Easy Garlic Bread

Here’s an easy, classic garlic bread: crunchy on top, soft on the inside, and full of garlic and butter flavor. A crowd favourite, no doubt!

Looking for the best and easiest garlic bread recipe? This tasty side dish is a treat here. Alex and I don’t eat it often, but when we do: We make this easy Garlic Bread Recipe! It has the perfect savory, garlicky flavor. It’s tender on the inside and crunchy on top when toasted with parmesan cheese. And somehow it only has 4 tablespoons of butter, less than most garlic bread recipes! So it’s a lighter version of the classic. But most importantly, it’s damn delicious. Here we have broken down the steps with pictures to make it easy to follow. Let’s cook!

How to Bake Garlic Bread: in 4 Easy Steps!

It’s our favorite plain garlic bread, perfect as an accompaniment to pastas like our marinara pasta or creamy cavatappi. Or it’s fabulous with our Tomato Basil Soup. You can also serve it up in our Easy Marinara Sauce (or even better, baked goat cheese) as an easy appetizer. It has the best rich, savory flavor and a crunchy but chewy texture. Alex and I spent some time researching garlic bread to find the best method. Here’s what we discovered!

Step 1: Use French bread and slice lengthwise.

First, what is the best bread for garlic bread? You should use French bread or any medium artisanal bread. Here’s a photo of the size of the bread we used. It can be difficult to find bread specifically marked as “French”, so just find something similar to what you see here. Some garlic bread recipes say to get a baguette: But baguettes are much smaller and crunchier and don’t make garlic bread.

How do you cut bread? You cut it lengthwise as shown below. This makes the fun strip-sized pieces you see above versus a large round circle of bread. (So ​​delicious, but not so fun!) While you’re slicing the bread, be sure to preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Brush cut surfaces with garlic butter and bake for 8 minutes.

To make the garlic butter, melt 4 tablespoons butter. The best way? You can do this in the microwave or place it in a saucepan over low heat for a minute or two. Then pour the butter into a small bowl and rub in 3 cloves of garlic. The easiest way to grate garlic is with a microplane (here’s the microplane we’re using). Or you can use a box grater: just watch your fingers! If you don’t have a grater, just chop the garlic as finely as possible.

Also chop the fresh parsley as finely as possible: you want it to be finely chopped as you see below. Then mix them together with the butter. Using a brush, brush evenly over the cut sides of the bread. Then put the halves together, cover the garlic bread with foil and bake for 8 minutes until heated through.

Step 3: Sprinkle with parmesan and toast for 2-3 minutes.

Here’s the fun part: remove the bread from the oven and sprinkle it evenly with grated Parmesan cheese. (Sliced ​​Parmesan is the kind that looks like powder, while grated Parmesan is long shreds. You can use either, but we like the texture of grated).

Then grill for 2 to 3 minutes: This gives the crispy surface! Alex and I tried it raw and while it’s tasty, the crunch adds an irresistible element. Point: Halfway through cooking, rotate the baking sheet for even browning! You can see that our broiler is still not very consistent: it doesn’t have to be perfect! But it helps get an even crust on top.

Step 4: Cut into pieces and serve!

Almost there! Cut the bread crosswise into thin slices. This turns them into tender and crispy strips that are perfect to serve as a side dish. Serve immediately warm from the oven. Or you can place the strips back in the foil, turn the oven down to 350 degrees and keep them warm until ready to serve. Voila: the best easy garlic bread already!

What to serve with this easy garlic bread

What’s actually wrong with garlic bread? While it’s a healthy trick, it’s still not the healthiest side dish for you (here’s a list of healthier side dishes!). Alex and I keep it as a dinner party treat or as a side to soup for a special lunch. Here are some great dishes that would be even more perfect with garlic bread:

do you like garlic Try more great garlic recipes like Simple and Awesome Garlic Butter.

This easy garlic bread recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegans, omit the parmesan and use vegan butter or olive oil (always finish the grilling step as this makes for a nice crunch).