Homemade Pull-Apart Garlic Cheese Pizza
This homemade pull-apart garlic cheese pizza features deep pockets of rich herb oil, a gooey mozzarella topping, and briny olives for the ultimate savory snack.
There is something universally comforting about warm bread and melted cheese, but scoring the dough transforms this classic combination. By cutting a grid into the base before baking, the aromatic garlic and dill oil seeps deep into the center. The result is a wonderfully interactive, pull-apart crust that bubbles up around the rich mozzarella.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 14 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil (for dough)
- 14 cup olive oil (for herb mix)
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 14 cup sliced black and green olives
Instructions
- 1Score the pizza dough
Once the dough has been rolled into a large circle, use a pizza cutter to score the surface. Create a grid of small squares by cutting parallel lines across the dough in one direction, then rotating and cutting perpendicularly. This scoring allows the garlic herb oil to seep into the bread and creates easy pull-apart sections.
Tip: Apply firm pressure but do not cut all the way through the dough to the parchment paper; you want to create deep grooves rather than separate pieces. - 2Brush with garlic herb oil
Combine olive oil with freshly crushed garlic, chopped parsley, and a hint of dill. Use a pastry brush to apply this fragrant mixture generously over the surface of the scored dough squares, ensuring the oil seeps into the cuts for maximum flavor infusion.
Tip: Dont skimp on the garlic oil—the scoring allows the herb mixture to penetrate deep into the dough, creating flavorful pockets once baked. - 3Top with mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle a thick, even layer of shredded mozzarella cheese over the entire surface of the herb-brushed dough. Ensure the cheese reaches the edges and fills the scored lines to create a rich, melty topping that binds the herbs and garlic to the bread.
Tip: Using whole-milk mozzarella that you shred yourself will provide a much better melt and flavor compared to pre-shredded varieties. - 4Add olive garnishes
Scatter sliced black and green olives over the layer of cheese as the final topping. These olives provide a salty, briny contrast to the rich cheese and aromatic herbs. Your pizza is now ready to go into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
Tip: Drain and pat the olives dry with a paper towel before adding them to prevent excess moisture from making the dough soggy during the baking process.
