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Garlic bread quite simply steals the show every time, no matter what the main course is. Whether it’s paired with Sausage and Peppers Pasta, Spaghetti and Meatballs, or Balsamic-Marinated Skirt Steak, it’s the first thing everyone will reach for at the table. Making great garlic bread is downright easy, and this recipe has been tested, retested, and tested another 50 times for good measure — it wasn’t exactly a chore!
Table of Contents
Best Garlic Bread Ever: Garlic bread is one of the most perfect foods of all time, and one of the easiest to make.
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Ingredients
- Butter – Use good butter, if possible, which means European-style butter. I like to use unsalted butter, so I can control the amount of salt.
- Parmesan cheese – The real stuff! Bonus points if you grate the Parm yourself, which will give you the most pronounced cheesy flavor.
- Parsley – Make sure to use fresh parsley for this recipe — it makes a big difference.
- Baguette – Use a baguette with a texture that you like. It will crisp up in the oven (unless you choose to wrap it completely in foil), so start with a loaf that’s not too crunchy.
- Garlic – Fresh, please!
- Salt – Use kosher salt, which also gives a little salty crunch.
How to Make the Best Garlic Bread Ever
- Cut the bread: Cut the baguette into ½-inch or so slices, but don’t cut all the way through the bread; the goal is for the slices to remain attached at the bottom. One easy trick is to place a chopstick alongside each side of the bread before you slice into the bread so that you’ll be forced to stop when the knife hits the chopsticks. You can use the handles of wooden spoons for this as well.
- Make the spread: Blend up some softened butter with minced garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and salt.
- Spread the butter mixture on the bread: Smear it in between the bread slices generously.
- Prepare the bread for the oven: Wrap the bread in foil but leave the top of the foil open while baking it. This is my favorite way to cook any type of flavored bread, and I make a lot of these types of bread. It is, to me, the perfect cross between the crunchy top and the soft inside.
FAQs
Bake your garlic bread with no foil on a rimmed baking sheet if you like your bread with a crunchy hard crust all around.
Wrapping it completely in foil is also an option if you like fully soft garlic bread.
If you want to reheat your garlic bread, first off, good on you for not scarfing it all down immediately. Set your oven to 350 degrees and put the bread in for at least 10 minutes to get back to that crunchy, perfect texture with melty butter inside.
Cooking Tips
- Be generous with the garlic butter; smear it on both sides of each slice of bread.
- I like to wrap the bread in foil but leave the top of the foil open while baking it. It results in bread with a tender interior and bottom half and a crunchy top crust.
What to Serve Garlic Bread With
Shrimp Alfredo
Crispy Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Pancetta Pasta with Tomatoes
More Garlic Bread Recipes
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Vegan Garlic Bread
- Caprese Garlic Bread
- Ranch Garlic Bread
- Salsa Verde Garlic Bread
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Best Garlic Bread Ever
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon very finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 baguette
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, combine the butter, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, and salt.
- Cut the baguette into ½-inch or so slices, but don’t cut all the way through the bread; the goal is for the slices to remain attached at the bottom. One easy trick is to place a chopstick alongside each side of the bread before you slice into the bread, so that you'll be forced to stop when the knife hits the chopsticks. You can use the handles of wooden spoons for this as well.
- Spread the garlic butter on each side of all of the slices of the bread, trying to keep the bread attached at the bottom.
- Place the baguette on a large piece of foil and pull the foil up around the sides of the bread, but not over the top — you want the top to be able to brown.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the bread is hot and the top is lightly browned and crusty. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
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- Be generous with the garlic butter: smear it on both sides of each slice of bread.
- I like to wrap the bread in foil but leave the top of the foil open while baking it. It results in bread with a tender interior and bottom half and a crunchy top crust.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Getting ready to make this so I can heat it up tonight to go with spaghetti. I remember my mom and grandma buying bread that came in a foil bag and them using that for their garlic bread, and this is the closest to how they made theirs that I can find. So many good memories around this garlic bread for me, is that weird?
I feel like many of us have seriously ingrained garlic bread memories, and I know EXACTLY the package you are referring to!
I think I have the best “Garlic Bread” ever. Hope you will give it a try. You could use your garlic spread recipe, if it makes enough. Could make more if needed. I cut the loaf into two parts, length wise. I spread each, cut side of the loaf, with the garlic spread. I do not use Parmesan cheese, but see no reason you couldn’t. I then bake the two half loaves, in oven until they become browned. I then put Mozzarella cheese on top, return to oven, under broiler, until cheese melts. Cut into individual pieces. DELICIOUS..
That sounds amazing! I have a cheesy garlic bread somewhat like that scheduled for publication in the coming months. I’ll try yours, and you try mine! There can never be too many garlic bread recipes in the world!