Is there anything better, in the whole wide world, than buttery, warm, garlic bread?
This is the best garlic bread recipe I have ever had. Seriously. THE. ABSOLUTE. BEST. Loads of butter, lots of delicious fresh Italian herbs, crispy flakey crust, and an amazing amount of garlic. It’s a super simple yet decadent rendition of this classic favorite side dish.
We all know Bread is called the ‘staff of life’. So please let me share a few more of my favorite bread recipes I know you’ll love!! My beer bread is a quick and easy yeast-free bread that is perfect to make when you want an easy homemade bread to serve with supper.
My honey roasted tomato bruschetta is an appetizer that will make you the Belle of the ball when you serve it. It’s truly off the charts fabulously delish! How about a lovely sweet bread. My apple bread is a must-try! Oh, and Olive Garden breadsticks are always a favorite.
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What I Love About This Garlic Bread Recipe
It’s garlic bread – what’s not to love!? Warm, rich, buttery bread with a nice big burst of that aromatic garlic followed by the crusty crunch. It’s insanely delicious and so satisfying.
- Easy to make
- Versatile
- Scrumptious
Garlic Bread Recipe Notes
Making this recipe is relatively simple. It’s a nice easy way to enhance or finish any meal and the kids typically L-O-V-E it. On those movie nights or special occasions, I’ll even whip up garlic bread with cheese! Mmmm!
In the meantime, here are some notes on the special garlic bread ingredients to make sure it’s a hit.
Butter: This recipe calls for a half cup of unsalted butter at room temperature. In the right concentrations, salt enhances the flavor. Using unsalted butter allows us to control the amount of salt added to the recipe.
You’ll also want to have it at room temperature which is between 67-70 degrees Fahrenheit. It should be soft and spreadable but not melted.
Garlic: Since we’re using fresh garlic, you’ll want to take the time to mince it up small. I use a garlic press. This distributes the flavor more evenly and keeps you from getting a big chunk bitter burst. Here’s the best way to do it according to Food Network.
Herbs: Fresh herbs have a more mellow fragrant flavor than dried, so it takes more of them. It’s important to make sure your herbs are completely dry after washing them. If they’re even slightly damp when you begin chopping, they’ll turn to mush. (Yuk!)
To chop them I start by chopping thin little ribbons, like chiffonade, and then chop them smaller.
If you can’t get your hands on fresh herbs you can use dried Italian seasoning. Honestly, it won’t be quite as delicious, but it will still be yummy! Use 1-2 teaspoons.
Bread: The type of bread you choose is important here. You want a nice, tasty bread with a crispy outer crust. So, you do have options. I like French bread but it’s up to you.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Technically, you probably can keep your garlic bread in the fridge for a couple of days but it’s not like the garlic bread Dominos serves. It won’t go bad quickly but it’s not a dish that keeps well, either.
Garlic bread is best served fresh and it gets gobbled up fast!
Can You Freeze This Garlic Bread Recipe?
Yes and no. I don’t recommend freezing your garlic bread recipe after it’s been baked. It’s just never quite the same. If you’re planning to store it in the freezer, put everything together but don’t put it in the oven.
Take your baking sheet and put the whole thing in the freezer for about 20 minutes to let the butter mixture harden. Once hardened, lay wax paper over the buttered side, and wrap bread multiple times with plastic wrap. Label and freeze.
When you’re ready, it can go straight from the freezer to the oven.
Make Ahead Tips
You do have to plan a little to make this garlic bread recipe since the butter needs to be at room temperature. I get so busy I often forget to pull it out of the fridge until I’m ready to bake.
If you find yourself in the same predicament, there are other options for bringing butter to room temp quickly without melting it. You can put it between two pieces of wax paper and roll it flat (relatively) with a rolling pin. It’ll only take a few minutes to warm up.
Serving Recommendations
Garlic bread goes with just about anything. It’s just warm tasty comfort food everybody loves. It pairs beautifully with creamy chicken spaghetti, spaghetti with ground beef, and even slow cooker beef stew is another scrumptious option.
The garlic bread recipe adds a little extra texture along with its rich aromatic flavor.
Recipe Variations
- Use biscuits instead of crusty bread. Pull out your Bisquick biscuit recipe and make some Bisquick drop biscuits. Then cut them open, spread the butter mixture, and toss them back in the oven. De-lish!
- Mix the butter mixture in cornbread. Put a tasty twist on some Southern cornbread by adding your butter mixture to the recipe. They’ll go crazy over it.
- Use loaf bread. Learning how to make garlic bread with regular bread is usually one of the first recipes we try as kids. Garlic bread toast is the ideal stand-in when you don’t have a crusty loaf!
- Make a spread. A few simple swap is all you need to change things up with garlic bread spread that’ll bring the stampede.
More Bread Side Dish Recipes
Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 16 ounce loaf crusty bread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the first 9 ingredients until evenly combined.
- Cut bread in half lengthwise. Lay cut side up on a baking sheet. Spread butter mixture evenly over both halves.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Immediately cut and serve.
Lately, I’ve been making this garlic bread, it’s the yummiest of all!
Right? Thank you, Maria! 🙂
I forgot to ask, are you using fresh Rosemary from off the sprig or dried Rosemary? Thank you.
Hi, Joan! I use fresh rosemary for this garlic bread 🙂
This looks & sounds awesome. Can’t wait to try it.
I hope you try it soon!! <3