If you need a side dish that everyone can agree on, you have to make this easy garlic bread recipe. Serve it up with pasta, soups, salads, roasts, or even as a snack, and I promise that everyone will be reaching for seconds and thirds. It’s amazing how simple everyday ingredients can transform into this mouthwatering garlicky bread.
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this garlic bread recipe from scratch. It only takes a few minutes to mix everything together, and then the oven works its magic. It smells so amazing coming out of the oven that it can be tricky waiting for it to cool down before inhaling it. It’s toasty, buttery, and herby – everything you want in a loaf of oven-baked garlic bread. Need something saucy to dunk this bread into? Make my creamy Tuscan chicken recipe, baked ziti recipe, or chicken tetrazzini recipe to go alongside this bread!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
French bread — I think the best bread to use for homemade garlic bread is a large loaf of French bread or baguette if you prefer. You get a crisp exterior with a fluffy crumb that’s soft but sturdy enough to hold up and absorb your garlic butter mixture. If you want to make your own, then see my how to make french bread post.
Butter — you need to use butter. Butter has a richer, creamier flavor than margarine.
Garlic — I highly recommend mincing fresh garlic for this recipe. While pre-minced garlic is convenient, it does not taste as good or fresh as mincing your own garlic. This small step is worth the effort.
Parsley — you’ll want fresh parsley for this, trust me. Since the ingredients are so minimal, the fresh herbal notes come across much more than dried parsley.
How to Make Garlic Bread
1. Cut the loaf of French bread in half, lengthwise, and place on a baking sheet, cut sides facing up.
2. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until bubbling. Stir in the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
4. Brush the bread with garlic butter.
5. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
6. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, bake the garlic bread in the oven for 5 minutes before broiling until lightly golden brown on the edges, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- If you only have unsalted butter, simply add a pinch of salt to the melted butter.
- Grate your own parmesan from a block for the best garlic bread. Freshly grated parmesan cheese melts more smoothly than pre-grated parmesan cheese.
- If you do not have parsley, you can use basil instead.
- Want to scale down this recipe? Use ciabatta rolls instead!
- If you’re not a fan of parmesan cheese, Asiago cheese makes for a great swap.
- If you do not have fresh garlic, you can use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. One clove of garlic is approximately ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. I prefer garlic powder to pre-minced bottled garlic as it does not have an aftertaste.
- Do not score the bread before brushing the butter mixture on. Scoring the bread will lead to the butter seeping out of the bread instead of being absorbed.
- For more cheesy garlic bread, add a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the bread before baking.
- For some added kick, feel free to sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to wrap my bread in foil?
You do not need to wrap your bread in foil for crispy garlicky bread. However, if you want soft buttery bread, wrapping it in foil will help you achieve that. Skip the broiling step if you’ve covered the bread in foil.
Can I make this bread in advance?
If you’d like to make this garlic bread recipe ahead of time, wrap it up in foil once it’s been baked and cooled to room temperature. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it wrapped in foil at 350F for 5 minutes or until heated throughout when ready to eat. The foil will keep the bread from drying out as you reheat it.
How do I freeze this bread?
You can place leftover slices of garlic bread in a freezer-safe container or ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. If you have unsliced bread, it’ll be too large to fit in a container, so wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for 3 months. You can reheat them from frozen or thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating when ready to eat.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Garlic Bread
Video
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
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)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cut the bread in half, lengthwise, and place on a baking sheet, cut sides facing up.
- In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until bubbling. Stir in the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
- Brush the bread with garlic butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, and toast until lightly golden on the edges, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you only have unsalted butter, simply add a pinch of salt to the melted butter.
- Grate your own parmesan from a block for the best garlic bread. Freshly grated parmesan cheese melts more smoothly than pre-grated parmesan cheese.
- If you do not have parsley, you can use basil instead.
- Want to scale down this recipe? Use ciabatta rolls instead!
- If you’re not a fan of parmesan cheese, Asiago cheese makes for a great swap.
- If you do not have fresh garlic, you can use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. One clove of garlic is approximately ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. I prefer garlic powder to pre-minced bottled garlic as it does not have an aftertaste.
- Do not score the bread before brushing the butter mixture on. Scoring the bread will lead to the butter seeping out of the bread instead of being absorbed.
- For more cheesy garlic bread, add a handful of shredded mozzarella on top of the bread before baking.
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