Garlic Bread

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I present to you the best ever garlic bread. A simple and easy recipe for crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside garlic bread. The perfect balance of garlic and herbs. It’s a staple recipe every home should have and It’s going to make dinner time even more delicious.

The trick is to be generous with the amazing garlic butter.

It’s been quite a few years now that I have been making my own garlic bread and you can 100% tell the difference between home made and store bought. Garlic bread is so easy to make and needs only a few simple ingredients. The next time you are tempted to pick up the supermarket variety just turn it over. Read the ingredients and you will see why fresh is better.

I know we are all busy and short on time but the beauty of this recipe is that it freezes so well! I always buy an extra baguette when I make this so I have one to place in the oven for dinner and the other to wrap in foil and freeze. This makes for a quick and easy side ready to go with pretty much anything.

A few of my favourites are pumpkin soup, spaghetti bolognese or chicken cacciatore.

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GARLIC BREAD

When done right garlic bread is a flavour explosion just waiting be devoured by being torn, dipped and dunked.

Garlic bread can be made with a variety of different breads but I find the ones that work best are a simple French stick or baguette. The bread is sliced while still keeping the loaf intact then brushed with a mouthwatering mixture of butter, garlic and parsley. Finely It’s cooked in the oven until crisp and golden on the outside yet still soft on the inside.

Garlic bread and pizza go hand in hand and thats why many people assume garlic bread is Italian. In fact garlic bread is an American thing. You won’t typically find garlic bread on the menu in Italy but instead you will find bruschetta, garlic pizza or garlic focaccia.

You can definitely use this recipe to create your own garlic pizza or focaccia just substitute the baguette for pizza or focaccia bases.

One of my most popular recipes is my authentic Italian pizza dough. I often top this with the butter/garlic/parsley mixture. SO YUM!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• BREAD: A baguette or simple French stick is great! I find that for the perfect balance of a crispy crust but maintaining that nice softness on the inside these loaves achieve the best result.
• Butter: In the recipe I use salted butter but you can also use unsalted butter. Just add in a pinch of salt to your butter and garlic mixture if you are using unsalted butter
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must to achieve the ultimate garlic bread experience. Whilst jarred garlic may save you a few minutes of time it will leave a bitter taste in the garlic bread. Use a garlic crusher to easily crush the fresh garlic.
• Parsley: Once again if you can get your hands on it fresh is best here. Cut off the rough ends and finely chop the stalks and leaves for a wonderful freshness that will cut through the garlic.

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC BREAD

Start by making your garlic butter.

Place the butter and crushed garlic in a small pan and cook on low heat until the butter has melted and is bubbling. 

This step is crucial for the best tasting garlic bread. By gently cooking the two ingredients not only are you infusing the butter with the wonderful garlic but it actually takes the bitterness out off the garlic too.

Finely dice your parsley, I like to use a Mezzaluna chopper because it makes chopping herbs so quick and easy. Stir in your chopped parsley and set aside. I love a lot of parsley in my garlic bread but you may not so you can reduce the amount of parsley as you wish.

Using a bread knife, cut the baguette into nice thick slices. I do approximately 1.5cm and be careful not to slice all the way through. 

 To assemble the garlic bread I love to use a silicone pastry brush because it makes brushing on the butter mixture so easy.

Place the cut baguette onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Using a pastry brush generously spread the butter mixture inside each cut of bread. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the outside is golden.

Note: If you prefer a softer outside then wrap the garlic bread in foil prior to placing in the oven. 

TIPS FOR THE ULTIMATE GARLIC BREAD EXPERIENCE

• Always use fresh garlic! I cannot stress this point enough because jarred garlic has a bitter taste and no one wants that strong battery taste.
• If using salted butter than either reduce or omit the salt so that your garlic bread won’t be too salty.
• Using a bread knife makes cutting the bread so much easier!
• If you prefer softer garlic bread to the crunchy outside this can easily be achieved by wrapping the bread in foil before putting it in the oven.

ALTERATIONS TO THE RECIPE

• Not a herb lover? No problem you can easily leave out the parsley and this will taste just as good. I find the parsley cuts through the peppery garlic and provides a fresher, milder taste.
• Mix in different herbs such as thyme or rosemary.
• Spice it up by adding some dried chilli flakes in the butter mixture
• Add a handful of parmesan to the butter mixture
• You can also use olive oil instead of butter

TOOLS TO MAKE THE JOB EASIER

GARLIC CRUSHER

MEZZALUNA HERB CHOPPER

BREAD KNIFE

SILICONE PASTRY BRUSH

BAKING TRAY

CAN THIS GARLIC BREAD BE MADE AHEAD

This recipe sure can be made ahead.

In fact it freezes so well so I always keep a loaf of this garlic bread in my freezer ready to go. When you need it just preheat your oven to 200 degrees, leave the bread wrapped in foil and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through.

So now you have everything you need to know to go back to your kitchen and make this epic garlic bread! Hope you love it too!

MFM,

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YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE RECIPES

• Authentic Italian pizza dough
• Lentil soup
• Tuscan ravioli soup
• Chicken meatballs with orzo
• Chicken cacciatore

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