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Home » Course » Quick and Easy

Quick and Easy

Homemade Garlic Bread

Published: June 12, 2022   |   Updated: July 5, 2023   |   1 Comment

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This homemade garlic bread recipe with freshly toasted crusty bread slathered in herbed garlic butter will compliment any pasta meal.

Homemade garlic bread on a cutting board topped with freshly chopped parsley and grated cheese.

Today we’re making some warm homemade garlic bread with freshly toasted slices smothered generously in a drippy, buttery herbed garlic butter. This 5-ingredient recipe uses any Italian or French bread, lots of minced garlic, grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped Italian parsley.

For best garlic bread results, the key is to keep the recipe simple and the ratio of butter to garlic just right. We’re using 4-6 cloves of garlic per loaf to load up on that garlicky goodness to pair with your favorite pasta meal. It’s perfect for sopping up any spaghetti or pasta sauce or just for dipping in some marinara. Like these Parmesan garlic knots, garlic bread is a classic side dish to bring to the table for date or pasta night and is really easy to make at home.

Pair it with this cheesy meatball skillet or eggs in purgatory and go nuts dipping into that rustic marinara sauce. Or go with a classic spaghetti meal made with some homemade spaghetti sauce. If you’re planning a special meal or date night, serve it with some fancy lasagna roll ups or spinach and three cheese manicotti. If this sounds tasty, let’s make some garlic bread!

Ingredients in Homemade Garlic Bread

Ingredients to make homemade garlic bread in prep bowls.

HOMEMADE GARLIC BREAD RECIPE TIPS

Bread – I used a ciabatta loaf but French bread or a crusty baguette will also work. One of the reasons I like ciabatta is because it’s crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside. It also has big holes in the bread layers which is the perfect kind of texture to absorb all that herbed butter garlic goodness.

Garlic – I minced my garlic but you can also grate it for a more pungent flavor. This garlic peeler works wonders for getting the sticky skin off the garlic. Use it on a cutting board so it has some grip when rolling, and roll with the palm of your hand. The skins should come off easily after. PRO TIP – Fresh garlic always works better than the jarred minced kind as it has a better, more pronounced flavor.

Side by side preparation shots of garlic butter in a mixing bowl and unbaked homemade garlic bread on a baking sheet.

Parsley – I used Italian flat leaf parsley but you can also use parsley flakes in a pinch. Italian seasoning will also work if you don’t have any parsley on hand.

Cheese – Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano works best but you can substitute it with grated Parmesan cheese. I used a microplane to finely grate a block of cheese. The cheese is to flavor the garlic bread and not to make it super cheesy. For cheesy garlic bread, scroll down to the cheesy garlic bread notes.

Leftovers – The garlic bread will keep well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Sliced homemade garlic bread arranged neatly beside a whole loaf of garlic bread.

Reheating leftovers in the oven – Wrap the garlic bread in foil so it doesn’t dry out, then bake it at 350°F for 10 minutes in the oven. For crispier garlic bread, remove the foil at the last 2 minutes of baking.

Reheating leftovers in the air fryer – Reheat the garlic bread by air frying at 350°F for 3-4 minutes.

Freezing garlic bread – Spread the garlic butter on the unbaked bread halves then freeze them until the garlic butter hardens up. Once the butter is solid, transfer the bread to a freezer-safe ziploc bag or container (slice if needed to make them fit) and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, transfer the frozen garlic bread slices to a baking sheet and bake according to recipe time and temp until golden brown. If baking from frozen, add about 5 minutes of cooking time.

How Long To Soften Butter?

Soften the butter so it mixes well and spreads just as easily. It can take anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes for chilled butter to soften to room temperature. If you don’t have a lot of time or forgot to plan ahead, these tricks will help you soften butter quickly. Spread a thick layer of garlic butter on the bread so it melts and permeates into the bread layers rather than just sitting on top.

Baking Garlic Bread in Foil

For softer garlic bread, bake the loaves in foil until the butter has melted. Wrap the two loaves of bread in foil and bake according to the recipe instructions.

Slices of homemade garlic bread stacked on top of one another and topped with freshly chopped parsley.

What Pairs Well With Garlic Bread?

Garlic bread is a classic appetizer that compliments any Italian-inspired meal so here are some recipe ideas to pair with them:

  • Cheesy Meatball Skillet
  • Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
  • Eggs in Purgatory (Italian Shakshuka)
  • Lasagna Roll Ups
  • Spinach and Three Cheese Manicotti
  • Creamy Sausage Pasta
  • Creamy Salmon Pasta with Spinach

Make Cheesy Garlic Bread

The Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese in this recipe is for flavoring the garlic bread and not to make it cheesy. To make some cheesy garlic bread with gooey, melty cheese strings, add some good melting cheese before baking.

You can use any kind of shredded cheese with good melting properties like mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, Colby Jack, or Monterey Jack. Follow the recipe instructions and broil for the last 2 minutes to get a crispy, cheesy top. Serve with some store-bought marinara or homemade marinara sauce for the best flavor.

And that’s about it. Enjoy your homemade garlic bread and let me know how you liked it and what you paired it with in the comments below!

MORE BREAD APPETIZERS TO TRY

  • Cheesy Garlic Bread
  • Parmesan Garlic Knots
  • Cheddar Bay Biscuits
  • Cheesy Pesto Pull-Apart Bread
  • Bloomin’ Onion Bread

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Homemade garlic bread on a cutting board topped with freshly chopped parsley and grated cheese.

Homemade Garlic Bread


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  • Author: The Cooking Jar
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8–10 1x
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Description

This homemade garlic bread recipe with freshly toasted crusty bread slathered in herbed garlic butter will compliment any pasta meal.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 large loaf ciabatta / French bread
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 4–6 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano / Parmesan, grated

Instructions

  1. Combine butter, garlic, parsley and grated cheese in a mixing bowl and stir to mix well.
  2. Cut the bread in half lengthwise and spread a THICK layer of garlic butter from end to end.
  3. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the middle rack at 400°F for 10-14 minutes, or until the butter has melted and the bread is a light golden brown.
  4. Cut the bread into 1″ slices and dish and serve warm.
  5. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Make it cheesy – Top bread with shredded mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, Colby Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese. Follow the recipe instructions and broil for the last 2 minutes to get a crispy, cheesy top. Serve with some store-bought marinara or homemade marinara sauce for the best flavor.
  • Reheating in the oven – Wrap the garlic bread in foil so it doesn’t dry out, then bake it at 350°F for 10 minutes in the oven. For crispier garlic bread, remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking.
  • Reheating in the air fryer – Reheat the garlic bread by air frying at 350°F for 3-4 minutes.
  • Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made, or what you paired it with in the comments below. If you enjoyed it, help me out with a  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating!

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posted in: Appetizers, Oven, Quick and Easy

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. The Cooking Jar says

    July 5, 2023

    Hmmm, the only thing I can think of for it burning that way is if it baked on the top rack. I’ve updated the instructions to include baking it in the middle rack. The garlic butter is meant to be spread on thick so it has a chance to melt down to the middle layers of the bread – so it’s not just the top of the bread that has flavor.

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