Premiere Watch Party Recipe: Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull Apart Bread

Happy Wednesday loves!

Does anyone else think this is perhaps the longest week ever? The week after a beautifully short week is just always so tough!  It probably didn’t help that Monday night, The Cocooners and I threw a Real Housewives of Orange County watch party, which made it feel like the weekend when the week had only just begun. We will really just take any excuse for us to have a party and try out new recipes with each other and get dressed up (not the case this time around, we were in full comfy mode).

First off, let me just say that I love RHOC. I know, I know, don’t judge me, it’s a very guilty pleasure! I have been watching it since the beginning and I just can’t stop! I think my favorite part is how much their faces change over the years, haha. It is kind of like a car accident you can’t look away from. Don’t worry, since we are Dallas ladies, we will have another night of shenanigans when Real Housewives of Dallas comes back next month too. I am getting ahead of myself now so let me get back on track! We had a delicious spread for ourselves complete with Pina Coladas for National Pina Colada Day. Camille made some amazing Crostinis so make sure to check The Cocooners for the recipe coming soon!

I made a couple of dishes that I am excited to share with you! Today, I will be sharing yummy Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull Apart Bread or Crack Bread. Next week, I will share a delicious Nutella Raspberry Cheesecake Dip with you that I am crazy obsessed with! Both recipes are extremely simple and even a novice in the kitchen can master these, I promise. Crack bread can be made with so many different flavor combinations. I wanted to make a savory dish since I knew I was going to make the cheesecake dip so I went with cheddar bacon ranch. I have also made this as a Snickerdoodle Pull Apart Bread and it was scrumptious!

**Before I get into the recipe for this, please know that a lot of these amounts are discretionary; add as little or as much for the flavor you are wanting!

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull Apart Bread

Prep Time: 15 mins          Cook Time: 30 mins
     

Ingredients:

1 round Sourdough loaf (I used Monterey Sourdough)

2 oz of Bacon bits (or about half the bag)

1 cup cheese (I used the Sargento “Off the Block” as well as Sargento “Snack Bites”)

3 tbsp Ranch dressing mix

2/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Slice the bread all the way across about 1 inch apart, making sure to not slice through the bottom of the crust. Then cut the bread perpendicular to those cuts about 1 inch apart, still not slicing through the bottom crust, making 1 inch cubes for pulling apart hence the name! This technique is also known as crosshatching. This part is the most time consuming of the prep because it requires a little muscle and a sharp knife to get through the sourdough.

3. Next, mix together the melted butter and ranch dressing mix. Once well blended, pour about 1/3 of the mixture in between the bread slices. This amount does not have to be exact as you just want to get the ranch flavor to the bottom the bread.

4. Add the cheese and bacon. I did this by using about 4 oz of Sargento “Snack Bites Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar”, and placing them horizontally in the cracks and toward the bottom of the bread. I stuffed the cheese in as many slices of the bread as I could then then added ½ cup of shredded cheese.

5. Sprinkle the bacon over the cheese, getting it in the crevices. You’ll then add the remaining amount of the butter/ranch mixture over the top.

6. Wrap the bread in foil and place on baking sheet in oven for 20 minutes.

7. Remove bread from oven and remove foil. Sprinkle remaining half cup of shredded cheese over the bread. Place back in oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

8. Remove from oven, pull apart, and enjoy!

I hope that you try these and love them as much as we did! And again, feel free to make this your own. Add more cheese/bacon, or make it with sugar and cinnamon for a sweet treat! This would also make a great dish for all those sports parties in the fall! Don't forget next week I will be sharing a “to die for” cheesecake dip that is quick and easy with only 5 ingredients! I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I’ll write ya later this week with some fashion love!

XOXO