Emily’s Party Bread

My friend Emily, she makes this insane bread.  Every time we all get together, we require her to make it for us.  And while we’ve all had the secret recipe for ages, no one makes it as good as she does. 

Not even close. 

We are pretty sure that she puts magic in hers.

I asked Em if it would be ok if I shared the party bread recipe with my readers and she graciously agreed to part with her top secret recipe.  She also told me to tell you that in the interest of honesty, years ago, she bastardized another party bread recipe to come up with hers, so the creation is not entirely her own doing. 

Either way, I promise you that it is good. 

Emily’s Party Bread

• 1 loaf of Italian bread or sourdough
• 1 stick butter
• 2 cloves of garlic {1 heaping teaspoon of the pre-minced stuff}
• 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds
• 16 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees {I have also made this on the top rack of the grill with great success} and lay out two strips of foil that are as long as the bread.

Start by slicing the bread 3-4 times length wise and in thick sandwich size slices width wise, do not slice all the way through.  This will make a bunch of squares that will be easy to pull apart.

Then, put the stick of butter, garlic, and poppy seeds in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until the butter is melted.  Stir.

Next you are going to stuff the cheese in between the slices, filling until an obscene amount of cheese is packed into the loaf of bread.  You will believe that there is no way all that cheese is going to fit, but keep at it until all of the cheese is in there.

Finally, drizzle the butter, garlic, and poppy seed mixture all over the bread and wrap in the foil.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes covered, then unwrap the top and bake another 10 or so minutes until everything is bubbling and melted.