Advent Calendar Day 5 – The “Cheat’s” Cranberry-Brie Pull-Apart Bread

Ridiculously Festive, Alarmingly Easy – Another Plan4One Advent Calendar special

Somewhere between “I should bring something to the office morning tea” and “I only have 12 minutes before I need to leave the house,” the Cheat’s Cranberry-Brie Pull-Apart Bread was born.
Day 5 celebrates that magical little pocket of Christmas chaos where convenience meets culinary brilliance. This one looks fancy, tastes fancy, and absolutely isn’t fancy to make. My kind of Christmas miracle.

It’s essentially warm bread, melty cheese, and tart-sweet cranberries—AKA the holiday trio that could fix your mood faster than Mariah Carey hitting the first note of All I Want for Christmas Is You. It’s perfect for sharing with friends, coworkers, or literally anyone you want to impress with minimal effort.🎄

⭐ Why This Is a Holiday Hero

Uses supermarket shortcuts (bless the bakery aisle)
Takes less time than finding a carpark at Chadstone in December
Perfect “bring-a-plate” dish for solo cooks
Doubles easily for bigger groups, halves easily for staying home alone in your pyjamas
Smells like a Christmas market stall wandered into your kitchen

🧀 Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 small sourdough loaf or cob
120g brie, sliced
1/4 cup cranberry sauce
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
Salt & pepper, just a kiss
Optional: handful of chopped pecans or pistachios for crunch

🔥 How to Make It

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Slice the loaf in a criss-cross pattern (like a hedgehog), but don’t cut all the way through.
Drizzle the melted butter and rosemary into all the little cracks.
Stuff brie slices into the cuts. Spoon cranberry sauce into the gaps too.
Season lightly. Add nuts if you’re feeling posh.
Wrap in foil and bake for 12–15 minutes until the cheese melts. Then unwrap for 3–4 minutes to crisp the top.

Solo version: Use half a loaf and 60g of brie.
Party version: Use a full cob and double everything. Feeds a hungry crowd and your ego.

💬 Christmas Card Message to Write to Your Single Friends

“Here’s to a Christmas full of warmth, comfort, and snacks that don’t require RSVP-ing. May your bread be cheesy, your plans be flexible, and your joy be extra melty.”