Easy Garlic Bread

Cheesy, toasty, buttery Garlic Bread, so good and so easy to make, you won’t ever want to get the store bought one again! Fresh is always best! Made with a 4 ingredient spread and your favorite loaf of good bread. Warm, aromatic golden brown garlic bread with or without cheese, makes every meal that much more special!

Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread

There’s a reason the internet has blown up over the years in love of garlic bread. It has, unknowingly, become a leader of its very own cult built of those who do not fear garlic breath, but, rather, welcome it with open arms. It’s the one thing we can all agree on; the true “kumbaya” of the food world.

Use it to scrape up the extra sauce from your bowl of pasta, make sandwiches with it, or eat the whole loaf as is. I think we can all admit we’ve “accidentally” eaten a loaf of garlic bread in place of an actual meal. You have to treat yourself every once in a while, you know?

Garlic Bread Highlights

SERIOUSLY SIMPLE. It couldn’t get any easier than this garlic bread recipe. Especially if you’re in a hurry and need a quick appetizer. Make it cheesy to take this easy snack over the top without much added effort!

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS. You probably have most of these ingredients already and the great thing about this is that you can use any bread you like. You only have sliced bread? No problem, slather up that garlic butter over sliced bread, top it with cheese if you prefer and in the oven it goes!

A CROWD PLEASER. Do you know anyone who doesn’t like garlic bread? Not to mention that this is perfect for literally any occasion. Enough said!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Butter – Either salted or unsalted butter will work. Keep in mind that the Parmesan is quite salty too. Make sure the butter is softened at room temperature.
• Garlic – I love using roasted garlic for this garlic butter, but if you want to keep it simple, just mince some fresh garlic.
• Parmesan cheese – Some good freshly grated Parmesan cheese is my favorite, but use whatever you have. You could say this ingredient is optional, but it adds an umami bomb of nutty and salty flavor to this bread.
• French loaf – Or an Italian loaf. French baguette, ciabatta, or a nice crust bread will work as well.
• Parsley – Fresh parsley is best, I love to add some in my garlic butter as well as for garnish.

How To Make Garlic Bread

The thing I love the most about garlic bread it’s how easily it is to put together and then all you have to do is pop it in the oven.

1. Make the garlic butter. Start by preheating the oven to 425°F because you’ll probably be done preparing everything before your oven is even heated. In a small bowl add the softened butter, garlic, whether roasted or fresh, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Mix it well with a spatula. The butter needs to be softened well in order for this to mix easily.
2. Prep the bread. Take your loaf of bread and cut it in half lengthwise. You can also cut it in slices if you prefer. Spread the garlic butter mixture generously over the bread. If you choose to top it with cheese, now’s the time.
3. Bake: Place the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the bread turns golden brown on the edges. You can even broil it for 2 minutes if you like it more golden brown. Let the bread cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

What Else Can I Spread On My Garlic Bread?

This is my simple 4-ingredient spread for making fantastic garlic bread. You can experiment with different ingredients, like using roasted garlic instead of raw, to create a new loaf each time. Here are a few more great flavors to add:

• Smoked paprika, chili powder, curry powder, etc.
• Red pepper flakes
• Shallot
• Fresh herbs
• Cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, feta, goat cheese, etc.
• Bacon/ prosciutto

Recipes To Serve With Garlic Bread

What would spaghetti be without a side of garlic bread. But the great thing about it is that you can really serve it with anything. Feel free to serve your garlic bread on its own as an appetizer, but I really do love to use it as a vessel to scoop up some of my favorite saucy recipes. Here are some my favorites:

• The Best Meat Sauce
• Stuffed Manicotti
• Easy Pasta Alfredo
• Creamy Carbonara
• Swedish Meatball Pasta
• Sausage Tortellini Soup
• Lentil Soup

Expert Tips

1. Use fresh ingredients. Make sure your bread is freshly baked the same day for the best garlic bread.
2. Lots of butter: I know ½  cup may seem like a lot, but trust me here. You want a nice layer of butter to melt into the bread and make it tender, not dry.
3. Roast your garlic for the best garlic bread. I don’t recommend jarred garlic, as it can have a sour taste due to preservatives.
4. Keep a close eye on the oven. Bread burns quickly and every oven is different.
5. Let the bread cool down just for a few minutes. This will make it easier to slice and give everything a chance to settle.

Leftovers

Store leftover garlic bread at room temperature up to 3 days, there’s no need to refrigerate it. Let it first come to room temperature then store it in plastic containers or air-tight bags. If you place it in bags prior to it cooling down, you will get excess condensation, making your bread soggy.

How To Reheat

1. OVEN. Wrap the leftover garlic bread in aluminum foil then place it on a baking sheet. If the bread is sliced already, just make sure to keep it in a single layer. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
2. MICROWAVE. If in a hurry, you can also place the bread in the microwave for 10 seconds only. That’s all it takes to heat through, if heated longer, it will become hard.

Make Ahead And Freeze

Garlic bread is perfect to make ahead and freeze, whether you top it with cheese or not. Here’s how:

1. Follow the recipe to prepare the bread with the garlic butter with or without cheese.
2. Place the bread on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer to flash freeze until solid, should take about one hour.
3. Remove frozen bread from the freezer and wrap it up tightly with plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil.
4. Freeze for up to 3 months.
5. When ready to use, remove the foil and plastic wrap, place it on a baking sheet and bake from frozen at 425°F for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Broil for a couple minutes if needed.

More Delicious Recipes To Try

• Potato Bread
• Nutella Raisin Bread
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread
• Olive Ham and Cheese Loaf
• Rye Bread
• Garlic Confit