Get ready to love me – or hate me – this is how you make the perfect cheesey loaf.

We started with a loaf of locally baked pagnotta bread from the Slow Rise Bakery right here on Gabriola, and cut a grid pattern half way through the loaf.

J mixed up a garlic spread using fresh garlic, Earth Balance, and a sprinkle of dried basil and spread it into the cuts of the bread.

Then we LOADED it with cheddar cheese sliced thinly and inserted into the cuts. Cheddar is what we had on hand, I’d love to try it with all different types of cheese. It looks kind of gross at this stage, but it gets so much better.

We put it in the oven at about 375F for 20 minutes, until all the cheese was melted and the top of the bread was crusty. We heated up a simple vodka pasta sauce we had in the pantry for dipping, then cut the loaf into chunks. Grab a napkin because it’s greasy and delicious, you just tear the small cubes apart with your hands and dip in the sauce. This would be super fun to do as a starter at a dinner party. CHEESEY BREAD COMA.