Italian Cheesy Pull Bread

I needed some cheesy bread to go with an Italian flavored meal a little while ago and had bought a little 12-oz loaf of bread at the grocery store on sale that I needed to use. We love cheesy garlic bread, and I've done a couple variations of pull bread before (see Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull Bread here, and Cheesy Pull Apart Bread here) and I decided to combine the two for an Italian version of pull bread... it is ridiculous and delicious. It was really hard to not hoard the whole thing for myself and just eat that for dinner. We love garlic, so there is quite a bit in this recipe - reduce the quantity if you're not big fans like we are! :) You could sprinkle on some grated parm too, for a yummy finishing touch if you'd like!

My hubby and son wanted me to add some bacon crumbles too, but I thought that wouldn't go with the meal very well, so left them off, but of course bacon does go beautifully with "crack bread", so add some if you're feeling adventurous!

I only know this didn't last very long in our house, and we all had to exert some will power to put at least a small portion of this in the refrigerator after dinner, instead of in our bellies.

Italian Cheesy Pull Bread

Ingredients
1 12-oz loaf bread (sourdough, Italian, etc.)
1/2 stick (4 TBS) butter
1 TBS minced garlic
3 tsp garlic powder
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions into small squares (see photos for reference). Do not cut through to the bottom crust.
3. Place the loaf of bread atop a large piece of foil (large enough to wrap all the way around.)  
4. Gently stuff cheese into all the cracks (I find it seems to work best to go down the cuts that are lengthwise only, and not try to go both directions, the bread seems less likely to rip this way).
5. Once bread is stuffed with cheese, melt butter in the microwave and add in the garlic, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine and pour over the stuffed bread. 
6. Secure the foil around the loaf and place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then open foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I love cheese, and bread, and Italian cheesy bread, and pull bread, so this one was a no-brainer!!