Bacon and Cheddar Pull Apart Bread

Imagine this scenario: Artisan bread - perfectly crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside - brushed with garlic butter and stuffed with bacon and cheese before baking. Pretty nice picture, right? The best part is, you don't have to imagine - the reality is right here!
About the bread: I used an artisan French Boule (from my regular supermarket). Any loaf works (Italian, French, sourdough, etc.), but round looks the coolest in my opinion.

About the bacon: In the recipe below, I roasted the bacon before inserting it into the bread. You need to preheat the oven anyway, so why not cook the bacon in a mess-free, easy way? If you want to cook it another way - microwave, stovetop - by all means, do it!

Bacon and Cheddar Pull Apart Bread

6 slices bacon
1 round bread loaf of choice (I used a French Boule)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the bacon on the prepared pan and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until crisp but still slightly chewy (the bacon will cook a little more once it's in the bread).
Remove the bacon from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces
Using a sharp, serrated knife, make several horizontal slices in the bread, about 1 inch apart (slice the bread most of the way through, but not all the way through the bottom). Now make the same amount of vertical slices, creating a cross-hatch pattern (again, don't slice all the way through the bottom).
Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Whisk in the garlic. Brush the garlic butter all over the bread.
Fill the openings in the bread with the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Insert the bacon pieces all over the bread.
Wrap the bread in foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese melts. Serve hot and gooey to happy faces.

Serves 4