Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread with Spinach Dip
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 305kcal
A pull apart bread shaped like a Christmas tree, made with pizza dough and stuffed with creamy spinach dip, served with a warm bowl of the same dip and marinara.
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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
Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 823mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4013IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 2mg
