Fun, easy and versatile, this soft tender Cheesy Bubble Bread is perfect for snacking and easy entertaining! This is really a crowd-pleaser. I haven't yet met anyone who could say no to this!
This Cheesy Bubble Bread also goes by Monkey Bread or Pull-Apart Bread. No matter what the name, this bread is a crowd puller. Serve it as an appetiser, as a side to your mains or an anytime snack. It just works.
I used cheddar cheese and coarsely ground black pepper in the dough, but you can experiment with a myriad of fillings. Maybe Feta cheese, garlic, spring onion, any herbs, nuts or spices you fancy.
You can even knead in bacon bits or caramelized onions..or both. That already sounds divine to me! The beautiful golden colour comes from dipping the bread dough in melted butter. Olive oil works well too, but it's the butter that gives a lovely flavour as well. Once you've dipped the dough balls in butter, you can proceed to top them with any kind of topping you want.. herbs, sesame seeds, grated cheese. This versatile bread gives you a wide scope to play around with flavours!
Making this Cheesy Bubble Bread is a fun kitchen project to do with kids too. Get them to pick out their fillings and toppings. They will happily roll the dough, do the dipping and layering while you sip your wine and give instructions! And the intoxicating smell of freshly baked bread will make them clean up pronto too. This is the best kind of child labour, trust me!
I hope this Cheesy Bubble Bread is as much fun for you to make and eat as it is for us!
I’d love to hear from you! Please tag me on Instagram @
Cheesy Bubble Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup Wholewheat flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tsp Dry active yeast
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water, barely lukewarm
- 1 Tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil
- 1/2 cup Grated Cheese I used cheddar
- 1 Tbsp Black pepper, coarsely ground
- 2 Tbsp Butter, melted You can also use Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning You can use any herbs /seeds/spices of your choice
Instructions
- Stir yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water. Keep aside for 5-10 minutes till bubbly.
- Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and oil, stir with your hand or a wooden spoon until a rough ball forms.
- Flour your work surface well, turn out the scraggy dough on to it. Knead it till its smooth and elastic, for about 5-7 minutes. The dough will be a little sticky.
- Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles, 1 -1.5 hours
- Punch down the dough and turn it out on a floured surface. Knead the cheese and black pepper gently till well distributed. Let rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Grease 8" * 4" loaf pan or casserole.
- Keep melted butter ready in a bowl. The Italian seasoning in another bowl.
- Break the dough into small 1" pcs, roll into balls. Once all the dough has been used up, dip each ball in melted butter and then in the seasoning. Place in the prepared dish. Cover with a towel and let them rise in a draft-free spot for 45-50 minutes until the loaf has doubled in size.
- While the bread dough is rising, preheat your oven to 220 C. Once the dough has doubled in size, bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- If the bread is browning too fast, cover loosely with a piece of foil.
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife or spatula around the edge to loosen any stuck bits. Take out on a cooling rack. Let cool for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy warm!
Joshua says
Made this today with olive oil instead of butter and using parmesan cheese. Turned out SO good, we're addicted to it! Will add some more cheese next time since we like extra
Natasha Minocha says
Hey Joshua, so glad it turned out well for you! Parmesan sounds so tasty, I'll try that myself next time. Thanks for stopping by xx
Ladonna Gardner says
Can u stuff the balls with a piece of a cheese stick
Natasha Minocha says
Oh absolutely! That would taste amazing!