Feta Cheese and Olive Pull Apart bread, ooey gooey cheesy bread with briny salty olives, fresh herbs, and garlic, and it is in all ways amazing! The perfect appetizer to serve to a large crowd.
We need to get serious for a minute. Serious about this bread situation right here. Feta cheese, olives, herbs, za'atar butter, and warm crusty sourdough bread. I mean!!! Come on!
I randomly threw a version of this together for the first time 2 Christmases ago for my sister-in-law who is basically obsessed with any food that contains feta cheese and olives. To say it was a hit is the understatement of the century. I have since made over and over again, tweaking and perfecting the recipe every time.
When you should make this feta cheese and olive pull-apart bread
- This is the PERFECT snack for a Superbowl party! Carbs and cheese, but more interesting than your standard tailgating food
- Any friend or family gathering. Trust me you will become the most popular human in your squad if you show up with this Mediterranean stuffed bread miracle.
- A lazy Sunday afternoon. Cue up a great movie, pour a glass of crisp white wine and cozy up with this cheezy bread deliciousness
- Anytime, anywhere because it is literally that good.
If you bring this to someone else's party please make sure you put it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes and serve it warm.
Ok, let's get cooking. Ready?
How to make this insanely delicious feta cheese and olive pull-apart bread
In a medium-size bowl combine crumbled feta cheese, shredded mozzarella (reserving a small handful for the top) sliced olives, crushed garlic, and fresh dill. Stir until well combined. You may need to exert some serious self-control to not just dive head first into this cheesy olive mixture!
OLIVE TIP!
You can use an olive tapenade (I used this delicious tapenade from Sutter Buttes) or place your olives in a food processor, and pulse a few times until chopped small. You want to have a few olives reserved to sprinkle on top.
Make a Za'atar Butter!
Hi, your life is now forever changed because of two little words: Za'atar Butter. Basically, my favorite middle eastern spice blend (Za'atar is a combo of wild thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds), melted into grass-fed butter, and poured over crusty tangy sourdough bread. Whah!!!!!
If you can't find za'atar you can add fresh and dried thyme, sesame seeds, and dried oregano to the melted butter.
More Recipes with Za'atar
Stuff the bread with all of the cheesy olive goodness!
To prepare the bread: Using a serrated knife slice 1″ vertical strips through the bread 3/4 of the way down. Be sure to not fully slice the bread, you want to keep the loaf intact. Once you've cut vertical strips across the entire loaf, slice 1″ horizontal strips across the bread. You will then have 1″ cubes of bread, still intact, and perfect little pockets ready for stuffing with deliciousness.
Now pour half of the za'atar butter over the bread, separating the cubes a bit to get between the slices. Now pack all of that cheesy goodness and nestle it into your pockets. Finish with a bit of shredded mozzarella on top and pour the remaining za'atar butter on top.
Bake in the oven for 18 minutes. Top with additional sliced olives, dill, a bit of za'atar if you'd like and I like to decorate the whole thing with fresh thyme and olives.
Serve hot and be prepared to be the star of the party.
Feta cheesy, olive pleasy (I needed a rhyme…let it go), warm, fluffy, crispy, sourdough bread, Za'atar butter… you have no idea how seriously your life is about to change!
Feta Cheese and Olive Pull Apart Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread (you will need a round, crusty, delicious, unsliced loaf)
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup diced olives
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp za'atar (see notes for substitution)
Toppings
- Extra sliced olives
- Fresh dill, and thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- First, slice the sourdough bread. Using a serrated knife slice 1″ vertical strips through the bread 3/4 of the way down. Be sure to not fully slice the bread, you want to keep the loaf intact. Once you've cut vertical strips across the entire loaf, slice 1″ horizontal strips across the bread. You will then have 1″ cubes of bread, still intact, and perfect little pockets ready for stuffing with deliciousness.
- In a medium-size bowl combine crumbled feta cheese, shredded mozzarella (reserving a small handful for the top) sliced olives, crushed garlic, and fresh dill. Stir until well combined.
- Melt butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk za'atar into butter and set aside.
- Place your bread on a large baking sheet. Prepare the bread by first pouring half of the butter mixture over the bread, separating the cubes a bit to get the butter in between.
- Next stuff the feta olive mixture between the cubes. I find that hands work best here. Really try to get the mixture dispersed evenly among the cubes.
- Sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on top and cover the bread with the remainder of the butter mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 18 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is lightly browned.
- Top with extra sliced olives, fresh dill, and fresh thyme. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin this to your Party Food Board
More Party Food Recipes You Will LOVE:
Turmeric and Black Pepper Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
Healthy Apple Nachos
Loaded Mediterranean Cauliflower Nachos
Dana Suss says
Made this for my family last week and everyone LOVED it!
Christine says
Abra, this is to die for. I remembered seeing this, but never made it. Had a party to go to and planned to bring it but ended up not having time so it was all for us! Not ashamed to say that my husband and I ate the whole loaf. But we hiked today!
AbraPappa says
Yay!! This is a family favorite during the holidays. So glad you and the hubs enjoyed it!!