Cheesy Jenga Bread

Our recipe adds shredded mozzarella, because when it comes to dairy products, we like to go hard. As far as cheese spread goes, Brie’s great grandma used Kraft Old English Spread. We tested ours with that, as well as garlic and herb cheese spread from Whole Foods. You can go as highbrow or lowbrow as you want; the most important thing is that the cheese is spreadable, because you are about to slice a loaf of bread into a bunch of cubes and spackle it back together using the spread as mortar. Be generous with the spread but not so heavy-handed that it gets sloppy. Be sure the loaf of bread is large—it should be both tall and wide, about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 6 inches (15 cm) wide (so a baguette is too skinny to work)—and not pre-sliced. Much like learning the rules to a new card game, it’s best to dive in and learn this recipe as you go.

Serves 8-10 as a party snack

INGREDIENTS

• One 9-ounce (255 g) container cheese spread, like Kraft Old English Spread or garlic and herb
• 8 ounces (227 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella (about 2 cups)
• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 large loaf unsliced white bread
• Poppy seeds (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Use a spatula to stir together the cheese spread, mozzarella, butter, garlic, and garlic salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
3. Use a serrated knife to cut the crust off the bread—top, sides, bottom, the whole shebang. Place the bread on the baking sheet so the longest side is facing you.
4. Now we slice and spackle. From the side that is facing you, cut the bread lengthwise into three equal layers, essentially turning the loaf into three “sheets” of bread with a top, middle, and bottom layer. Starting with the bottom layer, spread about a ⅛-inch-thick (3 mm) layer of the cheese mixture onto the upward-facing side of the bread and then add the middle layer on top. Spread the cheese mixture onto the top of the middle layer and then add the top layer on top.
5. From the top down, slice the bread lengthwise into thirds. This will leave you with three long strips of bread in three layers, for a total of nine strips. Spread the cheese in between the strips. It doesn’t matter where you start—just keep spackling as you go. You are a bread mason now!
6. Next, slice crosswise from the top down. Start by slicing the loaf in half, right down the middle. Then spackle it back together. Slice the left side in half and spackle that back together. Slice each of those halves in half and spackle. Repeat this on the right side for a grand total of seven crosswise cuts (one in the middle and three on each side).
7. Spackle the remaining cheese mixture over the tops and sides of the bread to seal it all in and sprinkle the top with poppy seeds (if using).
8. Bake the loaf for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and melty. Serve hot.

Note: Don’t attempt to slice all the bread at first. It’s easiest to slice and spackle as you go because the cheese spread acts as glue and keeps the loaf from falling apart as you continue to dice it up.

TIP: PREP AHEAD - This bread can be made up to 4 days in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored in the fridge, or it can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen, covered in foil until warm throughout. Remove the foil, for the final few minutes of baking, until the edges are nice and crispy.