Loaded Baked Potato Bread
You’ve heard of loaded baked potatoes and baked potato soup, but have you ever had Loaded Baked Potato Bread? This cheesy bread appetizer has all the flavors of a loaded baked potato (crispy bacon, tangy sour cream, cheddar cheese, and fresh chives) baked on top of soft, pillowy French bread and topped with crunchy potato chips for potato flavor and a lot of fun. It might seem like it wouldn’t work, but it absolutely does!
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
- ½ cup crushed potato chips
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. (It may be easiest to do this with a rigid rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon.)
- 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.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.