Best Garlic Bread Recipe

When it comes to Italian-inspired dinners, garlic bread is a no-brainer side choice. All you need are a handful of staple ingredients and less than 30 minutes to create this herby, garlicky side for all of your pasta dinners. It's so simple to create, but there are a couple of key steps to take this classic from good to great. My top tips for homemade garlic bread? Keep it simple and use plenty of fresh garlic. The secret sauce here is the garlic compound butter—a no-fuss combination of softened butter, fresh parsley, and a whole heck of a lot of garlic that spreads like a dream, resists burning, and yields perfectly toasted bread with an irresistible garlicky, buttery flavor. Here's everything you need to know:

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"5 stars. I’m speechless, this is delicious." -RedPopsicle

How To Make Garlic Bread

INGREDIENTS

• Garlic: Nothing good will come of using old, shriveled, discolored, or sprouted garlic cloves; their acrid, sulfurous flavors will suffuse the garlic bread. To avoid this sad fate, I make sure to use cloves from good, hard heads, with tight skins and zero signs of sprouting.
• Unsalted Butter: With unsalted butter, I’m in command of the seasoning—just the way I like it.
• Parsley: Look for Italian (aka flat-leaf) parsley, not the curly stuff. But feel free to experiment: Fresh rosemary or oregano would be awesome subs.
• Bread: Much as I love a super crusty baguette, when it comes to garlic bread, I’m partial to loaves that are a little on the softer side, such as French bread or Italian bread. They’re easier to slice and tend to have a tighter crumb (the soft interior) that soaks up more of the garlic butter.
• Parmesan: I went cheesy with my version (because why not?) and threw on some Parmesan to kick it up a notch. If you prefer more of a melty, cheesy vibe, feel free to swap out the Parm for some freshly shredded mozzarella.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Start by making the compound butter. A what, you say? Don’t get your knickers in a twist, my friend. "Compound butter" is just a cooking term for softened butter smushed together with flavorings, such as herbs, garlic, or whatever strikes your fancy. Start off by chopping some—okay, quite a bit of—garlic. Use a chef’s knife and pay attention to size: You want a good bit of texture to the garlic, not microscopic bits.

On to the parsley. More knifework. With your off-hand on the spine of your chef’s knife (for stability) and the tip of your knife serving as a pivot point, rock the blade back and forth through the parsley. Before you know it, the parsley will be finely chopped, and you’ll be feeling like the toque-wearing master chef you truly are.

Combine the garlic and parsley in a bowl with the softened butter, season with salt, and mix until the whole thing is one fragrant mass of deliciousness. Et voilà—compound butter!

Now turn your attention to the bread. Cut the loaf in half lengthwise, using a long serrated knife (aka a bread knife). Spread a liberal amount of garlic butter over the bread halves. The exact amount you use may vary depending on the size of your loaf (and your love of garlic butter), but do be generous with it. If you have any garlic butter leftover, feel free to store it in an airtight container in the fridge to save for potato rolls, sourdough toast, or baked potatoes. 😉

Don't forget the Parmesan! Sprinkle it over nice and evenly.

And into the oven it goes! I like to bake the bread until toasty and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes; however, if you prefer your garlic bread a tad crispier, feel free to give it a few more minutes in the oven—just make sure to keep a close eye on it to avoid burning! Prefer softer bread? Same deal: Check on the bread at around 8 minutes to see if it’s your ideal color and texture.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Should you wrap garlic bread in foil? There is certainly a school of thought that contends garlic bread should be baked in two stages: first with the bread slathered, sandwiched, and wrapped in foil; then with the bread unwrapped, unsandwiched, and baked until toasted. While this method nets you a softer, more pillowy result, with lower odds of burned garlic, I subscribe to a simpler school: Bake the bread just once, open-faced, spread with compound butter, so the bread is more toasty, the garlic more roasty, and the whole thing less greasy.
• How to soften butter quickly: The most foolproof method is to slice the butter or cut it into small pieces and let it sit, uncovered, at room temperature; 10 minutes should do the trick. A microwave can manage the task even faster, but proceed with caution: It can easily go overboard and leave you with melted butter. Microwave in brief (5- to 10-second) increments on low power, watching like a hawk.

What To Serve With Garlic Bread

• Penne Alla Vodka: Can't get enough of vodka sauce? Same here; that's why I love serving garlic bread with this pasta dinner to scoop up every last bite of the sauce.
• Lasagna: Saucy, cheesy lasagna pairs perfectly with this homemade garlic bread.
• Classic Italian Meatballs: These meatballs are served in our homemade marinara, and trust me—there's plenty of extra to dip your garlic bread in.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, consider yourself fortunate. Store them in a resealable plastic bag and transfer to the freezer. The garlic bread should keep for about 3 months, and anytime you want a slice (or four), reheat it in a 375° oven until thawed and crisp. If you plan on eating the leftovers ASAP, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.