My go-to for garlic bread! French bread, butter, fresh garlic, garlic powder, Parmesan, and parsley. It’s so simple and so ridiculously good.
House Favorite Garlic Bread
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Decided to make this with the five ingredient tomato soup instead of buying the frozen stuff tonight. So good and easy! This will definitely be my go to garlic bread now! Thanks for sharing.
I mean, you can make what you want for dinner, but what gets people excited is the garlic bread.
This is our house favorite garlic bread, the one I make almost weekly at this point – it’s generous with the butter and Parmesan, solidly garlicky, and flecked with herbs to really make it pop. It’s classic, it’s versatile, and it’s so ridiculously good.
House Favorite Garlic Bread
- Take Me To The Recipe
- Why I Love This Recipe
- Ingredients for Garlic Bread
- How to Make This Garlic Bread
- Reviews
Why I Love This Garlic Bread
Garlic bread is something that I’ve spent a stupid amount of time thinking about over the last 2-ish years.
We did a soup series a few years ago, and I was thisclose to posting a garlic bread recipe in the series, but I never quite locked it in. I just could never commit to a certain type of bread, or a particular texture, or just a general look and feel. Do we want it crusty? Chewy? Hearty? Or light and toasty?
A few years and many batches of garlic bread later, and I think I’ve landed. And we are garlic bread happy over here.
This is the house favorite garlic bread at the Ostrom household these days – beautifully springy French bread as the base, generously slathered with butter and Parmesan, appropriately garlicky but not overdone (and important balance, even for garlic bread), and flecked with bits of fresh herb to just elevate the eating experience.
The end result is golden brown, buttery and savory, with a satisfying bite and chew to it while at the same time staying toasty and light. It makes for elite dipping, sopping, and scooping, which is a top quality for me when it comes to garlic bread.
Another important quality: this is fast. In our house, garlic bread is usually a bonus meal item (served with spaghetti, soup, etc.) in which case I’m willing to give it 15 minutes of my life, but no more.
Current favorite way to eat this garlic bread: dunked in a rich tomato soup or scooping up this amazing baked tortellini. I have an exceptionally easy, classically delicious one that I’m going to share soon. Stay tuned.
Ingredients For This Amaze Garlic Bread
There aren’t many! Yay!
- French bread (more on that in a second)
- Butter
- Garlic (I use both fresh garlic and a pinch of garlic powder)
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsley
Which leads us to the most important decision one can make about garlic bread, I think.
What Type of Bread is Best for Garlic Bread?
This is something that I’ve spent a stupid amount of time thinking about, and all of it comes down to this:
What do you really want from your garlic bread?
We need to anchor its identity. Do you want it to sop up sauces? Do you want it to give you a hearty, crusty chunk that you can sink your teeth into? Do you just want it to be a vehicle for that Parmesan-laced garlic butter flavor? Is it standing on its own or coming alongside something else?
The two main breads that are easiest to think about for garlic bread, I think, are these two, which are labeled in the store as “French bread” and “baguette”.
I have made multiple rounds of this garlic bread on both types of bread, and they’re both delicious.
But ultimately I’ve found that I prefer French bread because it has a more even crumb with fewer holes, giving you a flatter surface area to spread the butter mixture and therefore a more even golden brown topping to your garlic bread.
French bread is on the lighter and fluffier side, which, to be honest, gave me pause. I generally like a really hearty bread that has some density, crunch, and chew to it. But after many many batches of this, I’ve actually really enjoyed the lightness of the French bread because it can kind of be both – it gets crunchy and chewy with the golden browning of the Parmesan on top, but it’s light enough to sop up whatever sauces and soups you’re eating it with.
I’ve also seen garlic bread made with challah, and sourdough, and ciabatta, and being that it’s garlic bread – I kind of don’t think you can go wrong. But if you’re asking me (and you are on my website!) in the year of our Lord 2023, I’m going with French bread.
How To Make This Garlic Bread
Step 1: Soften your butter.
I do this in the microwave, in short increments, and then whisk it to get it smooth-ish. Cutting it into uniform chunks (like the photo above) will help it soften at an even rate.
Step 2: Grate that garlic right in there.
My hot take: anything more than one clove is overpowering and generally unpleasant. Stop at one!
It doesn’t seem like it will be enough, but trust me. Even for me – a self-proclaimed garlic lover – one clove is plenty.
Step 3: Add Parmesan and parsley.
Finely grated Parmesan cheese is where it’s at! That savory flavor and golden browning – YUM.
I also like to add a little bit of garlic powder at this point just to slightly extend my garlick-ing of things (but with more subtlety than fresh garlic).
