Baked Brie and Bread Wreath (Pull-Apart Holiday Centrepiece)

I made this baked brie and bread wreath for the first time two Christmases ago, mostly because I was bored of the usual cheese-and-cracker platter and wanted something that looked like I'd put in real effort. Spoiler: the effort involved opening a can of dough. My mother-in-law thought I'd ordered it from a bakery, and I did not correct her.

What I love about this recipe is that it tricks people into thinking you're a far more sophisticated host than you actually are. The wreath shape comes from arranging dough balls in a circle — no special mold, no ring pan, just a regular sheet pan and a little patience. The brie sits in the center, melts slowly in the oven, and by the time it comes out, it's warm and gooey and everyone migrates toward it immediately. I always pair it with something festive to drink — a mug of thick Italian hot chocolate on the side makes the whole spread feel properly wintery.

My husband is the one who asks for this most — he's not much of a cheese person ordinarily, but something about warm brie with buttery bread changes his mind every time. Zainab is obsessed with pulling the bread rolls apart, which is half the fun. I usually make this as a starter for bigger dinners, or as a centerpiece when people come over and I need something impressive that doesn't wreck my whole afternoon.

One practical thing before you start: don't skip the parchment paper. The first time I made this I used a lightly greased pan and the butter from the dough still found a way to bond with the metal in the corners. Parchment makes cleanup effortless. Also, check the brie at the 20-minute mark — every oven runs differently and you want it gooey, not burst. If you're planning a full holiday spread, this fits right into a dinner party menu without adding stress to your day.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It looks far more impressive than the work involved: People see a golden bread wreath surrounding molten cheese and assume you spent hours on it. The reality is you cut dough into pieces, rolled them into balls, and arranged them in a circle. I make this when I need to look like I tried hard but I'm actually running behind on everything else. It never fails to get comments at the table.

• The brie does all the heavy lifting: Once it melts, you don't need a dip, a sauce, or anything else. Each pull-apart roll gets dragged through that warm, creamy center and it's enough on its own. I've tried adding extra dips on the side and honestly people just ignore them and go straight for the cheese. One 8 oz wheel is enough for about six people as a starter.

• You can assemble it ahead and bake it fresh: I've put the whole wreath together the morning of a party, covered it loosely with plastic wrap, and kept it in the fridge for up to four hours. Slide it straight into the oven when guests arrive. The bread takes about 25 minutes so it hits the table while people are still settling in, which is exactly when you want something warm to pass around.

• It's genuinely customizable without extra effort: A spoonful of cranberry sauce or fig jam on top of the brie before baking transforms it into something that reads sweet-savory, which is a crowd direction I never resist. Scatter some chopped pecans on there if you have them. Or keep it plain with just herbs and butter — it's still very good. I've made it six different ways and each version had people asking for the recipe.

• Store-bought dough makes this genuinely fast: I use refrigerated crescent roll dough from Walmart or Pillsbury biscuit dough — both work well. I'm not making enriched bread dough from scratch on a party day. The canned dough bakes golden and soft and no one is analyzing how it was made. They're just eating it as fast as possible.

Ingredients

• 1 wheel brie cheese, about 8 oz (the kind in the round wooden box works great — Aldi and Trader Joe's both carry affordable ones)
• 1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough or biscuit dough (Pillsbury works well; any store brand is fine)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried if that's what you have)
• Salt, to taste
• Optional toppings for the brie center: 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce, honey, or fig jam; 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts
• Fresh rosemary sprigs or a handful of fresh cranberries for garnish (purely decorative, but it makes the wreath look beautiful)
• Parchment paper, for lining the pan

Directions

• Step 1: Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Give the oven a full 10 minutes to come up to temperature — starting with a hot oven helps the bread get golden rather than pale and doughy.
• Step 2: Cut and roll the dough. Open your can of dough and cut it into roughly equal pieces, then roll each piece between your palms into a smooth ball about the size of a large walnut. You want them all roughly the same size so they bake evenly — I shoot for about 1.5 inches across. Don't stress about perfection; close enough is fine.
• Step 3: Arrange the wreath. Place the dough balls in a circle on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a gap in the center about the diameter of your brie wheel. Tuck the balls close enough that they'll touch as they puff up — that's what gives you the pull-apart effect. I usually do one ring; if you have extra dough balls, nestle a second outer ring against the first.
• Step 4: Place the brie in the center. Unwrap the brie and set it directly in the gap in the middle of the dough ring. Leave the rind on — it holds everything together during baking and is completely edible. If you're adding jam or cranberry sauce, spoon it on top of the brie now. Add nuts if using.
• Step 5: Butter and season the dough. Brush the dough balls generously with melted butter, then sprinkle over the garlic powder, fresh or dried herbs, and a pinch of salt. Don't be shy with the butter — it's what gives the bread that golden, fragrant crust.
• Step 6: Bake. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the bread rolls are deep golden brown and the brie looks visibly soft when you nudge it gently with a spoon. Check at 20 minutes — if the brie looks like it's about to split open, tent a small piece of foil loosely over just the cheese for the remaining time.
• Step 7: Garnish and serve immediately. Pull the pan from the oven and decorate with fresh rosemary sprigs or a scatter of fresh cranberries around the wreath. Bring the whole sheet pan to the table (or transfer to a board) and let everyone pull rolls straight off the ring and drag them through the melted brie.

Tips for Success

• Keep the brie cold until right before it goes in the oven: I learned this after one attempt where the brie had been sitting on the counter for 45 minutes and it melted too fast, pooling out under the bread before the rolls were even done. A cold wheel of brie melts slowly and evenly, staying in place while the bread does its job. Take it straight from the fridge to the baking sheet.

