This easy homemade garlic bread makes a wonderful side to an array of meals including pasta favorites like spaghetti aglio e olio and baked ziti. This crusty, garlicky bread comes together quickly and uses simple, easy to find ingredients.
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Tips
- Soften the butter at room temperature instead of in the microwave or stove if you can. That way, the garlic butter will have a nice consistency when you spread it on the bread.
- To soften the butter quickly, cut it into small pieces while it’s cold. It will soften faster, especially when the other ingredients are added in.
- Use 1 or 2 garlic cloves depending on the size of the clove and how much you like (love) garlic.
- It’s best to use a microplane to grate the garlic so it really incorporates into the butter and olive oil and you’re not biting into raw chunks of garlic. A microplane is a small grater that’s perfect for turning garlic into paste. It’s also great for grating nutmeg and zesting citrus. It’s a handy tool and you’ll get a lot of use out of it.
- If you don’t have a microplane grater: mince the garlic as finely as you can, then press it with the flat side of the knife to make a paste.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Butter, room temperature – we used regular salted butter
- 1-2 Garlic Cloves, grated or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt, we used kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper – we used fresh ground
- 1 Loaf of Crusty Bread about 12 inches long – Choose a bread that is crusty on the outside and fleshy on the inside, French bread (not baguette) and Italian bread are both good choices
You will also need
- Baking sheet
- Pastry brush, or a large spoon
Prep Work
- Let the butter soften at room temperature
- Mince or grate the garlic – Use as much or as little garlic as you’d like. But do keep in mind that the garlic is only going to cook a few minutes in the oven so it will have a kick. We usually go with two cloves unless it’s huge, then we’ll stick with one.
- Chop the parsley – Either curly or Italian parsley work just fine.
- Measure out the remaining ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
Instructions
Make the garlic butter by combining the olive oil, butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir the mixture vigorously with a fork to combine the ingredients well.
Slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise. Use a pastry brush to apply the garlic butter to the inside of both halves of the bread. If you don’t have a pastry brush then use the back of a large spoon to apply the garlic butter. Go all the way to the edges so that every bite is sure to be garlicy good!
Arrange the garlic bread on a large baking sheet. Bake it for 10-15 minutes or until it’s toasted and has a lovely golden color on the edges. The longer you bake it the toastier it will get. For softer garlic bread bake it for less time. For toasty and crispy bread bake it longer.
Regardless of how you like your bread, keep an eye on it, turn on the oven light and peek in every couple of minutes. The bread can go from beautifully golden and toasty to burnt in no time, and that would be a shame!
Slice your homemade garlic bread, serve and enjoy!
Variations
You can use this garlic bread as a base and customize it to suit your mood and taste buds.
- Turn it into cheesy garlic bread by adding mozzarella or parmesan cheese a few minutes before it finishes baking.
- Sprinkle the bread lightly with some dried herbs. Oregano, rosemary and thyme are all good options.
Try one of these recipes with this garlic bread:
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Homemade Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons Butter room temperature – we used regular salted butter
- 1-2 Garlic Cloves grated or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt we used kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper we used fresh ground
- 1 Loaf of Crusty Bread about 12 inches long
Instructions
- You will also need: Baking sheet, Pastry brush or large spoon
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Combine the olive oil, butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir the mixture vigorously with a fork to combine the ingredients well.
- Slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise.
- Use a pastry brush or the back of a large spoon to apply the garlic butter to the inside of both halves of the bread. Go all the way to the edges with the butter so that every bite is sure to be garlicy good!
- Arrange the garlic bread on a large baking sheet. Bake it for 10-15 minutes or until it’s toasted and has a lovely golden color on the edges.
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