Garlic Bread
Crusty baguette split, slathered with garlic-parsley butter, wrapped in foil and baked until the butter has melted into every crumb. The pasta side that never disappoints; equally happy alongside a soup or grilled meats.
Overview
Soft butter beats together with crushed garlic, parsley and a touch of salt. The butter spreads onto split baguette halves (or down the middle of a long loaf). Wrapped in foil, baked, then opened and grilled briefly to crisp the top.
Ingredients
- 1 baguette (large, or 1 ciabatta loaf)
- 150 g unsalted butter (very soft, at room temperature)
- 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley (very finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- A grind of black pepper
- Optional: 50 g grated parmesan cheese
- Optional: 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Method
Stage 1 - Garlic butter
- In a bowl, mash the soft butter with the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and parmesan or chilli flakes (if using).
- The butter should look uniformly green-flecked and well combined.
Stage 2 - Prep the bread
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Cut the baguette in half horizontally (or make deep cuts every 3 cm without cutting through the bottom - this makes a tear-and-share loaf).
Stage 3 - Spread
- Slather the cut surfaces (or push butter into the cuts) generously with the garlic butter. All of it should be used.
Stage 4 - Bake
- Wrap the loaf loosely in foil.
- Bake for 10 minutes (the foil keeps the crust from burning while the centre warms through).
- Open the foil; bake another 3-5 minutes until the surface is golden and the butter has melted into the crumb.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Slice or pull apart at the table while the butter is still glistening.
Notes
- Soft butter is non-negotiable: Cold butter doesn't spread and ends up clumped. Take it out of the fridge an hour before, or microwave 5 seconds at a time.
- Foil first, then open: The foil keeps the crust from going hard while the middle warms; opening at the end crisps it.
- Crusty bread, not soft: A baguette or ciabatta gives the contrast of crisp shell and soft soaked centre. Sliced sandwich bread doesn't work.
Storage
- Best fresh. Keeps 1 day; reheat at 180°C wrapped in foil for 8 minutes.
- Garlic butter alone keeps 5 days refrigerated, freezes 2 months.
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