I make my Christmas tree pull apart bread with pizza dough, so each twist pulls away with a real cheese stretch and dunks clean into a warm bowl of spinach dip. Half the dip bakes inside the tree, half gets warmed for dipping. One sheet pan, 45 minutes, two dishes for the holiday table!
How spare pizza dough turned into our pull apart Christmas tree
This started last December with a ball of pizza dough and a party I needed an appetizer for. I wanted something that looked festive without a trip to the store, so I rolled the dough out, spread spinach dip over half of it, folded, cut strips, and twisted them into a tree.
It worked amazing on the first try, which almost never happens, so I kept making it. I tested several versions after. The first one had all the dip inside and the strips burst at the seams while twisting. Splitting the batch, half inside the tree and half warmed in a bowl on the side, fixed it and gave the table a dip to go with the bread. Pizza dough is chewier than crescent dough, so the twists hold their shape from pan to platter.
If you already make my spinach artichoke dip, the filling here is that same base made thicker so it doesn’t run. Thinner batches soaked through the dough before it finished baking.
What goes into a spinach dip Christmas tree
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- Squeeze thawed frozen spinach in a clean kitchen towel until no liquid drips out. The filling sits between two layers of dough, so any moisture left in the spinach turns the bottom sheet soggy before the tree finishes baking.
- Use low-moisture mozzarella, not fresh. Fresh mozzarella releases water as it melts and softens the dough instead of giving a clean cheese pull when someone tears off a strip.
- Store-bought pizza dough from the refrigerator section works well. Let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before rolling so it relaxes and stops springing back.
- Grate the garlic for the butter topping instead of mincing it. Grated garlic melts into the butter and brushes on evenly; minced pieces slide off the twists and burn on the parchment.
Shruthi’s Top Tips
Getting your Christmas tree appetizer to hold its shape
Most of these are lessons from the batches that fell apart.
- Seal the dough edges firmly before cutting strips. If the two layers separate during cutting, filling squeezes out while you twist and the tree won’t hold through baking.
- Cut all the strips and lay them flat before you start twisting. It is much easier to judge the tree proportions with flat strips than to fix spacing after they are twisted.
- Two to three twists per strip is enough. Over-twisting pushes the filling to the edges and makes the strips too thin to pull apart cleanly.
- Make it ahead by assembling the tree on the parchment, covering it, and refrigerating up to 4 hours. Brush with garlic butter right before baking and add 2 to 3 minutes.
How to make Christmas tree pull apart bread
- Mix the spinach dip until smooth and creamy, then set half aside for serving.
- Roll the pizza dough into two thin rectangles. Spread the filling over one, leaving a small border, then top with the second sheet and seal the edges.
- Cut the layered dough into tapered strips, longest at the bottom and shortest at the top. Cut a small piece for the trunk.
- Twist each strip a few times and arrange them into a tree shape on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Brush the tree with garlic butter, then bake until puffed and deep golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Warm the reserved dip alongside it during the final 10 minutes.
- Finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve warm with the dip bowl and marinara for dipping.
How to serve Christmas tree pull apart bread
Set the tree on a large cutting board or platter with the warm dip bowl tucked at the base and a small dish of marinara next to it. Guests pull strips straight from the tree and dunk. It is built to be the centerpiece of a holiday appetizer spread, so give it the middle of the table. For a bigger spread, add a savory corn tart as a second hands-off appetizer and a spinach casserole if the party turns into dinner.
For a mixed table this is the dish everyone reaches for, and the pizza dough makes it filling enough to count as more than a nibble. Set a plate of salami or prosciutto beside it for the meat eaters and nobody needs a separate version. Kids go for the strips at the top, so I twist those a little looser. If you want a sweet counterpart, my Christmas tree cake dip is the dessert version of the same idea, and garlic bread with sliced bread rounds out the bread basket. For the rest of the menu, my Christmas recipes cover the mains and desserts.
Variations
- Swap the spinach dip filling for a sun-dried tomato and basil cream cheese blend.
- Layer thinly sliced roasted red peppers between the dough sheets for extra color and sweetness.
- Brush with pesto instead of garlic butter for a different finish.
- Cut the strips thinner and skip the trunk if you want Christmas tree breadsticks for a smaller crowd.
Storage and reheating
Store leftover tree and dip separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the bread uncovered on a sheet pan at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes until warm and crisp. Reheat the dip in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between.
Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread with Spinach Dip
Equipment
- Large sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza Cutter or sharp knife
Ingredients
For the spinach dip
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed completely dry
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the dough and assembly
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, for rolling
- 1 lb pizza dough, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup marinara sauce, for serving
Instructions
For the spinach dip
- Stir the cream cheese and sour cream together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the spinach, mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, minced garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix until evenly combined. Set half of the dip aside in a separate bowl for serving.
For the dough and assembly
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a roughly 10-by-14-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the tree-filling half of the dip evenly over one rectangle, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. Place the second rectangle on top and press the edges firmly to seal.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the layered dough into strips, tapering the lengths so the longest strips form the base of the tree and the shortest form the top. Cut a small rectangle from the scraps for the trunk.
- Twist each strip 2 to 3 times and arrange them on the prepared pan in a Christmas tree shape, longest at the bottom and shortest at the top, with the trunk piece at the base. Press the ends gently onto the pan so they hold during baking.
- Stir the grated garlic into the melted butter and brush the garlic butter over the entire tree.
- Bake until the bread is deep golden brown and puffed, 18 to 22 minutes.
- While the tree bakes, transfer the reserved dip to a small oven-safe dish and warm it in the oven during the last 10 minutes of baking, or microwave it in 30-second bursts until heated through.
- Sprinkle the baked tree with the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan and the parsley. Serve warm alongside the bowl of dip and marinara for dipping.
Notes
- Squeeze the thawed spinach until no liquid drips out; wet spinach makes the dough soggy and the strips won’t pull apart cleanly.
- Use only half the dip inside the tree and serve the rest warm; overfilling bursts the strips as you twist.
- Bring refrigerated pizza dough to room temperature, about 30 minutes on the counter, before rolling.
- For a shortcut, use 2 (8-oz) tubes refrigerated crescent dough unrolled into sheets; the twists will be more delicate.
- Store the tree and dip separately, airtight in the fridge, up to 3 days. Reheat the bread uncovered at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes and the dip in the microwave in 30-second bursts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
