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This easy homemade garlic bread is the perfect side to any dish you make. Oven-roasted garlic is made into a delicious garlic butter spread, then baked to perfection. This roasted garlic bread recipe will be your new go-to!
What is roasted garlic bread?
This roasted garlic bread is a staple in my household because it’s easy to make, and it’s the perfect side to all my Italian dishes. I even use it when making chicken parmesan sandwiches, meatball subs (#drool), and scooping up delicious bolognese sauce!
The secret is the roasted garlic.
Instead of just adding butter and garlic powder, this thick bread has a powerful garlic flavor, thanks to roasting whole heads of garlic first.
When you roast garlic, you begin to release the powerful aromas and flavors within the garlic cloves, making it easier to spread and infuse flavor into your dishes.
What type of bread to use for easy homemade garlic bread?
Use a thicker type of bread to make this recipe. It will be able to soak up the buttery garlic spread the best.
My favorite types to use for roasted garlic bread are:
- French baguettes
- Italian bread
Sourdough is also great to use!
Ingredients for roasted garlic bread
Beyond your choice of bread, here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Whole garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Butter
- Red pepper flakes
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley
Prepping the garlic
This is one of the most important steps because it’s what gives the roasted garlic bread its amazing flavor.
I start with prepping the garlic.
- Peel away some of the outside skin and cut 1/4th off the top of the garlic, exposing the cloves.
- Place them in foil, drizzle olive oil, add fresh black pepper and then close up the foil. (You’re basically making an olive oil steam bath for the garlic.)
Garlic tip:
If there are small cloves on the side, use a small pairing knife to expose the tops.
Roasting the garlic
Then, just roast them in the oven until they become a darker color, and you can easily pierce them with a fork.
Not all garlic is created equal, so you have to take into consideration the size of the cloves, how fresh the garlic is, etc.
I usually start by putting them in the oven for 20 minutes, then go from there. After 20 minutes, keep checking them every 5 minutes and remove them when they are fully roasted.
Once they are done roasting (and your house smells amazing), carefully remove them from the oven. I typically use tongs to squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skin (they should easily squeeze out).
Squeeze all the cloves out of the heads of garlic.
Don’t forget that delicious olive oil and black pepper they were sitting in – that has a lot of flavors, so pour that in too!
Making the garlic spread
Now that you have roasted the garlic, now it’s time to make the buttery spread:
- Add the butter, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese to a mixing bowl.
- Mash it all together with a fork.
- Mix it really well so that everything is incorporated together.
Making the garlic bread
Slather roasted garlic spread all over cut french bread or sourdough bread (a personal favorite).
Cheesy tip:
I like to grate some extra parmesan over the top since more cheese is always a good idea!
Toasting the garlic bread
Place in the oven on low broil and cook until the sides begin to brown. Keep an eye on it so you don’t burn your precious bread!
What comes out of the oven? Warm and crispy roasted garlic bread that is ready to compliment your meal and have your guests fighting over the last piece.
Top with freshly chopped parsley, and enjoy!
What to serve with roasted garlic bread
This garlic bread recipe can be served alongside so many delicious dishes! Of course, it would taste great dipped into some yummy pasta dinners like:
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Short Rib Ragu
- Penne Alla Vodka
- Linguine and Clams
- Spinach and Beef Lasagna
It can also be served with some warm soups in the winter. I love to dip it into a bowl of roasted red pepper tomato soup!
Other side dish recipes
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Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- French baguette or sourdough
- 2 heads garlic ((or 3 if they are small in size))
- 1/2 stick butter (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (can omit if you don't like spicy)
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (+ 1 tbsp per garlic head)
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Cut 1/4 of the head of garlic on top to expose cloves slightly and peel some of the excess clove skin off. Using a sheet of foil, place garlic head inside, pour 1 tbsp of olive oil over the exposed bulbs and season with fresh ground pepper. Wrap the garlic in the aluminum foil and place in the oven. Roast for 30-35 min until the clove can be easily pierced with a fork and slightly browned.
- While the garlic roasts, in a small bowl place the butter, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, and olive oil together. Once the garlic is done roasting, remove from the oven (caution hot) and squeeze the head to remove the garlic cloves into the bowl with the ingredients above. (I use tongs to squeeze the bulbs out since it is hot to handle with your hands).
- Mix all the ingredients together and spread onto your bread. Place bread in the oven on low broil until the edges are crispy, about 5 minutes, or until desired crispiness. Remove from the oven and top with freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
- When cutting the 1/4 off the top of the garlic head, you can use a small pairing knife to cut the smaller cloves on the sides
- After garlic has roasted, use tongs to squeeze cloves out. Less messy and the garlic heads are hot coming out of the oven