Step 4: Spread that amazingness on your bread.
I find this amount of butter mixture is good for half of a long loaf of French bread.
Really, really coat it. Layer it on. Be generous.
Step 5: Bake it!
If you don’t want any browning, first of all, why? It’s delightful. Second of all, you’ll just want go for more like 375 to 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes.
If you like it a little golden brown, like I do, with a bit of texture on top, shoot for 10 minutes at 400 to 425 degrees. Just keep an eye on it and nudge it up as needed.
Cut those halves into strips and get straight to the dunking!
House Favorite Garlic Bread
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings (about 2 pieces per person) 1x
Description
My go-to for garlic bread! French bread, butter, fresh garlic, garlic powder, Parmesan, and parsley. It’s so simple and so ridiculously good.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- half a loaf of French bread
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Soften the butter in the microwave in short increments. I like to whisk it to get it smoothed out a bit.
- Grate the garlic directly into the butter. Add the garlic powder, Parmesan, and parsley; stir to combine.
- Cut the French bread in half and spread with the butter mixture (this amount of butter is good for half of one large French bread loaf – see photos above).
- Bake for 9-10 minutes in the middle of the oven, adding an extra 1-2 minutes or bumping to 425 at the end for more browning.
- Remove from the oven, cut into slices, and serve. Life is good.
Equipment
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Notes
For the exact amount of bread, see photos above! The photo with the French bread next to the baguette – that shows how much bread I use for this amount of butter. It will all depend on the size of your loaf, but I use half of the (very large) loaf of French bread that I buy at Target.
If you use unsalted butter, be sure to add a pinch of salt to the butter mixture!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: garlic bread, homemade garlic bread, soup sides, cheesy bread
Frequently Asked Questions For This Garlic Bread
How would you freeze the garlic bread?
Spread the bread with a thick layer of the butter mixture, then put the two halves together so that you don’t have any butter on the outside. Wrap it in foil or plastic wrap and freeze until you’re ready to bake! To bake: thaw, separate the two pieces so they’re butter-side up, and bake as directed.
Could you use another type of bread besides French bread? (baguette, ciabatta, etc.)
Yes! I’ve done them all and they’re all great. I love French bread the most (as discussed above) but I promise nobody is going to turn down any kind of bread with this garlicky buttery Parmesan-laced mixture slathered all over it.
How can I make this vegan?
Use a plant-based butter and skip the cheese!
Could you use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?
Yes! I prefer the taste of fresh garlic because I think it makes it taste a little more zingy, But for a fast and easy back-up option, yes, absolutely you can use garlic powder. Be aware that garlic powder sometimes burns in the oven if you have it too close to the heating element!
Three Recipes I Actually Can’t Live Without
October 27, 2023
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I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Happy Friday Lindsay,
I think the combination of butter, garlic, and fresh herbs made it so flavorful and aromatic. Some people may especially love the tip about broiling it for the last few minutes; it gave the bread that perfect crispy edge. This will definitely be the go-to garlic bread recipe from now on for some folk. Thank you for sharing such a delightful and easy-to-follow recipe. Can’t wait to explore more recipes from your blog. 🙂
Yes true this combination is my favourite too <3
I too have tried many different types of bread and agree that a french bread is really the best for garlic bread! I haven’t tried grating my garlic into the butter before so I will do that next time!
I am a huge garlic bread fan. And this recipe is screaming to go and make some.
Gracious! 😋
loved it
Can you freeze it?
Easy and delicious!
Can I prepare the bread ahead of time,then bake when ready?
Yep, that should work just fine!
Your recipes look delicious! Please add me!
The garlic bread looks amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
Decided to make this with the five ingredient tomato soup instead of buying the frozen stuff tonight. So good and easy! This will definitely be my go to garlic bread now! Thanks for sharing.
Amazing! Definitely my new go-to. I left out the parsley for my green food averse kiddos but it was still so good!
Look delicious Lindsay!
Can this be frozen at some point then baked in the oven?
To freeze this, I’d spread the bread with a thick layer of the butter mixture, then put the two halves together so that you don’t have any butter on the outside. Wrap it in foil or plastic wrap and freeze until you’re ready to bake! To bake: thaw, separate the two pieces so they’re butter-side up, and bake as directed.
So good and so easy. Will definitely be making again.
The best garlic bread recipe ever! I used vegan parmesan cheese and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes!
Can i prepare a day ahead? If so do i keep it on the counter or in refrigerator?
Yes, you can! Keep it in the fridge!
Thank you for this truly delicious garlic bread. There are no leftovers, darn it! I will just have to make it again and again and again and again. Really, really good … thank you very much!