Perfect Garlic Bread

Perfect Homemade Garlic Bread slices, golden-brown and topped with chopped herbs and grated cheese, are stacked closely together. The bread looks crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

5 from 11 votes

Fresh garlic, butter, Parmesan, and flaky sea salt spread over your favorite bread and baked until golden with crisp edges.

Course Appetiser, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword easy garlic bread, garlic bread, garlic bread recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings slices

Calories 72

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

8 oz baguette-style bread such as Italian, French, or ciabatta
½ cup unsalted butter softened
3 cloves garlic
1½ teaspoons flaked sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon parsley chopped
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
Mix the softened butter, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of the flaky sea salt, pepper, and parsley until well combined.
Slice the bread in half lengthwise and place it cut-side up on a baking sheet.
Spread a generous layer of garlic butter over the entire cut surface, right to the edges. Depending on the size and shape of your bread, you may not need all of it.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden with crisp edges. If using convection, check it sooner. If the bread needs more color, briefly place it under the broiler and watch it closely.
While hot, carefully slice each half crosswise into pieces and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Erren's Top Tips

Don't melt the butter. You want it soft enough to spread, that's all.

Go right to the edges. Those buttery, crisp edges are one of the best parts.

Use your judgment with the butter. Spread a good layer over the bread. If there's some left, save it rather than loading more and more onto the loaf.

Fresh garlic is worth it here. You're making garlic bread. This is the time to use it.

Watch the bread, not just the timer. You're looking for golden bread with crisp edges.

Convection cooks differently. Check the bread sooner because it can brown surprisingly fast.

Can I Make Garlic Bread Ahead?

Yes, but I wouldn't do it the day before.

You can butter the bread and get everything ready a few hours ahead, then cover it and put it in the refrigerator. That's handy when I'm making it for a gathering because it's one less thing to deal with when everyone is there.

I don't like leaving it assembled for too long, though. The butter needs to stay refrigerated, and bread doesn't improve while it's sitting around. I'd rather make it a few hours ahead and bake it just before we're eating.

Want Cheesy Garlic Bread?

Add mozzarella before it goes into the oven.

That's the version I'd make if I actually wanted cheesy garlic bread. The small amount of Parmesan in the regular recipe is there for flavor and isn't meant to give you a big layer of melted cheese.

What To Do With Leftover Garlic Butter

If your loaf doesn't need all the garlic butter, cover what's left and keep it in the refrigerator.

My favorite way to use it is ridiculously easy: garlic butter pasta. Melt it into hot pasta, and you've already got the garlic, butter, herbs, and seasoning in there.

You can also use it on vegetables or another loaf of bread.

Storage & Reheating

Keep leftover garlic bread covered in the refrigerator.

I prefer reheating it in the oven because you can get the edges crisp again. The microwave will heat it, but you'll lose that texture.

Nutrition