Bake up a savory or sweet Brain Pull-Apart Bread!
Using an oven-safe bowl and a little bit of foil, this delicious pull-apart bread gets a morbid makeover, and is served in the shape of a brain!
It starts off with an easy homemade dough that’s generously dunked in loads of herbed garlic butter, sprinkled with cheese, and baked to perfection. Serve with a hearty marinara sauce for an easy appetizer, or alongside the main course of your meal.
Or, if you find yourself with a bit of a sweet tooth, fear not! I have a dessert variation listed below as well!
Watch me make this on Rue Morgue TV!
Brain Pull-Apart Bread (Savory + Dessert Versions)
Using an oven-safe bowl and a little bit of foil, this savory pull-apart bread gets a morbid makeover, and is served in the shape of a brain!
- Prep Time2 hr
- Cook Time35 min
- Total Time2 hr 35 min
- Yield8 servings
What You Need:
For the dough:
- 1 Cup warm water
- 3 Cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoons nonfat dry milk
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
For the Savory Version:
- 1/2 Cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Red gel food coloring
- 2/3 Cup freshly-shredded Parmesan cheese
- Marinara sauce, for dipping
For the Sweet Dessert Version:
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3/4 Cup salted butter
What To Do:
For the Dough
Combine the dough ingredients, adding enough gel food coloring to get a light red color; mix and knead until a smooth dough is formed.
Transfer the dough to a lightly-greased bowl; cover and allow to rise until puffy, about 1.5 hours.
While the dough is rising, grease a 7-8″ oven-safe bowl with butter or oil. Make a long roll of heavy-duty foil about 3/4-inch around, coat it in butter or oil, and lay it down the center of the bowl – this will help to divide the two hemispheres of the brain. Overlap the ends of the foil over the edge of the bowl to help hold it in place.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface, and divide it into about 32 small pieces, each about the size of a chestnut. Roll each piece into a ball or oblong shape—you want them to be irregular.
For the Savory Version
Melt the butter; mix in the garlic and seasoning. Add in enough gel food coloring to match the color of the dough. Dunk each piece of dough into the melted butter mixture, and begin layering in the prepared bowl, sprinkling the cheese between the layers. It will be about halfway full, but will expand as it rises. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, just until it begins to brown.
Remove it from the oven, and invert it onto a serving platter. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
For the Dessert Version
In a large food storage bag, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Place dough pieces in bag, and shake to coat. Arrange pieces in pan.
In a small saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar; stir until sugar has dissolved. Pour over the dough pieces in the pan (you may not need all of the mixture).
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, just until it begins to brown. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.
