Garlic Bread

Did anyone not grow up eating those big, thick loaves of extra buttery Garlic Bread?? Seriously though, I feel like this was a staple in almost every household growing up and for good reason! Our garlic bread recipe is so easy to make and the perfect carb-y, buttery, delicious addition to any dinner table! We love serving it with salads, pasta, appetizer style meatballs swimming in lots of marinara sauce, a variety of roasts, all... Read More The post Garlic Bread appeared first on Spoon Fork Bacon.

Feb 17, 2025 - 14:34
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Garlic Bread
Homemade garlic bread recipe on a cutting board with some cut up.

Did anyone not grow up eating those big, thick loaves of extra buttery Garlic Bread?? Seriously though, I feel like this was a staple in almost every household growing up and for good reason!

Our garlic bread recipe is so easy to make and the perfect carb-y, buttery, delicious addition to any dinner table! We love serving it with salads, pasta, appetizer style meatballs swimming in lots of marinara sauce, a variety of roasts, all by itself as a snack…there are so many options!

Is Garlic Bread Originally from Italy?

A lot of people are confused about the origins of garlic bread. Is it Italian or was it created in the US? The answer is both. Garlic bread originated from Italy in the form of bruschetta, but the (modern) idea of garlic bread that we are referring to and presenting today is American.

How to Make the Best Garlic Bread

Ingredients

Ingredients to make garlic bread all laid out.

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Combine butter, Parmesan, parsley, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  2. Stir together until fully mixed together.
Garlic bread spread ingredients added into a bowl.
Garlic bread spread mixed together in a bowl.
  1. Spread butter mixture evenly over both cut sides of the loaf of bread.
  2. Place both halves of bread, cut side up, onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Then broil for 30 seconds, just to get the tops slightly browned and crisp.
Garlic bread butter spread onto bread ready to go into the oven.
Toasted garlic bread right out of the oven.
  1. Remove garlic bread from oven, slice crosswise into 2 inch thick pieces and serve.
Garlic bread sliced on a cutting board.

Tools You Will Need

Tips and Tricks for Garlic Bread Success

  • Find the right bread! Although you can make garlic bread with many different types of bread, the best one to use is a large French loaf. The exterior has a nice crust and the interior is super soft and fluffy, resulting in a perfectly buttery and flavor packed garlic bread that is well toasted, but still soft in the center.
  • Don’t slice or score the halves of the loaf into individual pieces until after the garlic bread has been baked. Some recipes we’ve seen has called for the halves of each loaf to be scored or mostly sliced into pieces, so after its baked, it’s easy to just tear the pieces off. We don’t like doing it this way because it’s harder to evenly distribute the butter and the butter tends to leak all over the baking sheet as it melts, instead of melting and soaking directly into the bread.

Garlic Bread Variations

  • We add a little bit of Parmesan into our compound butter, but if you want a very cheesy garlic bread, you can sprinkle more grated Parmesan or another great melting cheese (like mozzarella or gruyere) on top of the loaf halves before baking.
  • Add a little lemon zest to the butter for a bright citrus kick to the garlic bread.
  • Incorporate different herbs depending on your flavor preference. We like adding some minced rosemary or thyme (or both) to the butter for a more earthy and hearty flavored garlic bread.
  • Replace the dairy butter we use with vegan butter to turn this recipe vegan!

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

We don’t recommend making or freezing our garlic bread recipe ahead of time for quality purposes, but you can definitely make and freeze the garlic butter ahead of time.

Make Ahead

Once butter has been made, place it onto a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper into the shape of a log and roll it tightly, sealing the sides. Place the butter in the refrigerator and use within 5 days. To use: Take butter out of the refrigerator and keep at room temperature for about 1 hour until soft enough to spread.

Freezing

Once butter has been made, place it onto a sheet of plastic wrap into the shape of a log and roll it tightly, sealing the sides. Then wrap the log in foil. Butter absorbs odors easily, so the foil will prevent the butter from picking up any freezer odors and help it stay fresh. Once butter has been tightly wrapped, place in freezer and freeze for up to 3 months for optimal freshness.

To thaw and use: Transfer butter to refrigerator and thaw overnight. Once butter has thawed, place at room temperature for about an hour, until butter is soft enough to spread.

Close up on homemade garlic bread cut into slices on a cutting board.

More Delicious Bread Recipes You Will Love

Garlic bread on a cutting board cut up.
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Garlic Bread

The most delicious and addicting Garlic Bread that you'll ever taste! Our recipe is everything garlic bread should be – garlicky, buttery, toasted on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. Serve it up with pasta, soups, salads, roasts, the possibilities are endless!
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian, Italian-american
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 308kcal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
  • 4 minced garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 loaf French Bread, sliced in half lengthwise

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350˚F.
  • Combine butter, Parmesan, parsley, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  • Stir together until fully mixed together.
  • Spread butter mixture evenly over both cut sides of the loaf of bread.
  • Place both halves of bread, cut side up, onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Then broil for 30 seconds, just to get the tops slightly browned and crisp.
  • Remove garlic bread from oven, slice crosswise into 2 inch thick pieces and serve.

Notes

Tips and Tricks for Success
  • Find the right bread! Although you can make garlic bread with many different types of bread, the best one to use is a large French loaf. The exterior has a nice crust and the interior is super soft and fluffy, resulting in a perfectly buttery and flavor packed garlic bread that is well toasted, but still soft in the center.
  • Don’t slice or score the halves of the loaf into individual pieces until after the garlic bread has been baked. Some recipes we’ve seen has called for the halves of each loaf to be scored or mostly sliced into pieces, so after its baked, it’s easy to just tear the pieces off. We don’t like doing it this way because it’s harder to evenly distribute the butter and the butter tends to leak all over the baking sheet as it melts, instead of melting and soaking directly into the bread.
Storing Garlic Butter
Once butter has been made, place it onto a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper into the shape of a log and roll it tightly, sealing the sides. Place the butter in the refrigerator and use within 5 days. To use: Take butter out of the refrigerator and keep at room temperature for about 1 hour until soft enough to spread.
Freezing
Once butter has been made, place it onto a sheet of plastic wrap into the shape of a log and roll it tightly, sealing the sides. Then wrap the log in foil. Butter absorbs odors easily, so the foil will prevent the butter from picking up any freezer odors and help it stay fresh. Once butter has been tightly wrapped, place in freezer and freeze for up to 3 months for optimal freshness.
To thaw and use: Transfer butter to refrigerator and thaw overnight. Once butter has thawed, place at room temperature for about an hour, until butter is soft enough to spread.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 434mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 649IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Garlic Bread appeared first on Spoon Fork Bacon.