Garlic Bread
Ingredients
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- 5 cloves garlic – finely grated or minced to a paste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter – softened
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley – finely chopped
- 1 loaf Italian bread loaf – halved lengthwise
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the middle; line a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash the garlic with the kosher salt using the side of a knife or a spoon until a rough paste forms, 30–60 seconds.
3. Add the softened butter and olive oil to the bowl and stir until smooth, then fold in the chopped parsley.
4. Place the halved Italian bread cut sides up on the baking sheet and spread the garlic-parsley butter evenly over both cut sides from edge to edge.
5. Bake until the butter is melted and the edges are lightly crisp, 10–12 minutes.
6. Switch the oven to broil and broil until the surface is golden in spots, 1–2 minutes, watching closely.
7. Let rest 2 minutes, then slice crosswise into pieces and serve warm.
Garlic bread is a craveable study in contrasts: a crisp, golden top with a tender, steamy crumb underneath, all perfumed with sweet, mellowed garlic and rich butter. Fresh parsley brightens the richness, while a brief broil adds caramelized edges and extra crunch. It’s a simple side that pairs with hearty pastas, soups, and salads, but it also shines on its own as a snack straight from the tray.
Though it echoes Italian bruschetta and Tuscan fettunta (toasted bread rubbed with garlic and dressed with oil), garlic bread as most people know it took root in Italian-American kitchens. Mid-20th-century Italian immigrant communities adapted the idea to American bakery loaves and butter, popularizing it in pizzerias and red-sauce restaurants. Over time, versions with cheese, herbs, and different breads spread widely, but the essential formula—bread, garlic, fat, and heat—remains beloved.