Cheesy Garlic Bread is layered homemade focaccia bread that is filled with mozzarella cheese and topped with garlic butter and more cheese! Try my Buffalo Chicken Focaccia Bread and Jalapeno Honey Bread for more delicious ways to enjoy the Italian bread.
Focaccia Cheesy Garlic Bread
This is my new favorite way to enjoy cheesy garlic bread! It starts with homemade focaccia bread, and then there are two kinds of cheese with a layer of garlic butter on the top layer of bread. It is baked in a cast-iron skillet until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Focaccia Cheesy Garlic Bread Ingredients
Crust: It all starts with my focaccia bread recipe. The Italian bread makes for a delicious crust that is like a deep-dish pizza crust.
Garlic Butter: The homemade garlic butter is made with parmesan cheese for even more cheese in this recipe. It is spread on the top layer of bread.
Cheese: I used mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese. You will add just a cup of the mozzarella cheese in between layers of the bread; then, you will add the rest of it with the cheddar cheese on top. Feel free to use your favorite kinds of cheese or a combination.
Focaccia Bread Dough
To make Focaccia Cheesy Garlic Bread, start by preparing the dough. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, water, and sugar. Stir this together and let it rest for five minutes. While that is resting, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning.
Pour half of the olive oil mixture into the yeast mixture, setting the other half of the oil mixture aside for later. Stir in the flour and put the dough into a greased bowl. Cover the dough with a tea towel for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
How to Make Cheesy Garlic Bread
After the dough has risen, it’s time to get the bread made! First, combine the melted butter, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt in a small bowl. Set it aside. Next, prepare a 12-inch cast-iron skillet by brushing the remaining oil mixture into the bottom of the skillet.
Then, place half of the dough into the skillet, pressing it out to the edges. Gently press fingers into the dough to create dimples. Top the first layer of dough with one cup of mozzarella cheese, reserving the remaining 1/2 cup for the topping.
Fold the other half of the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Use your hands to form a 12-inch circle with the dough. Invert the parchment paper over the mozzarella cheese layer. Remove the parchment paper, leaving the top layer of the dough in the skillet. Again, use your fingers to gently dimple the dough.
Spread the garlic butter over the top of the dough, followed by the rest of the mozzarella cheese and all of the cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Cutting the Bread into Strips
You may notice that my bread had been cut into strips. If you want it to be easy to pull apart for individual servings, take the bread out of the oven after about 16 minutes of baking. Cut the strips and place the bread back into the oven to continue baking another 2 minutes or so.
Remove from the oven and serve with a marinara sauce for dipping, or enjoy as-is (which is delicious)! This bread would pair wonderfully with spaghetti and meat sauce or your favorite pasta dish. And, once you see how delicious the cheese focaccia bread is, be sure to try the Focaccia Pepperoni Pizza!
Can I Make this Bread without a Cast-Iron Skillet?
Yes! If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet to make this Foccacia Cheesy Bread, you can use a baking dish. Use a 9×11-inch baking dish or even a 9×13-inch dish (but the crust will be thinner and the cooking time may have to be adjusted). Follow the instructions as written.
More Bread Recipes
Focaccia Cheesy Garlic Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
Garlic Butter
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Toppings
- 1 ½ cups (169.5 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 cup (113 g) cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
Bread
- In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Stir, then let it rest for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic, and salt.
- Pour half of the oil mixture into the yeast mixture. Set the remaining oil mixture aside.
- Add flour to the oil and yeast mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add dough to a greased bowl and cover. Let the dough rest for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Assembly
- When ready, preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Pour the remaining oil mixture into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Use a pastry brush to coat the skillet.
- Add half the dough to the skillet and work the dough to the edges. Use your fingers to create dimples in the dough.
- Top the dough with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Put the rest of the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Use your hands to form the dough into a 12-inch circle. Invert the parchment paper over the cheese and carefully peel back the paper, leaving the top layer of dough in the skillet.
- In a small bowl mix together butter, parmesan, garlic, parsley, and salt.
- Use your fingers to gently dimple the top of the dough. Brush the garlic butter over the top of the dough.
- Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
- Serve hot with marinara sauce for dipping.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
I made this with my culinary students today.. and unanimously they all loved it. We put marinara on the side for some of them, and they are picky at times, but they loved it.
Since it is only a 1 hour class, we made the dough the day before and let it rise in the fridge over night and then baked it today. It worked well for the students incase you are pressed for time like they are.
I would definitely make this with them again.