• Make your dough balls roughly the same size: I don't measure them, but I keep one ball as my reference and match the others to it visually. When the pieces are wildly different sizes, the small ones overbake while the big ones are still doughy in the middle. Walnut-sized is a good mental target — it sounds small but they puff up significantly in the oven.

• Don't skip brushing with butter: The butter does two things — it encourages browning and it carries the herb and garlic flavor into the crust. I brush once before baking and then, if I'm feeling indulgent, I do a quick second brush as soon as it comes out of the oven. That second coat melts right in and the smell is unreasonable.

• Watch the brie in the last five minutes: Every brie is slightly different in how it behaves at heat. Most 8 oz wheels are perfectly gooey at 25 minutes. If yours is very ripe and soft to begin with, it might be ready closer to 20. You want it visibly softened and jiggling when you move the pan — not oozing out aggressively across the sheet pan. If it looks like it's about to burst, pull it out.

• Serve it the moment it comes out: This is not a make-it-and-let-it-sit dish. Brie re-solidifies as it cools, and the bread goes from soft to chewy. I time the baking so it comes out of the oven about two minutes before I want people to start eating it. If your guests are the type to linger at the table before starting, you can always slide it back into a warm oven (300°F) for five minutes to bring it back to life.

Variations

• Fig jam and walnut center: Spoon 2 tablespoons of fig jam on top of the brie before baking and scatter a handful of roughly chopped walnuts on top of that. The jam gets warm and jammy (obviously), the walnuts toast slightly, and the sweet-savory combination against the creamy brie is genuinely hard to stop eating. This is my go-to version for dinner parties.

• Cranberry sauce holiday version: Dollop store-bought or homemade cranberry sauce on the brie before baking. It reduces and concentrates in the oven and turns that jewel-red color that looks absolutely festive. This is the Christmas version — it looks like it belongs on a holiday table and tastes like it too.

• Stuffed dough balls: Press a small cube of mozzarella or sharp cheddar into the center of each dough ball before rolling it closed. You end up with cheese both in the middle of the wreath AND inside every roll. Saad discovered this version by accident when he wandered into the kitchen while I was assembling and started stuffing cheese into the balls. It's his favorite now.

• Bacon and caramelized onion: Scatter a tablespoon or two of cooked, crumbled bacon over the brie and top with a spoonful of caramelized onions before baking. This version leans savory and rich — skip the cranberry sauce if you go this route. It's less festive-looking but incredibly satisfying.

• Sweet cinnamon version: Skip the garlic and herbs entirely. Brush the dough balls with butter mixed with a pinch of cinnamon, and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Serve the brie with honey drizzled over the top instead. It sounds odd but brie with honey and cinnamon-sugar bread is a dessert-adjacent appetizer that works surprisingly well. I'd pair this with a proper dessert wine if you're hosting.

Serving and Storage

Serving

Bring this straight to the table on the sheet pan or slide it onto a large wooden board — the rustic look is part of the charm. Set it down in the center and let people pull rolls off the ring themselves; the communal, pull-apart nature is what makes it fun. I usually set out a small spreader or spoon for scooping the brie in case the center gets a little thicker as it cools. This works as a starter for four to six people, or as a party nibble alongside other appetizers. If you're building a bigger spread, my parmesan crusted air fryer chicken tenders make a great companion dish — they can bake (or air-fry) while the wreath is in the oven.

Storage

Leftovers can be wrapped loosely in foil and refrigerated for up to two days, though honestly this rarely happens in my house. To reheat, lay everything out on a baking sheet and warm at 300°F (150°C) for about 10 minutes. The bread comes back reasonably well; the brie will re-melt, though it won't be quite as creamy as fresh. I wouldn't microwave it — the bread turns rubbery. Assembled but unbaked, the wreath keeps in the fridge for up to 4 hours covered with plastic wrap, which is my preferred make-ahead strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use puff pastry instead of biscuit or crescent roll dough?

Yes, puff pastry works — the texture is flakier and a bit more delicate, and the wreath looks very elegant when it comes out. The trade-off is that puff pastry doesn't hold its pull-apart shape quite as satisfyingly as biscuit dough does. If you go that route, cut the pastry into squares, fold each one into a rough ball shape, and press the edges closed tightly so they don't unfurl in the oven.

Do I need to remove the rind from the brie?

No — leave the rind on. It's completely edible and it acts as a natural casing that holds the cheese together while it melts. Without it, the brie would melt into a puddle too quickly and spread under the bread. The rind also adds a slight earthy flavor that works well with the butter and herbs on the rolls.

Can I assemble this ahead of time?

Yes, and I do this regularly. Assemble the full wreath on the parchment-lined baking sheet, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 4 hours before baking. Don't go beyond 4 hours — the dough can start to behave strangely if it sits too long. Bake straight from the fridge; you may need an extra 3–5 minutes on the bake time since everything is cold.

What's the best way to reheat leftovers?

Spread the leftovers out on a baking sheet and reheat at 300°F (150°C) for about 10 minutes until the bread is warm and the cheese has softened again. Avoid the microwave — it makes the bread tough and chewy within about 30 seconds. The reheated version is noticeably less spectacular than fresh, which is my personal argument for just finishing it at the table the first time around.

Can I add toppings on top of the brie before baking?

Absolutely — this is actually one of the best things about this recipe. A spoonful of cranberry sauce, fig jam, or honey on top of the brie before it goes in the oven transforms the whole thing. Add a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts on top of the jam if you want texture. The toppings warm and caramelize slightly in the oven and make the center even more interesting to dip into.