Pull-Apart Spicy Cheese Bread

Pull-Apart Spicy Cheese Bread

1 rustic loaf of sourdough bread
¾ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
¾ cup shredded provolone cheese (or sliced provolone, cut into strips)
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped*
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (more if you want spicier bread)
¼ cup butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut bread horizontally into inch-wide strips without cutting all the way through the bottom crust. Use the same method to cut bread vertically so that the result is a grid of 1-inch square cuts, leaving the bottom of the loaf intact. Set aside.
Combine cheese, chives, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and mix until evenly distributed. Using your hands, gently stuff the cheese mixture in between the cuts in the bread. This is easier if you stuff cheese in the horizontal cuts and fill in as needed. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top of the loaf. 
Place loaf on a sheet of foil, pour melted butter on top, and wrap the loaf with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, unwrap from foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned on top. Serve while hot.




Bench Notes:

* Garlic Chives from the garden - lovely plant really. 
Not sure about the logistics of the cutting the bread - awkward to pull apart. An onion, it is not. I used a round country bread instead of sourdough. I placed the bread on the foil after slicing so it wasn't stuffed when moved - less likely to lose filling that way. 


Very tasty, used 1/2 provolone and 1/2 sharp cheddar, added 1 teaspoon of lemon salt since the butter I used was unsalted.
All said, Very Good!