Roasted Garlic Bread

There is nothing more comforting or satisfying than a loaf of homemade roasted garlic bread! This is one of those side dishes that many of us have fond memories of but it might not be something you make regularly. We can change that!

In this roasted garlic bread recipe that’s baked in the oven we’ll walk you through how to make show-stopping garlic bread AND how easy it is to prep several batches of this bread to save for VERY quick garlic bread in the future.

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How To Make Roasted Garlic Bread

The secret to making mouth-watering baked garlic bread is, of course, the garlic. For this recipe, we use 4 entire heads of garlic that are roasted to sweet & creamy perfection and then mashed into butter. Full details on how to roast garlic here.

Roasted garlic doesn’t have the sharp, pungent flavor of raw garlic so we think it’s perfect for this application.

After making the roasted garlic butter all you have to do is spread it on and toast up your bread! You can bake or broil this, depending on your preferences and the timing of other items you are cooking as part of your meal.

How to Bake Roasted Garlic Bread

Baked garlic bread with roasted garlic is the best when the bread is crispity crunchity and the butter has melted through the loaf and permeated your entire slice with yummy roasted garlic flavor! When garlic bread doesn’t turn out correctly it’s either burnt or undercooked.

Too much and too thick of a buttery spread can cause a soggy interior. Only broiling the bread can cause the underside of the loaf to be a bit soft. What’s the solution?

We found baking the bread to deliver the most foolproof results– in a 375* oven, uncovered for about 10 minutes. If you like your garlic bread extra crunchy, toss it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes after baking. Or, if you like your garlic bread on the softer side, tent it with foil as it bakes. Win, win!

Broiling the bread is quicker, but does require more attention as it’s HOT and can burn if left just a minute or two too long. We also recommend broiling both the top and bottom of the loaves for even toastiness. A quick broil on the underside before adding the garlic butter will ensure the loaf is fully toasted.

Baking the bread at 375* takes longer than broiling, but it’s an even heat and toasting. You can set the timer and walk away as it isn’t prone to burning like broiling.

Which Bread To Use?

Most grocery store bakeries sell several different types of fresh bread loaves: french, baguette, and ciabatta are most common. Any of these breads work just fine in this recipe, but there are differences worth noting.

French Bread: Will be the biggest loaf of the three. French bread has a very soft texture on the interior and a thin crust. As it’s the biggest loaf, the ratio of bread to roasted garlic butter will be less. Most roasted garlic bread ‘kits’ (the spread + bread bags) you’ll see in grocery stores use French bread!

Sourdough Baguette: Likely the smallest loaf of the three. Baguettes have the driest and crunchiest texture– it’s not soft and squishy like the interior of French bread. As baguettes are the smallest, the ratio of bread to roasted garlic butter is high, so most of the bread’s interior will be moistened with butter.

Ciabatta: Ciabatta is typically larger than a baguette but smaller than a French loaf. Ciabatta bread has a soft crust and a chewy interior with bigger air bubbles. Ciabatta is our favorite bread for making roasted garlic bread! It isn’t quite as soft as French bread but it’s not as dry/hard as baguette. It’s the perfect happy medium!

Which Herbs To Use?

Roasted garlic rosemary bread, anyone? While garlic is the flavor that shines through here, a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh herbs takes this recipe over the top! Plus that tiny pop of green looks so darn fancy and professional quality 🙂

If your family has a herb they particularly like, go with that! We recommended any of the following fresh herbs:

• Rosemary
• Parsley
• Basil
• Thyme

And if you don’t have any fresh herbs on hand, dried herbs can help deliver that same experience! Dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor so we recommend using 1 teaspoon of dried herbs vs a tablespoon. Dried basil and dried parsley don’t have too much flavor, so here’s our top picks for the dried herbs:

Dried Oregano
Dried Italian Seasoning

Variations & Substitutions To This Recipe

This baked roasted garlic bread recipe as written is our go-to standard! If this becomes part of your regular rotation you may want to mix things up a bit, or health/taste preferences may have you wondering about variations.

• Don’t have a loaf of bread? Make garlic ‘toast’ by laying slices of bread on a baking sheet and spreading some roasted garlic butter on each one, then baking! This works great in a pinch.
• Use margarine or vegan butter. Same with cheese!
• Do a spin on this recipe and swap roasted garlic for caramelized onions!

How To Prep Many Loaves Of Roasted Garlic Bread

Alright, here’s the kicker! This is our FAVORITE fall/winter food item to ‘meal prep’ if you will. Those loaves of bread we talked about earlier? They’re only a couple of bucks at the grocery store. Aside from roasted garlic-garlic bread, they are just too handy and we usually buy several and freeze them.

They are inexpensive but have a short shelf life due to the fresh bake. Spend $10 and buy several loaves and pop them right in the freezer. It’s genius! Such an inexpensive hack for a night when you want a cozy meal but have an empty fridge.

Now for the butter! Garlic is pretty inexpensive compared to most things nowadays so why not roast an entire baking dish of garlic?! We’re talking 10-15 heads of garlic at one go. Then you can make 3-4 sticks of roasted garlic butter and freeze them.

Boom- you’ve got the bread and the roasted garlic butter ready to go, getting you a toasty loaf of roasted garlic bread in less than 10 minutes. Make a quick bowl of soup to pair and you just won dinner 🙂

Please note: Garlic submerged in oil or butter could potentially be a risk for botulism. Storing the garlic butter in the freezer is an easy but important step to prevent this! Read more here.

We hope you love this recipe!

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