Garlic bread enhances any meal, particularly when it's this buttery, crispy, and packed with extra garlic flavor. I've been infatuated with this garlic bread for years and probably make it more frequently than I should. Why? Because it's incredibly easy to prepare, tastes amazing, and is very freezer-friendly, allowing you to always have some ready for when the garlic bread craving strikes... which for me, is almost every night.
Ingredients for making garlic bread
Making homemade garlic bread with real butter and fresh garlic is incredibly easy and tastes far superior to anything you'll find in the freezer section of the grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need to make my all-time favorite garlic bread:
Bread: For the best homemade garlic bread, I recommend using a large, soft loaf of French or Italian bread. This type of bread absorbs the garlic butter well without becoming too tough or crispy when baked. While baguettes are delicious, they can become very hard and don’t soak up the butter as effectively as a softer loaf.
Butter: Salted butter is perfect for carrying all that garlicky goodness and makes the bread extra rich and tasty. If you use unsalted butter, just add some extra salt to the garlic butter mixture to ensure the flavors stand out.
Olive Oil: Adding a bit of olive oil helps the butter spread more easily and prevents it from browning too quickly in the oven.
Fresh Garlic: Fresh garlic is essential for garlic bread, providing a strong, punchy garlic flavor that takes center stage.
Garlic Powder: Alongside fresh garlic, a touch of garlic powder adds a deep, robust garlicky base, giving the bread a full, layered garlic taste.
Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a bit of freshness to balance the rich butter and intense garlic flavor, and it also adds a lovely splash of green color. If you don’t have parsley, you can skip it.
Salt: While salted butter contains some salt, adding a bit more enhances all the flavors in the garlic bread, making them really pop.
What other ingredients can I include?
The basic garlic bread recipe provided is fantastic as it is, but you can elevate it even further by incorporating any of the following ingredients:
- Mix in a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan into the garlic butter mixture for a crispy umami finish.
- Sprinkle whole milk mozzarella on top before baking to turn it into an easy cheesy garlic bread.
- Swap in roasted garlic instead of, or in addition to, the fresh garlic for a milder, roasted flavor.
- Add more herbs. Try mixing in an Italian herb blend or a pinch of red pepper flakes into the garlic butter for extra flavor. Or, if you have an herb garden, add some chopped basil or oregano.
- Stir in a tablespoon or two of pesto into the garlic butter mixture for a unique twist.
A guide on storing and reheating garlic bread to maintain its freshness and flavor
This garlic bread recipe is freezer-friendly. After spreading the flavorful garlic butter mixture onto your loaf, freeze the garlic bread in an airtight container, such as a gallon-sized freezer bag. It can then be baked straight from the freezer, requiring just a couple of extra minutes of baking time.
For leftover baked garlic bread, ensure it cools completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container to prevent condensation. It will remain fresh at room temperature for about a day or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To reheat, you can use an air-fryer for a minute or two, microwave for approximately 30 seconds, or wrap tightly in foil and bake at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
