I hope you love the recipe, happy holidays! xTieghan
What can I do with leftover dough?
Hi Amy,
Sorry, I am not sure what you mean, you should not have any leftover dough here:) xTieghan
Hello!
I want to make this this week for my family! Staying in a holiday rental, with a stand mixer with a paddle and whisk attachment but no dough hook. Do you think it will work if I knead with the paddle?
Thank you!!
Hey Hayley,
I would probably just knead by hand:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Highly recommend this recipe! Thank you Half-Baked Harvest! The scrumptious garlic bread and festive shape was a hit at a holiday party last night. I served it with a spicy marinara. Next time, I would make extra buttery spread to use with the excess dough trimmed off when making the tree shape.
Hi Bonnie,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
I baked this beautiful tree bread, but it started burning after 12 minutes in the oven. I’m thinking I should have reduced the oven temperature after roasting the garlic. Any suggestions?
Hi Hannah,
Wow! At 400F? Did you line your baking sheet with parchment? Was there anything you adjusted in the dough? xTieghan
Wow! Just wow! In my many years of cooking, I have never mastered baking bread. I so wanted to experiment and make it work. This seemed the perfect recipe to try. I just did a dry run before the holidays and it turned out perfectly adorable and tasty. I didn’t want to waste those triangles I cut off, so I spread some of the garlic butter on the pieces and cut them into squares like the wreath recipes and baked in a small bread pan. I just inhaled half the loaf! It is so flavorful and tender. Tonight’s experiment will be with soup, but I’m going to make it again for Christmas Eve with baked meatballs and marinara for dipping. I can’t wait to bowl my crowd over!
Hi Val,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
These are super delicious! I didn’t make mine into a Christmas tree shape and just did regular twists. They were great!
Hi Audrey,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
Can you make this with pizza dough rather than making the dough yourself?
Hi Mauranda,
Sure, that should work for you, I have not tested this:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Could I bake the day before and reheat in the microwave? I’d love to take this to work nibbles!
Hi Beth,
Sure, that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Fun and easy-ish recipe. I followed the recipe quantities and then added an additional 1/2 cup of flour at the end of step 3 bc my dough was way too sticky to work with – so I used 3 3/4 cups flour total. I didn’t want to waste any of the dough so instead of rolling each half into a rectangle and trimming, I shaped each half a into a triangular shape to begin with, then rolled out trying to maintain that shape. When I was satisfied with the first layer I transferred to my parchment lined sheet and spread on the butter mixture. I just eyeballed the second half to get a similar shape then placed on top…at this one point I did trim a little so both layers matched together.
For anyone thinking about making this ahead of time, I actually prepped this the night before my party and left it in the fridge (covered in plastic wrap), then took it out of my fridge about an hour before I baked it. It was nice and golden in 20 mins. Idk if it’s necessary to let it come to room temp before baking it but I went with it and it turned out perfect for me. I honestly thought this recipe would just be cute like omg it’s a tree how cute! And I wasn’t expecting it to actually be that tasty…but it was pretty damn good!
Hey there,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
The recipe sounds amazing. Could you give the weight for butter as well? It’s not sold by sticks where I live!
Thank you
1 stick of butter is the equivalent of 4 ounces or 114 grams. Good luck (to both of us)! I’m going to try this fun Christmas bread, too!
Hey there,
Each stick of butter weighs 113 grams. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make! Hoping to prep tonight, then cook and serve tomorrow evening. How would I do that? I see comments for making morning of and setting on counter covered, but what would I do if I want to prep 24 hours ahead? Would I prep the entire thing and stick in refrigerator? Then set out to rise again the next day? I’d love some details! Thank you! ??
Hi Bree,
I would pop in the fridge overnight and then pull out in the morning to let it some to room temp. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Mine turned out kind of dry and not very chewey. Any suggestion, I’d like to try it again!
Hi Karolyn,
Sorry to hear this, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? What kind of yeast did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Mine was super dry. I followed The directions to a T. What can I do Differently?
Hi Tara,
So sorry to hear this! What kind of yeast did you use? Maybe reduce your flour next time! xTieghan
Thank you for another winner! I made this yesterday for a family soup party and it was festive and delicious!
Hey Kristen,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays!? xx
Looks amazing! The ingredient list says 3 and 1/4 cup flour. Directions say combine flour in mixer and if sticky add the remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour. So how much flour am I putting in mixer to start??
Hi Danielle,
You are starting with 3 1/4 cups of flour, if needed you can add 1/4 cup. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
If I prep everything and form the tree and all that, how long can I wait until baking it? Would anything weird happen if I already have the butter on the dough and have it out all day before I bake it in the evening?
Hey Kendria,
You can make in the morning and keep covered on the counter until you are ready to bake. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan