Toasted Garlic Bread

Tray of toasted garlic bread

Cultura / BRETT STEVENS / Riser / Getty Images

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings

This delicious recipe for crisp, fragrant toasted garlic bread is very easy to make. This is the perfect accompaniment for a spaghetti or lasagna dinner, or when you want to serve some warm and flavorful bread at a cookout.

You can use French or Italian bread in this recipe. Do not use thin and crisp baguettes, since that type of bread will not absorb the butter as the softer bread will. The bread should have some heft to it, and a nice soft crumb so the fragrant garlic mixture sinks into it. Of course, for the very best garlic bread, make the bread yourself. 

Fresh garlic is essential to this recipe. Do not use jarred garlic that is sold already chopped or minced and packed in liquid; it does not have the intense flavor of fresh garlic cloves. For the same reason, do not use dehydrated garlic flakes or garlic powder. You want your garlic to be chopped on the spot.

A popular variation on this recipe adds cheese. After a few minutes in the toaster oven, you pull the bread out and top with shredded or grated Parmesan, provolone, or some other cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted and starts to bubble.

If you want to make the whole loaf, make perpendicular slices along the baguette, then place cheese in between each slice and reassemble the loaf. Wrap the whole thing in foil and bake until the cheese is soft and melted.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Cut bread into 1/2-inch slices using a serrated knife.

  3. In a small bowl, combine the butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and mix with the back of a spoon until it is well blended. Spread the mixture evenly on the bread slices.

  4. Place bread slices in a toaster oven and toast until butter is bubbling and the edges of bread are brown.

  5. Also, you can make this bread in the oven for a slightly different texture. The bread will be softer. Reassemble the bread slices to form the loaf after you have spread the slices with the butter mixture and wrap it in heavy-duty foil, leaving the foil open at the top. Place it in a 450 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the butter is melted and the top of the bread is crisp.

  6. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Variations

  • Add herbs: For even more depth of flavor, sprinkle some fresh herbs like oregano or chives on top before toasting.
  • Get cheesy: You can use virtually any cheese to make this recipe a cheesy garlic bread. Consider using mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, feta, cheddar, or provolone.
  • Butter substitute: Think about using ghee instead of butter. Ghee is clarified butter, which means that has been heated and the milk and water solids have been skimmed off. It is essentially butter oil. It has more of a nuttier flavor to it.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
172 Calories
12g Fat
15g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 172
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 19mg 6%
Sodium 174mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 38mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)