Thanks to roasted garlic, this is our favorite recipe for homemade garlic bread. Softened butter and two whole bulbs of roasted garlic combine to make the best garlic bread we’ve made.
Related: We also love this homemade garlic focaccia bread!
Garlic Bread Recipe Ingredients
I love this garlic bread from scratch, especially when served with soup, like this roasted tomato soup. It’s also fantastic with pasta, like this veggie lasagna, and it always goes well with salad, like our homemade garlicky Caesar salad. Fortunately, you only need a short list of ingredients to make it. Here’s an explanation and tips:
- Bread – We make garlic bread by slathering garlic butter over individual slices of bread and baking. So, grab your favorite rustic bread and slice it into 1/2-inch slices. Our recipe makes enough garlic butter for 8 to 10 large slices. I love sourdough, country French loaves, and more rustic Italian bread for this recipe.
- Salted butter – I love using European-style butter (like Kerrygold or Plugra) when making this recipe for garlic bread. The butter tastes so good! I also go for salted butter. If you only have unsalted, no worries. Just add salt to taste before spreading on the bread.
- Garlic + olive oil – Roasted garlic makes our garlic bread recipe so darn good. It also means we use the garlic from two whole heads of garlic, so this recipe really packs in the garlic flavor.
- Herbs – I love the little green specks from chives and parsley, not to mention they add a lovely flavor. If you don’t have herbs on hand, this is perfectly delicious without them.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
For more garlic bread recipes, see our soft garlic bread in foil, slightly lighter garlic bread, and this homemade garlic focaccia bread.
How to Make Garlic Bread
Our garlic bread recipe starts with roasted garlic, which tastes sweeter and richer than raw garlic. To roast garlic, wrap halved garlic bulbs drizzled with olive oil in some foil or parchment paper. Then bake until they are very soft (about 45 minutes).
When the roasted garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the sweet garlic flesh into a bowl and mix it with softened butter and herbs. This garlic bread is so simple and, oh my goodness, so good!
Storing
Store homemade garlic bread in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To reheat, wrap the slices in foil and bake in a 375° Fahrenheit oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
To freeze garlic bread, freeze baked bread in freezer-friendly containers or bags or freeze unbaked garlic bread by laying the bread with garlic butter on a large baking sheet and freezing until hard. Afterward, transfer to freezer-friendly containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, follow the recipe instructions, but add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
What to Serve it With
We love serving homemade garlic bread with the following recipes:
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Our Favorite Potato and Leek Soup
- Easy Veggie Pasta
- Sausage and Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo
- Homemade Caesar Salad
Easy Roasted Garlic Bread
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Thanks to roasted garlic, this is our favorite recipe for homemade garlic bread. Softened butter and two whole bulbs of roasted garlic combine to make the best garlic bread we’ve made. Softened butter is helpful since it makes mixing the garlic spread much easier.
For soft garlic bread, bake a few minutes less (closer to 8 minutes). For crispy, crunchy garlic bread, bake a bit longer, but watch for over-browning (closer to 15 minutes).
You Will Need
8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices from French, Italian, or Sourdough loaf
1/2 cup (113 grams) salted butter, softened to room temperature
2 whole bulbs garlic, see notes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, if needed
Directions
1To roast the garlic, heat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit (190° C). Cut each bulb of garlic in half, crosswise, and lay them, cut-side facing up, on a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic and rub into the cut cloves. Wrap the foil around the garlic so it is sealed (if using parchment paper, tie the paper with twine to seal). Roast until the garlic is very soft, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, keep it enclosed in the packet, and allow it to cool on the counter.
3When the garlic is cool enough to handle, open the packet and squeeze the bulb halves like a lemon into a small mixing bowl. Add the softened butter, chives, and parsley. Mix well with a fork. Taste, and then add salt as needed.
4Lay 8 slices of bread on the counter and evenly spread the garlic butter over them. Transfer to a baking sheet (or use two baking sheets if the bread doesn’t all fit in one layer) and bake in the oven until the edges are golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Slice in half or into thirds and serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Garlic: A garlic bulb is also known as a head of garlic and is made up of many individual cloves that are attached at the root.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
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I think perhaps there’s a typo. The recipe says it makes 16 slices but the ingredients list calls for for 8 1/2″ slices of french bread.
Hi Julie, I have made the yield more detailed. There are 8 slices of bread, but we recommend slicing each in half for serving. Thanks for checking and we hope that you enjoy the recipe!