Loaded Bacon and Cheese French Bread
This Loaded Bacon and Cheese French Bread with Potato Chips takes the flavors of a loaded baked potato and puts them on store-bought French bread for an easy snack, side dish, or party food. A creamy mixture of cheddar cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, and chives gets spread onto the bread and baked until hot and melty, then finished with optional crushed potato chips for extra crunch.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- 4 strips bacon
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cup shredded medium cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp diced chives
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- ½ cup crushed potato chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup (in case any cheese spread falls off the bread).
- Slice bread loaf in half lengthwise.1 loaf French bread
- Place the bacon in a cold frying pan and turn the heat on to medium. Cook for about 8 to 12 minutes for thick cut bacon (if using thin cut, it’ll take less time), flipping over every couple of minutes. Remove the bacon from the frying pan and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Once cooled, roughly chop it.4 strips bacon
- Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and chives in a bowl.4 strips bacon, 8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 1 ½ cup shredded medium cheddar cheese, 2 tbsp diced chives
- Spread a thick layer of the cheese mixture onto each bread half, then top with cracked black pepper. (It may be easiest spread the cheese mixture with a rigid rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon.)¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese mixture is melted through. For extra toasty cheesiness, broil for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- While the bread is still hot, sprinkle crushed potato chips over the top, if using.½ cup crushed potato chips
- Slice the bread into thick slices and garnish with extra chives, if desired.
Notes
- Let the cream cheese soften first. If you don’t, it’s going to be a pain in the butt to mix it with the cheese, bacon, etc.
- Don’t overbake the bread. If you do, it’ll get too crispy and dried out, making it harder to eat.
- Add chips immediately after baking, when the bread is still hot. This helps the chips stick to the bread a little bit. If they’re not sticking enough, you can press them into the bread slightly too.
- Serve warm for the best texture. Nothing against cold cheese bread, but this one really does taste best right out of the oven.