Garlic Bread with Buttery Fresh Garlic and Crisp Golden Edges
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Servings
8
Level
Easy
To make this garlic bread ahead of time, make garlic butter while slicing the bread loaf in half. Bake immediately before serving to serve eight. This semi-homemade garlic bread recipe uses half a loaf of French bread and garlic butter. The French bread gives the garlic bread a tender center and crisp exterior.
A 14- to 16-ounce soft French loaf, rather than a baguette, is suggested for this recipe. It will be softer and have a thinner crust than a baguette. Topping ingredients include unsalted butter, minced fresh garlic, salt, and dried parsley. The garlic is heated in melted butter for about three minutes, then the topping is applied liberally to the cut sides of the rolls.
The bread is done baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit when the exposed edges are a golden brown color. Use caution when broiling the bread, it will likely take an additional two to three minutes for the crust to brown. Minced raw garlic cloves with a knife will allow some garlic flavor to contribute to the bread-butter mixture without fully mixing into a paste.
Slice and serve the bread as part of a meal or side dish. Preparing it ahead of time: Keep the whole loaf of bread until it's time to slice and bake. This will help maintain the loaf's freshness when you bake.
Why we keep this one around
- The garlic butter can be made along with the bread cutting to reduce the amount of time needed to assemble the appetizer just before serving dinner.
- Fresh garlic is steeped briefly in melted butter to flavor the sandwich as a whole, rather than having dry bread at the bottom of the sandwich.
- A whole loaf feeds eight people, allowing the family to serve bread at dinner without needing to bake several smaller loaves.
- Baking the bread cut side up promotes browning of the outside and moistness of the inside, which helps oven-reheated slices heat more evenly than bread wrapped around filling.
- An optional broiler finish will brown the top of the bread at the end of preparation. This option is useful if the bread is being prepared along with other dishes.
- Five key ingredients, fewer items to prepare in advance, and the butter mixture give the bread filling texture without additional ingredients.
Ingredients
- •1 loaf soft French bread (14 to 16-ounce; not baguette)
- •¾ cup unsalted butter
- •4 large cloves garlic (finely minced; about 2 tablespoons minced)
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- 2
Slice the loaf of bread in half.
- 3
Place the bread pieces cut-side up on the prepared pan.
- 4
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
- 5
Add the garlic to the melted butter and remove the saucepan from the heat.
- 6
Allow the garlic to steep in the butter for about 3 minutes.
- 7
Add the salt and parsley, then stir to combine.
- 8
Use a spoon or pastry brush to coat the cut sides of the bread with the garlic butter.
- 9
Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- 10
For extra crispiness, place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, watching very carefully.
- 11
Slice and serve warm.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
300
Calories
6g
Protein
19g
Fat
28g
Carbs
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