Description
Ina Garten’s garlic bread delivers classic Italian comfort with a crispy, buttery exterior and rich garlic flavor. Fresh herbs and quality ingredients elevate this simple side dish, ensuring you’ll savor each golden, aromatic slice straight from the oven.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 crusty French baguette (20 to 24-inch-long)
- 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- 1 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese
Seasoning and Herbs:
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fleur de sel or sea salt
Fat and Binding:
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Elevate your oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius), creating an optimal baking environment and ensuring a pristine cooking surface to prevent unwanted smoke.
- Transform unsalted butter into a luxurious base by gently melting it in a compact saucepan over minimal heat. Introduce peeled garlic cloves into the liquefied butter, covering the pan to allow a slow, methodical infusion for approximately 20 minutes. After cooking, permit the mixture to cool momentarily before thoroughly mashing the softened garlic into the butter.
- Enhance the garlic butter with a symphony of flavors: fold in freshly grated Parmesan cheese, finely chopped fresh parsley, delicate lemon zest, a whisper of crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir meticulously to create a harmonious blend.
- Transform the crusty French baguette by carefully slicing it lengthwise, then crafting precise diagonal incisions across each half – taking care not to completely separate the bread sections. These strategic cuts will facilitate deeper butter penetration.
- Lavishly distribute the aromatic garlic butter across the baguette’s exposed surfaces, ensuring the flavorful mixture infiltrates every carefully carved diagonal channel.
- Position the prepared baguette halves onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then slide into the preheated oven. Bake for 5-7 minutes, watching for a golden, crisp exterior that promises delectable texture.
- Extract the transformed bread from the oven, slice into elegant serving portions, and garnish with a delicate sprinkle of fleur de sel or sea salt. Serve immediately while warmth and flavor are at their peak, ready to complement any accompanying dish.
Notes
- Elevate your dining experience with this restaurant-style garlic bread that turns a simple side into a gourmet sensation.
- Slow-cooking whole garlic cloves in butter mellows their sharp bite, creating a deeply sweet and aromatic base.
- Diagonal slicing allows garlic butter to penetrate every crevice, ensuring maximum flavor explosion in each crispy bite.
- Fresh Parmesan cheese contributes a nutty, salty dimension that perfectly balances the rich, creamy butter.
- A quick 5-7 minute bake guarantees a golden, crunchy exterior while maintaining the bread’s tender interior.
- Optional lemon zest and fresh parsley add bright, herbaceous notes that cut through the bread’s luxurious richness.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 470 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 37 g
- Saturated Fat: 23 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg