Pull apart christmas tree bread is a savory holiday appetizer made from stuffed crescent roll dough. The dough is filled with soft garlic and herb cheese, rolled into small bites, and arranged on a baking sheet to look like a tree.
The entire process takes about 45 minutes. The cheese melts inside the dough while the outside turns golden brown in the oven. A quick brush of melted butter and parsley finishes the dish.
Why You’ll Love Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread
- Cutting the standard crescent triangles in half lengthwise creates the right size portions for building a proportionate tree shape.
- Placing the rolls close together on the baking sheet helps them fuse slightly as they expand in the oven.
- Baking the bread on parchment paper prevents the cheese from sticking to the pan and makes transferring the hot tree to a serving platter much easier.
Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread Ingredients
- Crescent roll dough: Buy the original style that comes in perforated triangles rather than the seamless dough sheets.
- Soft garlic and herb cheese: Gournay-style cheese works well here. You can use any flavor profile you prefer.
- Butter: Salted butter adds a bit of extra flavor to the crust. Unsalted butter works fine if you add a small pinch of salt.
- Fresh parsley: Chop the parsley very fine so it sticks to the melted butter after baking.
Exact quantities are in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread
Step 1: Prep the dough
Unroll the canned dough and separate it along the perforations. Slice each triangle in half to create narrower pieces.
Step 2: Fill and roll
Add a small spoonful of the soft cheese to the wide end of each dough piece. Roll the dough tightly toward the narrow point to seal the cheese inside.
Step 3: Shape and bake
Arrange the rolled pieces on a lined baking sheet. Build a trunk at the bottom, then layer rows of decreasing width to form a triangle. Bake until the dough is cooked through and browned.
Storage Tips for Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread
Store leftover bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze in a sealed bag for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes until warm.
Expert Tips for Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread
- Keep the crescent dough in the refrigerator until right before you need it. Cold dough is easier to cut and roll.
- If the cheese is too firm to spoon easily, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.
- Watch the bottom edges of the rolls during the last few minutes of baking. If they brown too quickly, tent the pan loosely with aluminum foil.
What to Serve with Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread?
Serve this warm appetizer alongside a bowl of warm marinara sauce or extra garlic butter for dipping.
Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread Recipe FAQs
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can assemble the tree on the baking sheet up to 2 hours before baking. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to heat the oven.
What if I cannot find soft herb cheese?
You can substitute plain cream cheese mixed with a teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of dried Italian herbs.
How do I keep the cheese from leaking out?
Make sure you start rolling tightly from the wide end and keep the cheese centered. A little bit of cheese might still bubble out during baking, which is normal.
Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough 8 ounces / 226 g each
- 2 packages soft garlic and herb cheese 5.3 ounces / 150 g each
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unroll the crescent dough and separate it into 16 triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make 32 narrow triangles.
- Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the soft herb cheese onto the widest part of each dough piece.
- Roll each piece up, starting from the cheese-filled wide end and finishing at the pointed tip.
- Arrange the rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Place 4 rolls at the bottom in a 2 by 2 square to make a trunk.
- Build the tree above the trunk by placing a row of 7 rolls. Continue adding rows above it with 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 rolls. Place the final roll at the very top.
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes until the dough is deep golden brown and cooked through. Let the bread rest on the pan for 5 minutes.
- Brush the warm bread with melted butter and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top.
- Slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet onto a large serving platter. Carefully pull the paper out from under the bread and serve warm.
