Equipment
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 french bread, whole loaf
Garlic Butter Mixture
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 garlic, finely minced
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 g kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 242 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 27 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 491 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 31 mg
- Potassium
- 75 mg
- Calcium
- 34 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 17 mg
- Phosphorus
- 59 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 104 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 22 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.01 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.01 mg
- Niacin
- 0.0 mg
- Folate
- 2 mcg
- Water
- 4 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit). Place a baking sheet nearby.
Using a serrated knife, slice the French bread loaf in half horizontally to create two long, even pieces.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, minced garlic, chopped parsley, and salt. Mix thoroughly until the ingredients are completely integrated into a smooth paste.
Use a spatula or butter knife to spread the garlic butter mixture evenly over the cut sides of both bread halves, making sure to coat the bread completely to the edges.
Place the bread halves buttered side up on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit), or until the edges are golden brown and the butter is fully melted and bubbling.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Let the bread rest for 3 minutes before cutting into individual slices with the serrated knife and serving warm.
Chef's Notes
- For a softer crust, wrap the entire loaf in aluminum foil before baking. Open the top of the foil only for the last 3 minutes of baking.
- Do not use melted butter to make the spread. Softened, room-temperature butter stays on the surface of the bread and melts down into it during baking, whereas pre-melted butter immediately makes the bread soggy.
- If your garlic cloves have green shoots in the center, remove and discard them before mincing, as they can impart a harsh, bitter flavor to the finished butter.
- For an extra layer of savory flavor, grate 15 grams of Parmigiano-Reggiano into the butter mixture before spreading.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Wrap tightly in aluminum foil to prevent drying out.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze unbaked or baked, wrapped tightly in plastic and foil.
Reheating: Wrap in foil and bake at 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes until warmed through.
Troubleshooting
Bread is too dry and hard to bite.
Cause: The bread was baked for too long or the oven temperature was too low, causing it to dehydrate rather than toast.
Fix: Cannot be fixed to serve as traditional garlic bread, but can be crushed into delicious garlic breadcrumbs or cubed for croutons.
Prevention: Check the bread at the 8-minute mark and ensure your oven is fully preheated before baking.
Garlic tastes bitter.
Cause: The garlic burned during the baking process.
Fix: Scrape off the top layer of burned butter and garlic, though some bitter flavor may remain.
Prevention: Ensure the minced garlic is mixed thoroughly into the butter rather than sitting on top, as the milk solids and water in the butter protect the garlic from scorching.
Cultural Context
While bread has been served with garlic and oil in Italy since ancient times, the buttery version known today is largely an Italian-American invention. Italian immigrants in the United States adapted their traditional bruschetta recipes by replacing olive oil, which was scarce and expensive, with readily available butter.
