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Garlic Bread

Homemade Garlic Bread is the best side to practically everything! It’s fresh, flavorful, buttery, garlicky, quick, easy and 1000X better than store bought! All you need to make homemade Garlic Bread from scratch is a loaf of French bread, garlic, butter and Italian seasonings; slather the garlic butter spread over the loafs, bake and EAT! The garlicky butter melts deep into the loaf for a buttery soft, flavorful interior and delightfully crunchy exterior AKA the most addicting side you’ll ever sink your teeth into! But that’s not all – you can indulge in the best Garlic Bread, perfect in its simplicity or I’ve also included recipes for Parmesan Garlic Bread, Cheesy Garlic Bread and Cheddar Garlic Bread as well as all you need to know about how to make Garlic Bread, store, reheat and freeze. Now you have every reason to skip store-bought Garlic Bread and every reason to make your own!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

BREAD

  • 1 loaf French bread halved lengthwise

GARLIC BUTTER

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
  • 1 tsp EACH dried oregano, dried basil (OR 1 TBS FRESH)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Mix all of the garlic butter ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  • Spread garlic butter evenly over each cut side of French Bread.
  • Place French bread cut side up on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Move bread 4-6 inches from broiler and broil 1-2 minutes or until edges are deeply golden, watching closely so the bread doesn’t bun.
  • Garnish with additional parsley if desired. Cut into slices and serve warm.

Notes

PARMESAN GARLIC BREAD

  • Mix garlic butter spread
    ingredients together EXCEPT don’t add Parmesan to garlic butter.
  • Spread garlic butter evenly over each cut side up of
    French Bread.
  • Evenly
    sprinkle ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese over garlic butter.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes at
    350 degrees F.
  • Move bread 4-6 inches
    from broiler and broil 1-2 minutes, watching closely so the cheese doesn’t bun.

CHEESY GARLIC BREAD

  • Follow instructions for Garlic bread up through spreading with garlic butter. 
  • Mix 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a bowl (or use all mozzarella or 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan):
  • Sprinkle cheeses evenly over garlic butter spread.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F or until cheese is completely melted.
  • Move bread 4-6 inches from broiler and broil 1-2 minutes, watching closely so the cheese doesn’t bun.

CHEDDAR GARLIC BREAD

  • Follow instructions for Garlic bread up through spreading with garlic butter. 
  • Spread 1 ½ cups freshly grated cheddar cheese evenly over garlic butter spread.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F or until cheese is completely melted.
  • Move bread 4-6 inches from broiler and broil 1-2 minutes, watching closely so the cheese doesn’t bun.
  • Garnish with green onions and bacon if desired.  

SOFT GARLIC BREAD

  • Follow instructions for Garlic bread up through spreading with garlic butter. 
  • Wrap each half of bread separately in foil and place on a baking sheet.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until warmed through.
  • Unwrap and serve immediately.

BEST GARLIC BREAD TIPS and TRICKS

  • Use the right bread.  As previously discussed, French Bread will give you the ideal toasted, crispy exterior and soft interior.  
  • Use fresh bread.  Take care your bread is freshly baked the same day or it will be extra crunchy and crumbly. 
  • Use real butter.   Please don’t use margarine as you can taste the difference!  For the ultimate decadence, use French style butter.  It has a hint of tangy nuttiness and most importantly, it has less water which results in richer, creamier, butter.  You may reduce the butter to 1/3 cup if desired and the bread will be tasty but just not as decadent.
  • Use extra virgin olive oilUse quality olive oil for maximum flavor.
  • Use fresh garlic.  Garlic powder or jarred-garlic don’t make for the BEST garlic bread.  Jarred garlic can even taste sour due to the preservatives.
  • Bake AND broil.  The baking gives time for the garlic itself to bake as well as for the butter to sink about half way down the loaf.  The broiling elevates the warm bread to hot bread with an enveloping toasty crust.
  • Watch closely!  Keep an eye on the bread as it broils as every oven is different.  The Garlic Bread can go from golden to burnt very quickly.  You may want to rotate the pan halfway through broiling if it is broiling unevenly.
  • Don’t broil too much.  If you are making cheesy Garlic Bread, I suggest not broiling too much because toasted cheese won’t be as obey gooey delightful.

Make Ahead

The best way to prep or make Garlic Bread ahead of time is to
make the Garlic Butter Spread ahead of time. 
Now, all you have to do is slather it on your fresh bread and bake!
To store Garlic Butter Spread:
  • Refrigerator:  Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
  • Freezer:  Dollop spread onto a piece of plastic wrap and tightly enclose.  Transfer to a freezer safe bag, squeeze out excess air and seal.  Store for up to two months.

Storage

Garlic Bread is best stored at room temperature – no need to refrigerate.  In fact, refrigeration is not recommended, as the bread can dry out quickly and become crusty and even stale.  If you need to store the bread for an extended period of time, then freeze instead of refrigerate to preserve its integrity. 
To store Garlic Bread, slice and let it cool to room temperature. Cooling first ensures you don’t trap in excess condensation. Place the slices in an air-tight bag(s) and squeeze out excess air. Store for up to 3 days on the counter.

How to Reheat

  • OVEN: Wrap leftover Garlic Bread in foil and place on a baking sheet - you can do this whether it’s sliced or a whole loaf.  If the bread is sliced, keep it in a single layer in the foil. Bake at 350 degrees F until warmed through, about 10 to 15 minutes. (The foil is necessary to protect the crust of the bread from being double-baked.)
  • MICROWAVE: Warm sliced garlic bread in the microwave for only 10 seconds – DON’T heat too much longer or it will become hard as a rock (I know from personal experience). I also don’t recommend reheating Garlic Bread slices in the microwave unless consuming immediately as it becomes indelibly hard as it cools BUT if you eat it right away, it is sensational.

Freeze Ahead Garlic Bread

Garlic Bread
is fabulous to prep ahead and freeze.  To
make frozen Garlic Bread:
  • Follow recipe up through spreading garlic butter spread onto the bread.
  • Place bread on a baking sheet and place in the freezer to flash freeze until solid, about one hour.
  • Wrap each half separately in plastic wrap, followed by foil. 
  • Freeze for up to 3 months.
  • When ready to use, remove foil and plastic wrap and place bread on a baking sheet.
  • Bake from frozen at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until warm through.
  • Broil for 1-2 minutes or until edges are deeply golden.