Easy Garlic Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between garlic bread and garlic toast? ›

Garlic bread (also called garlic toast) consists of bread (usually a baguette, sour dough, or bread such as ciabatta), topped with garlic and occasionally olive oil or butter and may include additional herbs, such as oregano or chives. It is then either grilled until toasted or baked in a conventional or bread oven.

Wrapping the loaf in foil (or parchment paper) ensures this result. For a crispier garlic bread that's more toasted on top, don't wrap and bake for a shorter period (10 to 15 minutes). For another slightly more crisp take on garlic bread, see our basil and cheese garlic bread.

To keep garlic bread from getting too hard and stale, wrap it in foil or store it in an airtight container. You can also reheat it in the oven or toaster oven to restore its texture.

It's parsley

Yep, the green flecks are finely-chopped parsley.

French bread is a great choice for garlic bread as well. French bread has a classic soft interior, with a flaky, crispy crust, similar to ciabatta. Baguettes can also be used for garlic bread, but have a crunchier texture than Italian bread and French bread.

Garlic Bread

The Italians do eat garlic rubbed on toasted bread – with olive oil, not butter – and call it bruschetta. But they will toast an Italian bread such as ciabatta, not a French baguette, as has become popular in the UK and America.

Between the garlic, butter, crusty bread, and chopped parsley (the traditional herbed sprinkle of choice), garlic bread is packed with umami flavor. However, the addition of just one scallion (in place of the parsley) adds an herby freshness and a mild onion-y bite that parsley just can't replicate.

By baking the bread in foil for the first 10 minutes, you allow the ciabatta to soften, which will give you a pillowy, chewy inside. Wrapping the bread also keeps the garlic from burning. Unwrapping the bread and baking it more adds color and will crisp up the crust for the perfect crunchy outside.

If you like crispier garlic bread, bake it for 3-5 minutes more (but watch it carefully so that it doesn't get too toasted). If you like it softer, take it out closer to 10 minutes. You can also wrap the bread in aluminum foil before baking it if you like softer garlic bread.

Failing to use fresh garlic

The only way to produce garlic bread with robust flavor is to use fresh garlic. I'm not talking about the pre-minced stuff you can find in stores, either. Sure, it's technically fresher because it isn't dehydrated, but it still doesn't compare.

How to soften garlic bread? ›

Tip: If your garlic bread is dried out before you reheat it, place a cup of water in the microwave with the bread or wrap the bread in wet paper towels to rehydrate it.

Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place on a baking sheet, and pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. In the microwave: Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds.

Storage. Garlic Bread is best stored at room temperature – no need to refrigerate. In fact, refrigeration is not recommended, as the bread can dry out quickly and become crusty and even stale. If you need to store the bread for an extended period of time, then freeze instead of refrigerate to preserve its integrity.

If you're a fan of fancy, thick-cut toast, then Texas toast is the perfect slice for you! It has a unique texture compared to regular garlic bread; the crust tends to be soft rather than crispy, while the interior is fluffy, pillowy, and soaked through with butter and garlic flavour.

Mix butter, Parmesan, parsley, and garlic powder together in a bowl until well combined. Arrange bread slices on a large baking sheet; spread with seasoned butter.

It is said to have originated in Southern Italy as a way to use up leftover bread, which was sliced and rubbed with garlic and olive oil. Over time, the garlic bread recipe evolved as butter, or burro, replaced olive oil, and the bread was toasted or baked instead of being grilled.