Pesto Pull Apart Bread

Torn, Shared, and Remembered

Some dishes are less about technique and more about the act of gathering. Pull apart bread is one of them — a loaf that practically asks to be passed around, tugged gently apart at the table, handed from one set of hands to another. Pesto woven between the layers gives each torn piece something fragrant and green to hold onto. It's the kind of thing that disappears quickly, but the warmth of making it — and the people it feeds — tends to linger.

Ingredients

• 1 pound round loaf bread, unsliced
• 1-2 jars Alessi Pesto
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Alessi Garlic Puree
• Alessi Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Alessi Smooth Marinara, warmed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Slice bread lengthwise into 1” slices, leaving 2” of bread at the loaf base.
3. Repeat this method across the width of the loaf so that the top of the bread has been cut into cubes.
4. Use a small spoon to drop pesto evenly between of bread cube slices.
5. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese in between bread cubes and use your fingers to stuff cheese in the creases.
6. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and garlic puree.
7. Brush top of loaf with olive oil mixture and season with salt and pepper.
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with Alessi Marinara for dipping.