Buttery and garlicky inside and golden-crisp outside – there’s nothing like a big crusty loaf of homemade garlic bread!
I know that garlic bread is pretty straightforward, but over the years, I’ve perfected the recipe for amazing garlic herb bread, and I thought it was time I share!
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Garlic Bread
- Ingredients
- Adaptations/Variations
- How to Make Garlic Bread
- Tips for Success
- What to Serve with Garlic Bread
The Story Behind the Recipe
I know, I know – garlic herb bread is super easy, so why publish recipe for it? Well … I’ve made a lot of it over the years, and I just thought it was overdue! So here I am. Everyone needs a good simple garlic bread recipe!
That’s it – that’s the story.
Why You’ll Love This Garlic Bread
My recipe calls for chopped fresh garlic that’s first lightly sautéed in olive oil to help tame the spicy bite that fresh garlic sometimes delivers.
The bonus is that this warm olive oil helps soften the butter for spreading over your French bread. Perfect!
It’s SO easy to make, and it’s a hit with everyone every time.
Ingredients
- French bread – The typical big loaf of French bread that you find in the bakery department of most grocery stores.
- Garlic – Lots of it! You’ll want four medium fresh cloves of garlic, minced finely.
- Olive oil – For sautéing the garlic and adding a bit of flavor.
- Butter – I start with unsalted to better control the level of salt in the recipe. Try to start with room temp butter or butter that’s close to it. The warm olive oil will help, too.
- Parsley – I like a good amount of chopped fresh parsley in my garlic bread. It adds some visual interest and tastes great!
- Salt – I like to use a coarse kosher salt in my garlic bread recipe, which really helps to highlight the flavors.
Adaptations/Variations
- Extra herby garlic herb bread – Include some fresh thyme or rosemary for more herbal deliciousness.
- More garlic, mo’ better! – Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder for extra garlic goodness!
- Vegan/dairy-free – Sub in your favorite vegan/dairy buttery substitute.
- Gluten-free – You can use the garlic butter spread on just about any bread you like, including a GF loaf!
- Garlic bread from baguette – Just smear the filling inside a baguette instead of French bread. The instructions will be the same.
How to Make Garlic Bread
I first like to start by warming my fresh garlic with some olive oil to help cook it. Then, mix the garlic and olive oil with the butter, salt, and parsley.
Cut your French bread loaf in half lengthwise, and smear the garlic butter equally on each half. Place the loaf back together, and wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake.
Then, open it up, keeping the foil on the baking sheet to help with easy clean-up, and bake it a bit more until completely melted and crisped up around the edges.
Place the two halves of the bread back together, slice, and serve!
Tips for Success
- Make sure your butter is as soft as possible. Move it out of the fridge an hour or two in advance, or in a pinch, you can try microwaving it to brown it, but try to avoid completely melting it, because it’s harder to spread that way.
- Do NOT let the garlic turn brown in the olive oil. When I was taking a culinary course, I participated in an exercise that demonstrated how browned/burned garlic can add an unpleasant bitter flavor. We cooked up two batches of garlic, allowing one to brown, and then placed both batches in water and had to taste the water. The brown garlic colored the water brown and, yup, it tasted SO bitter! I am SO careful not to let my garlic get super golden or brown in all of my recipes now.
I hope this becomes your go-to garlic bread recipe like it has become mine! It’s a super delicious way to make a buttery, garlicky bread that goes well with so many different dishes.
What to Serve with Garlic Bread
- Soup! In a few days, I’m sharing a Vegetable Lasagna Soup that practically begs for buttery, garlicky bread, so stay tuned! It’s equally delicious with a thicker soup like this Roasted Winter Veggie Chowder or Hearty Bean Stew.
- Pasta! Serve it up with red lentil pasta sauce over spaghetti or with creamy pumpkin pasta.
Easy Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced finely)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley (minced finely)
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a large sheet of foil on a large baking sheet.
- Cut your loaf of French bread in half length-wise (horizontally), so that you have two big slabs, a top and a bottom. Set it on the foil with the cut part up.
- Set a small saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and tender but not browned at all. Remove from heat.
- Place the butter in a small or medium bowl and mash it with a fork. Add the garlic and olive oil mix, salt, and parsley. Mix well.
- Using a spatula or butter knife, slather the butter mixture onto the two halves of your French bread.
- Put the bread together and wrap it with foil.
- Bake in the foil for 10 minutes, then open up the foil and lay it on the pan, and open up the bread so that the buttered sides are facing up. Bake for 10-15 more minutes, until the butter is completely melted and the edges of the bread are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven, place the halves back together, and cut into slices. Serve.
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real recipes. No A.I. here! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
