Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe

homemade garlic bread sliced on a brown paper

4.10 from 50 votes

This Homemade Garlic Bread recipe is the absolute BEST I've have ever tried! The butter melts deep into the bread, creating the ultimate garlicky, cheesy goodness. This recipe is baked and then broiled, making it crispy on the outside and buttery soft on the inside.

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Total Time17

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Becky Hardin

Ingredients

1 16 ounce loaf of Italian or French bread
4 cloves garlic minced
16 tablespoons unsalted butter divided (12 tablespoons for the bread and 4 tablespoons for extra dipping butter)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley divided
1 teaspoon coarse or flaked sea salt
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with foil.
Slice the loaf in-half lengthwise, and place each half cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet.
1 16 ounce loaf of Italian or French bread
In a small saucepan set over LOW heat, combine butter, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a low boil and boil for 1 minute. Do NOT allow the garlic to brown. Remove from heat.
4 cloves garlic, 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pour the butter through a mesh strainer and into a heatproof bowl. Add 1-tablespoon parsley and mix well.
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Spread or brush all except 4 tablespoons butter mixture over the bread and sprinkle with salt.
1 teaspoon coarse or flaked sea salt
Bake the bread at 350°F, on the middle rack of the oven, for 10 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and set the temperature to BROIL. If using Parmesan cheese, sprinkle it onto the bread.
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Return the bread to the oven and broil 1-2 minutes or until the bread is toasty and golden and the cheese bubbles slightly. Watch closely so the bread doesn’t burn.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining ½ tablespoon of parsley. Allow the bread to cool 1-minute before slicing.
Use leftover butter mixture for a dipping sauce, if desired. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Ciabatta and baguette are the best substitutes for french bread. But even sliced white bread will work.
Fresh garlic is the BEST, but if it's not available use garlic salt.
You can make this with olive oil as well. However, I suggest not completely swapping butter with olive oily. You can use 1:1 ratio of butter and olive oil.
I don't wrap my garlic bread slices in foil, although you definitely can. Wrapping in foil will keep the outside from crisping quite so much. If you prefer your bread on the softer side, wrap in foil before baking and skip the broiling. I like the outside crispy, but not everyone does. The choice is completely yours!

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