Garlic Bread
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Fresh and flavorful Garlic Bread warm from the oven! Also known as the perfect beginning to any Italian style dinner. You get those perfectly crisp edges, a soft buttery center, and a golden brown toasted top with fresh garlic and herbs.
Skip the store bough junk made with margarine and make this super fast and easy recipe instead!
Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe
Once you try this homemade garlic bread you’ll never want to buy the stuff from the store again! It’s made with basic ingredients yet it has such incredible flavor. The best foods often start with simple things like fresh bread.
And cozy dinners don’t get much better than soup and fresh garlic bread, or say stepping into a carb Heaven of spaghetti and sauce paired with garlic bread on cold rainy days. Because fall is all about the comfort foods right?
It’s perfect for an appetizer or for dunking into the main dish of tomato soup or that marinara sauce over pasta.
Variations:
Plus this garlic bread is such a versatile recipe. Here I’ve just shared the version I love with butter, fresh herbs, a fair amount of garlic and pepper. But you can use other things like olive oil, different herbs like marjoram, rosemary or a little thyme (or no herbs), you can use roasted garlic (add lots, I’m talking like a couple of heads of roasted garlic!).
Or you can adjust the amount of fresh garlic used to taste. Some people love garlic (definitely me) and some people aren’t to fond of it, in which case you can even sub in garlic powder for a milder flavor.
The key is just to follow the simple method of baking first to crisp up the exterior, then broiling briefly at the end to toast the tops.
Ingredients Needed for Garlic Bread:
- French bread – I usually use the fluffy stuff here but the denser stuff will be great too, you just may not need to use all the butter mixture since sometimes the loaves aren’t as big.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter but unsalted will work too you’ll just need to season the mixture with salt.
- Garlic – I’ve found 3 garlic cloves to be a good amount but if you like it less garlicky you can even start with 1.
- Freshly ground black pepper – you know the Italian restaurants that serve fresh bread with olive oil and pepper for dipping? Weirdly enough pepper just makes bread taste better sometimes.
- Fresh herbs – these are optional. I like a blend of parsley, basil and oregano. You can use 1 kind or all 3. Dried herbs work too.
How to Make Garlic Bread:
- Preheat oven and cut bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut french bread loaf in half horizontally.
- Make garlic butter mixture: In a small mixing bowl stir together butter, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano and pepper.
- Spread butter mixture over bread, place on baking sheet: spread garlic butter mixture evenly over both bread halves. Place bread on baking sheet if you haven’t already.
- Bake: Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes.
- Broil: Move oven rack closer to broiler. Let bread broil about 45 seconds to 3 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on it, it can brown quickly.
- Slice: Cut into slices and serve warm. Season with a pinch of salt if needed.
Tips for the Best Garlic Bread:
- For best flavor use real butter or olive oil, never margarine.
- For the ultimate fresh flavor use fresh garlic, fresh herbs and fresh bread baked the day of.
- Keep on eye on the loaf as it broils! It can toast very quickly especially if the broiler is preheated.
What to Serve with Garlic Bread?
- Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Spaghetti with Spaghetti Sauce or Marinara Sauce
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Pasta e Fagioli
Delicious Bread Recipes to Try:
Follow Cooking Classy
Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz) loaf french bread
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dried (optional)
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 tsp dried (optional)
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried (optional)
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut french bread loaf in half horizontally.
- In a small mixing bowl stir together butter, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano and pepper. Brush mixture evenly over top of both bread halves.
- Place bread on baking sheet and bake in center of preheated oven for 8 minutes.
- Move oven rack closer to broiler. Let bread broil about 45 seconds to 3 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on it, it can brown quickly.
- Cut into slices and serve warm.
Notes
- Tip: if you want slices to toast evenly you can place wrapped pieces of foil under loaves so they're more level. Though this isn't necessary, if one loaf browns quicker than the other you can just remove it from the pan and continue toasting the other.
- If you like it extra herby double up on all the herbs, it's delicious!
- Try it with other herbs like rosemary, marjoram or thyme.
- Use a few heads of roasted garlic in place of fresh garlic. Squeeze roasted cloves from skin, mash and spread over toasted bread.
- For a milder garlic flavor 1 tsp garlic powder can be used in place of fresh garlic, or use only 1 clove fresh garlic.
- Olive oil or extra virgin olive oil can used instead of butter. Season mixture with a little salt and brush oil mixture over bread halves.
- 1/3 cup shredded or grated parmesan can be added to the loaf before broiling for a cheesy flavor.
- Want a little spicy kick? Sprinkle loaf with some red pepper flakes before baking.