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Garlic Bread

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Warm from the oven, the best garlic bread begins with ciabatta soaked in rich, herb-flecked garlic butter.

sliced garlic bread

There is always happiness chez moi when garlic bread is on the menu, so this easy recipe is in the regular rotation. I use a store-bought Italian ciabatta (pronounced cha-bah-tah) because it has a crisp crust and soft, porous texture ideal for soaking up indecent amounts of garlic butter. To mellow the raw garlic flavor, I cook the garlic butter on the stovetop before spooning it onto the bread. Garlic bread should pack a punch, but it shouldn’t knock you out!

what you’ll need to make garlic bread

 

what you'll need to make garlic bread

Step-by-step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. In a small saucepan, heat the oil and butter over low heat.

heating butter and oil

When the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Person adding garlic to a pan of melted butter.

Off the heat, stir in the salt, pepper, and parsley.

stirring in the salt, pepper, and parsley

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally.

 

Sliced ciabatta on a marbled surface.

Brush or spoon the garlic butter mixture over the cut sides of the bread, covering completely.

spooning the garlic butter mixture over the cut sides of the bread

Place the halves back together again.

ciabatta halves back together againWrap the bread in aluminum foil.

garlic bread wrapped in aluminum foil

Place directly on the oven rack and bake until warm, about 10 minutes. Unwrap the bread and place it back in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until toasted and crisp.

baked garlic bread on foil

Cut into slices and serve.

sliced garlic bread

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Garlic Bread

Warm from the oven, the best garlic bread begins with ciabatta soaked in rich, herb-flecked garlic butter.

Servings: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 (1-lb) loaf ciabatta bread

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
  2. In a small skillet, heat the oil and butter over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the salt, pepper, and parsley.
  3. Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally. Brush or spoon the garlic butter mixture over the cut sides of the bread, covering completely. Place the halves back together again and wrap in aluminum foil. Place directly on the oven rack and bake until warm, about 10 minutes. Unwrap the bread and place it back in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until toasted and crisp. Cut into slices and serve.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 346
  • Fat: 18 g
  • Saturated fat: 9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 37 g
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 8 g
  • Sodium: 387 mg
  • Cholesterol: 31 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Hi Jenn,
    Can this be made with another type of store bought bread? My grocery store doesn’t carry a ciabatta loaf. Thanks and love your recipes!

    • — Lauren on March 9, 2024
    • Reply
    • Sure, Lauren – you can use a baguette. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on March 9, 2024
      • Reply
  • This recipe was so easy and delicious!! My guests raved about it!! I should have made more!! This is addicting!! LOL!!

    • — Wendy Schoenburg on January 2, 2024
    • Reply
  • I can’t wait to try this for something different!! Definitely a lot lighter and easier to make than yeast rolls!
    If I make this ahead of time, does it need to be refrigerated?
    Thanks for all your delicious recipes and wonderful advice!

    • — Wendy Schoenburg on December 19, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Wendy, I’ve never made this ahead, but you shouldn’t need to refrigerate it. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on December 20, 2023
      • Reply
  • I can’t wait to try this! If I plan to make it with your baked ziti (which I plan to assemble about three hours before cooking), how would change the cooking instructions since the oven temp for the ziti is supposed to be 425 and the garlic bread is supposed to be 400? Thanks! So excited for my Italian feast!

    • — Alex S. on September 15, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Alex, That sounds like a delicious menu! The garlic bread will be fine at 425 – just cut back a few min on the cooking time. Please LMK how it all turns out. 🙂

      • — Jenn on September 16, 2023
      • Reply
      • The garlic bread was wonderful! I heated it in the foil for about 8 minutes, and then unwrapped for 3 minutes. The bread wasn’t quite as crispy as I wanted at that point, so I put it back in the oven for another 2 minutes—and that was the perfect amount of crispness.

        • — Alex S. on September 24, 2023
        • Reply
  • How can I make this ahead?

    • — Catherine Low on September 15, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Catherine, The bread can be prepared up until the point it goes in the oven up to a day ahead, but it needs to be baked right before serving. Hope that helps!

      • — Jenn on September 16, 2023
      • Reply
  • This was excellent! My family asked for seconds and thirds but it was all done! Thanks for the amazing recipes!

    • — Natalie on September 2, 2023
    • Reply
  • This looks great. I can’t wait to try the recipe!

    • — Jeannie on June 22, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn, You make garlic bread exactly (almost) the way I do. I use a little lemon pepper instead of regular pepper, lots of garlic, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, parmesan and parsley if I have it. I unwrapped it after it is nice and hot and broil for a min or so. My kids like it on the crispy side. I also let the garlic seep in the melted butter and o/o for several hours.

    • — Sid on June 22, 2023
    • Reply

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