Parmesan bread bites are an easy and super tasty appetizer that you can make from scratch in under half an hour, or even faster with ready-made pizza dough! These garlic cheesy bites are moreish and crispy and are an awesome starter for any dinner party, especially during the festive season.
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Why To Make These Parmesan Bread Bites
This recipe is perfect for hosting and entertaining, and thanks to the short list of ingredients, it comes quickly together even for surprise (last minute) visitors!
These parmesan bread bites make a great starter or a snack between meals. They will be a tasty addition to your cheese board, grazing platter, or holiday spread.
You can either make homemade pizza dough or use shop-bought one.
These cheesy garlic squares are like mini cheese biscuits.
They are great for big & small gatherings, and for making ahead – simply adjust the number of servings in the recipe card for an instant calculation of the quantities according to the size of your crowd.
The toppings are versatile – use different herbs and cheeses for a unique flavour blend each time.
Enjoy these cheesy bites as they are, or with garlic butter or marinara sauce on the side.
Key Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe are split into two groups: pizza dough (pastry) and toppings.
To start with, this simple pizza dough is inspired by Jamie Oliver’s ‘cheat’s pizza recipe’, and consists of these essential kitchen items:
- Self-rising flour makes a lighter, super-elastic dough that rises quickly without waiting (this is a no-yeast pizza dough recipe, you don’t need to wait for the dough to rise).
- Olive oil adds fragrance and moisture.
- Lukewarm water helps bind the flour together. Use water at around 37C/98.6F.
- Salt – just a small amount brings out the flavours in the pastry.
If using a ready-rolled pizza pastry, simply skip this part of the recipe.
Finally, the toppings are:
- Unsalted butter helps the garlic and herbs stick to the pizza dough and provides the important golden glaze.
- Garlic adds so much flavour to this delicious snack. Use minced garlic cloves, dried garlic or garlic salt (skip adding salt later). You make these without garlic too, but boy, you will sacrifice a lot of flavour.
- Rosemary gives these mini homemade cheese crackers its typical aroma and savoury flavour. Use finely chopped fresh, dried or frozen rosemary. Rosemary is very fragrant and a little goes a long way. If you have rosemary salt, you can use that too (again, no need to add extra salt later in this case).
- Salt is crucial as it helps highlight the umami notes in this savoury appetizer.
- Parmesan cheese provides both flavour and nutty aroma. Add a generous amount of it before it melts on top of the delightful pizza base.
Exact measurements and steps are described in the recipe card below this post.
Substitutes & Variations
Here are some ideas and tips on how to swap ingredients in this recipe.
- Combine plain flour with baking powder to replicate self-rising flour.
- Sunflower or vegetable oil instead of olive oil and butter.
- Herbs – parsley, thyme and/or oregano will work well in this recipe. Alternatively, use Italian herbs mix.
- These cheese pizza biscuits will taste fantastic with Grana Padano, Italian Hard cheese, mozzarella or cheddar.
For detailed swap ratios, please see the recipe card.
How to Make Homemade Parmesan Bread Bites
This tasty appetizer with pizza pastry is ready in 5 easy steps:
- Prepare the pizza dough (skip this step if using ready-made one).
- Roll the dough, cut into squares, and transfer them onto a baking sheet.
- Brush the pastry squares with melted butter with herbs, salt and garlic.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake.
- Serve warm or cold.
Kindly note this is a guide only, full cooking instructions are below this article.
Top Tips
Want to make sure this recipe comes out perfect each and every time? Follow these expert tips:
- Ensure your oven is hot before you bake. Preheat it before you start prepping the pizza dough.
- When using shop-bought pizza pastry, keep it refrigerated until you prepare all toppings.
- Cut the dough into same-sized pieces, this will help bake them more evenly.
- If your oven gets on hotter on one side, turn the baking sheet after 9-10 minutes of baking.
- Get creative and use a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut different shapes for more visual interest! Adjust baking time if your chosen shapes are bigger/smaller or thicker/thinner.
Storage
You can make these parmesan cheese bites in advance and store them for later. Let them cool down and store in an airtight food container or a sealed bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. Take them out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows them to reach room temperature. Find reheating instructions below.
These pizza parmesan bites can be frozen too. Allow them to cool down after baking, place in a freezer bag or freezer-safe food container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost them slowly overnight in the fridge, or on a kitchen counter (this takes 30-60 minutes). Consume within 24 hours of defrosting, keeping any leftovers in the fridge.
Reheating
Only reheat these cheesy bites with pizza dough if you are planning to eat them straight away, otherwise, they will become chewy and hard to bite very quickly.
If you want to reheat them, sprinkle them with a few drops of cold water, wrap them in aluminium foil, and bake in a preheated oven (180C/356F) for 10 minutes from chilled, or 15 minutes from frozen.
FAQs
Parmesan bites are a snack (finger food) that is made od pizza pastry and is topped with parmesan cheese. Some pizza places (ie. Domino’s) sell their version of this appetizer, but you can make your own using this easy recipe.
A serving of 10 of these homemade parmesan bread bites contains 260 kcal.
If you are thinking of sharing this delicious snack with your dog, please DON’T. This recipe contains garlic which is toxic to dogs and could harm them. Offer your dog regular dog treats instead.
More Recipes Like This
- Garlic sliced bread
- Tapenade with sundried tomatoes
- Pesto puff pastry rolls
- Bruschetta with Parma ham
- Gyro pita bread with dried yeast
- Garlic parmesan chicken pasta
📖 The Recipe
Parmesan Bread Bites (Homemade Recipe)
Ingredients
- 400 g shop-bought pizza dough, ready-rolled
Or make your own quick pizza dough:
- 240 g self-rising flour
- 135 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Toppings
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 50 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 sprigs rosemary, or 2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (fan)/392F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Make your own pizza dough: combine flour with water, oil and salt, and knead for about 1 minute until you get a stretchy dough. Add a bit more flour if it feels too sticky.
- Roll the pizza dough onto a surface dusted with some more flour (it prevents it from sticking to it). Cut the dough into squares and transfer them onto the lined baking tray. Fold each of them in half and press against the baking tray.
- Melt butter in a mug in a microwave (repeat in 10s bursts until it melts completely). Add minced garlic, finely chopped rosemary, and salt. Use this mix to generously brush the pastry squares.
- Top with a generous amount of grated parmesan and bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 12-15 mins or until golden on top. Check the pastry has cooked in the middle before serving. If needed, bake for another 1-2 minutes or until baked through.
- Serve warm or cold on their own, with garlic butter or marinara dipping sauce.
Notes
- Mix 240g plain flour with 2 ¼ tsp baking powder.
- Sunflower or vegetable oil (1 tablespoon for the dough, 2 tablespoon for brushing the pastry – no need to melt it).
- Parsley, thyme, oregano or Italian herb mix instead of rosemary.
- Grana Padano, Italian Hard cheese, mozzarella or cheddar.
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