This homemade Garlic Bread is going to be the best recipe you’ve ever made because of how fresh and flavorful it is. One bite and you won’t want to go back to the store-bought kind; the homemade variety has perfectly crisp edges and a soft, buttery, garlicky center. It’s simple to do and is sure to please a large group.
Make this simple garlic bread recipe for a crowd-pleasing accompaniment. I guarantee that when you serve it with pasta, soup, salad, roast, or even as a snack, your guests will want more. It’s incredible that this savory garlic bread can be made with only a few commonplace ingredients.
This homemade garlic bread recipe is so simple, you won’t believe it. The prep time is minimal, and the oven does the rest of the work. Waiting for it to cool off before inhaling the delicious aroma can be difficult.
Materials Required for This Recipe
- A large loaf of French bread, or a baguette if you prefer, is what I’d recommend using for homemade garlic bread. You can expect a crunchy exterior and a light, airy interior that is tender enough to hold your garlic butter but sturdy enough to hold its shape. See my post on making homemade French bread if you’re interested.
- Use butter; it’s essential. Compared to margarine, butter has a much more robust and savory taste.
- Garlic — Fresh minced garlic is essential for this dish. Pre-minced garlic is convenient, but it lacks the flavor and freshness of minced garlic. It’s important to take this first step.
- Parsley, and I recommend using fresh parsley for this. The few ingredients allow the fresh herb flavors to shine through, making dried parsley seem less than necessary.
Ingredients
- ▢1 loaf french bread 16-ounce (450g)
- ▢10 tablespoons salted butter (85g)
- ▢4 garlic cloves minced
- ▢3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- ▢¼ cup grated Parmesan (20g)
HOW TO MAKE BREAD WITH GARLIC
- Place the halves of the French bread on the baking sheet, and cut sides up.
- The butter should be melted in a small skillet over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Blend in the garlic. Get ready in two minutes. Avoid burning the garlic at any cost.
- Turn off the heat and mix in the chopped parsley.
- Spread garlic butter on the bread.
- Top with grated parmesan.
- Bake the garlic bread for 5 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Quickly dish it up.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE LIKE A PRO
- If you only have unsalted butter on hand, you can easily season the melted butter with a dash of salt.
- The best garlic bread is made with freshly grated parmesan from a block. Parmesan cheese that has been freshly grated melts more evenly than pre-grated parmesan cheese.
- If you don’t have any parsley on hand, substitute basil.
- Looking to cut this recipe in half? Make do with ciabatta bread instead.
- You can substitute Asiago cheese for parmesan if you prefer.
You can substitute 2 teaspoons of garlic powder for the fresh garlic if you don’t have any. The equivalent of half a teaspoon of garlic powder is one clove. Garlic powder has no aftertaste, which is why I use it instead of pre-minced bottled garlic. - Brush the butter mixture on the bread without scoring it first. If you score the bread, the butter will leak out instead of being absorbed.
- Garlic bread can have even more cheese flavor by having some shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top before baking.
FAQ
MUST I TIN-FOIL MY BREAD?
If you want your bread to be crispy and garlicky, you don’t need to wrap it in foil. Wrapping bread in foil, on the other hand, will make it soft and buttery. If you’ve wrapped the bread in foil, there’s no need to broil it.
MAY I PREPARE THIS BREAD AHEAD OF TIME?
After the garlic bread has been baked and allowed to cool to room temperature, wrapping it in foil will keep it fresh for up to three days. You can keep it for up to three days in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat it, reheat it in foil at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. If you wrap the bread in foil before reheating it, it won’t dry out.
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