Happy New Year & Cheesy Mushroom Pull-Apart Bread

This recipe was floating around Facebook, so I gave it a shot for our New Year's Eve party. Not too bad, it had a pretty presentation, and it tasted o.k. It was very easy to make. 

I'm not sure it was all that I thought it would be. **shrug** 

I did vary it a little by sautéing some onion with the mushrooms.

My guests ate about half of it but that could have been because we had about 6 tons of food for a dozen people... as usual! 

Cheesy Mushroom Pull-Apart Bread

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

For the Mushrooms:

12 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

For the Bread:

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
12 ounces Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Instructions:

For the Mushrooms:

Heat a medium skillet on medium. Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook 4-5 minutes until they start to sweat. Add the thyme and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes.

Set mushrooms aside and allow to cool.

For the Bread:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Insert cheese slices between cuts. Pour the mushrooms between the cuts. Use your fingers to push the mushrooms down into the loaf.

Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.