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This garlic bread recipe is crunchy on top, chewy on the inside, and bursting with garlicky, buttery flavor. It’s a total crowd pleaser!
When it comes to side dishes, here’s a classic that almost no one will turn down: garlic bread! This garlic bread recipe is buttery, garlicky, crunchy, chewy, and absolutely irresistible.
It’s tender on the inside and crunchy on top from broiling it with Parmesan cheese. Here I’ve broken down the steps with photos so it’s easy to follow. Let’s get cooking!
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was amazing, thank you so much!” -Eadie
Best Bread to Use
The best bread for garlic bread is French bread, or any medium-sized artisan bread loaf. It can be hard to find bread specifically labeled “French,” so just find something that looks similar to what you see here. Avoid using a baguette, which is smaller and crustier, and doesn’t make as good garlic bread.
How to Make Garlic Bread
This is my very favorite easy garlic bread, perfect as a side for pasta like veggie lasagna or creamy cavatappi, or as an appetizer dipped into marinara sauce. It’s got the best rich, savory flavor and a crunchy yet chewy texture. Here’s how to do it in 4 simple steps!
Step 1: Slice Your French Bread Lengthwise
Slice the bread lengthwise, as shown in the photo below. This makes for the fun strip-sized pieces you see above, versus a large round bread circle. While you’re cutting the bread, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 2: Brush the Cut Sides With Garlic Butter and Bake
Melt the butter in the microwave or place it in a saucepan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Then transfer it into a small bowl and grate in 3 garlic cloves. The easiest way to grate garlic is with a microplane (here’s the microplane I use).
If you don’t have a grater, just mince the garlic as finely as possible. Next, mince the fresh parsley as finely as possible; you’ll want it to be very fine flecks.
Add the parsley to the butter, then use a brush to evenly coat the cut sides of the bread. Place the halves together, cover the garlic bread loaf in foil, and bake for 8 minutes until warmed through.
Step 3: Top With Parmesan and Broil
Here’s the fun part! Remove the bread from the oven and sprinkle it evenly with grated Parmesan cheese. (Grated Parmesan is the type that looks like powder, while shredded is long shreds.)
Then broil the garlic bread for 2 to 3 minutes to give it an irresistibly crunchy topping. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through broiling to get even browning.
Step 4: Slice It and Serve!
Finally, slice the bread crosswise into thin slices. This makes the perfect crunchy, tender strips for serving as a side dish.
Serve immediately, warm out of the oven. Or you can put the strips back into the aluminum foil, turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and keep them warm until serving. Voila: the best easy garlic bread ever!
What to Serve With It
What doesn’t go well with garlic bread, really? Here are some great entrees that would be made perfect with garlic bread:
- Pair with Easy Stuffed Shells, Pasta Pomodoro, or Classic Red Sauce Pasta
- Go for Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta, Lasagna Roll Ups, or Zucchini Lasagna
- Dip it into Homemade Tomato Sauce or Baked Goat Cheese as an easy appetizer
- Pair it with Tomato Artichoke Soup or Classic Tomato Soup
Love garlic? Try more Great Garlic Recipes like simple and impressive Garlic Butter, Garlic Confit, Garlic Noodles, and more.
Dietary Notes
This recipe is vegetarian. For vegan, omit the Parmesan cheese and use vegan butter or olive oil (still complete the broiling step since it adds a nice crunch).
Garlic Bread
This garlic bread recipe is crunchy on top, chewy on the inside, and bursting with garlicky, buttery flavor. It’s a total crowd pleaser!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian American
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread (or any medium-sized artisan loaf)
- 4 tablespoons melted salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced finely
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice the entire loaf of bread in half lengthwise (see the photos).
- Mix the butter with the finely chopped parsley and grated garlic, grating it right into the butter (or if you don’t have a microplane or grater, mince the garlic as finely as possible). Then brush the garlic butter onto the cut sides of the bread. Sprinkle the cut sides with a bit of kosher salt.
- Place the cut sides of the bread halves together and wrap the loaf in foil. Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes until warmed through.
- Remove the foil and place the bread cut side up on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until browned and crispy, rotating the pan halfway through so the color is even. Cut the bread into slices and serve immediately (or place it back in foil and keep warm in a 350-degree oven until serving).
This was amazing, thank you so much!
What is broiling please?
Broiling is an oven function that uses radiant heat from above to cook. You should have a “Broil” button on your oven! If you don’t, simply bake with the Parmesan for another 5 to 7 minutes until it’s golden. It won’t get as crispy as with the broiler, but it will work.