It's week 2 of the 2012 college football season and our Game Day Recipe series is in full swing. This week's recipe is one of my absolute favorites. Pull Bread is a fun, delicious finger food that everyone will love. Our recipe is kept simple with just a few ingredients, but this dish is fully customizable.


1 loaf of rustic Italian or French bread
12 oz. shredded cheese (8 oz. pepper jack, 4 oz colby)
1/4 cup finely diced pickled peppers (jalapeno or pepperchinis)
1/4 cup butter

Serves 6-8
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Preheat the oven to 350. Using a long, sharp slicing knife, cut a checker board pattern of 1 inch squares into the bread. Slice about 3/4 of the way through the loaf.


Mix the cheese, peppers and melted butter in a bowl with your hands or a fork.


Now comes the fun part. Stuff each crack in the loaf of bread with the cheese mixture. Fill each crack with as much of the mixture as you can. It's a messy process that doesn't have to be done perfectly. Just keep stuffing until you run out of cheese.


Once stuffed, wrap the entire loaf in aluminum foil and seal the package. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Unwrap the loaf and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.


Serve the bread hot. Ranch dressing and marinara sauce are good dipping compliments, but it's excellent on it's own. Add crumbled bacon, chopped olives and green onions for a festive appetizer. Or, mix in some garlic and serve as a side dish for Italian meals.