Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a sheet of heavy-duty foil with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Cut a cross-hatch pattern into the top of the bread by slicing ½-inch grid lines into the bread, stopping about ¼-inch from the bottom of the bread so that it stays together. Place the bread on the piece of foil that has been sprayed.
Stir together the melted butter, garlic and scallions.
Gently separate the bread with your fingers, then spoon the butter mixture in all of the seams, making sure it is evenly distributed among the whole loaf. Wrap the loaf up in the foil and place on a baking stone or directly on the oven rack and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
Open the foil and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the bread. There will be a lot of cheese, so try to push down as much as you can in between all of the crevices in the bread. Leave the foil open and return it to the oven. Bake until the cheese is completely melted, bubbling and starting to brown on top, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving, then sprinkle with parsley (if desired) and dig in!
Notes
Bread: Use a large loaf of boule-style Italian bread; sourdough or French would make good substitutes, too!
Cheese: I recommend shredding cheese off a block with a cheese grater. Pre-packaged shredded cheese is typically mixed with cellulose powder to prevent the cheese from melting or clumping together, which makes it less melty than freshly shredded cheese.
Meat Additions: If you want to turn this appetizer and side dish into a more filling meal, add some meat! Shredded chicken, grilled chicken, pepperoni slices, or crumbled bacon would be delicious additions.
Turn this into cheesy jalapeño pull-apart bread by adding some diced jalapeño peppers or pickled jalapeño peppers!
Or make this more like a pizza pull-apart bread by serving with some marinara sauce for dipping. (Similar to my favorite pepperoni pizza monkey bread!)
Store any leftover pull-apart cheesy bread in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze cooled pull-apart bread wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil (to prevent freezer burn) inside an airtight, freezer-safe plastic bag or container for up to a month.
Reheat from chilled or frozen in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes covered in foil, then 15-20 minutes uncovered, or until warmed through and bubbling.