My grandma Virginia makes the best garlic bread. It’s soft and buttery in the middle, irresistibly garlicky, and we all love it. Amongst a family of picky kids, the garlic bread was always a winner.
This garlic bread recipe brings back warm memories, although it’s quite a bit different. This bread is crisp and crusty with deep roasted garlic flavor. Since roasted garlic is inherently buttery in flavor and texture, I was able to cut the amount of butter in half.
I’ve had this recipe in my back pocket since sharing my tutorial on how to roast garlic. I second-guessed publishing it, since this recipe takes longer to make than your average garlic bread. On the other hand, it’s a simple, comforting side dish that goes well with many homemade meals.
If you’re making some saucy pasta tonight, how about a side of garlic bread? I’m working hard on a pantry resource guide for you and will be back soon.
Roasted Garlic Bread Ingredients
Roasted garlic
The length of time required to roast garlic varies from 40 to 70 minutes, depending on the garlic’s age, quantity used, etc. You can roast the garlic in advance and refrigerate it for later (see recipe notes), or give yourself plenty of time to make this bread.
Butter
We’ll need half as much butter as usual, so four tablespoons. The recipe calls for unsalted butter plus some salt—if you’re using salted butter, omit the salt.
Bread
I’ve made this garlic bread with Whole Foods’ ciabatta as well as Ibis bakery bread (local to Kansas City). Both were good, but local sourdough was definitely better!
Fresh parsley or dried oregano
We’ll finish off the bread with a light sprinkle of green garnish—fresh parsley if you have it, or dried oregano from the pantry. Typically, when you’re substituting dried herbs for fresh, you’ll want to use one-third of the amount suggested. I’m suggesting dried oregano over dried parsley because dried parsley is practically tasteless (or is that just my dried parsley?).
If you don’t have either option on hand, just skip the garnish.
What to Serve with Roasted Garlic Bread
This crusty bread would offer some nice contrast to hearty Italian soups and creamy bisques.
It would also be delicious with a big salad, or of course with saucy pasta and just about any Italian entrée.
Please let me know how your bread turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you. Please also tell me what resources will be helpful for you during this time.
Roasted Garlic Bread
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
This garlic bread recipe is made with roasted garlic, which takes it to another level! This buttery garlic spread is made with half the butter, too. Keep in mind that roasted garlic requires 40 to 70 minutes in the oven, and you’ll need to roast the garlic first*. Recipe yields one loaf of garlic bread (about 12 slices).
Ingredients
- 1 loaf (16 ounces) ciabatta bread or crusty French bread
- 4 heads roasted garlic
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened**
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or a light sprinkle of dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a serrated knife, slice through the loaf of bread horizontally to make two evenly-sized slabs. Place them on a large, rimmed baking sheet (lined with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired).
- Remove the cloves of roasted garlic from the heads. In a shallow bowl or plate, mash the cloves with a fork until mostly smooth. Add the butter and salt and mash it all together until evenly combined. Scoop half of the mixture onto the cut side of one piece of bread, and spread it evenly across with a butter knife or spatula. Repeat with the remaining garlic on the remaining bread.
- Bake for 5 minutes (for softer bread) or 10 to 12 minutes, until golden at the edges and crisp enough to resist a gentle squeeze (for toasted bread as shown in photos).
- Sprinkle with parsley. Once cool enough to handle, slice into pieces about 2 to 3 inches wide with a serrated knife. Serve promptly. Bread should be consumed or refrigerated within 2 hours.
Notes
*Prepare in advance: You can roast the garlic up to 3 days in advance. Remove the cloves when they’re cool enough to handle and promptly refrigerate.
**If you forget: I always forget to pull the butter out of the fridge in advance. Cut the butter into 1-tablespoon segments. Microwave it in a bowl for 10 to 15 seconds, just until softened. Also, if you’re using salted butter, omit the added salt in this recipe.
Make it dairy free/vegan: You could try substituting extra-virgin olive oil for the butter! Vegan butter is also an option. Miyoko’s Creamery butter would be my pick.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Hayley
Your photos are mouth watering, Kate! I can’t wait to try this. I’m sure it is, as you say, worth the extra effort!
Kate
I hope you love it when you try it! Be sure to let me know what you think.
Kiki
Re roasted garlic.
I make a whole baking sheet full of garlic heads. After they are soft, and a little cooler, I squeeze them out of the shells.
I mush/smash them and freeze them, so there is always roasted garlic
By the way, I love your recipes.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your method, Kiki!
JULIE STROEVE
178 calories and 26+/- carb grams…what size serving is this, please? thank you!
Kate
Hi there! That’s based on one slice (of twelve slices total). The carbs come from the bread, mainly.
Charles Matthews
Outstanding recipe! It has been a long while, but I used to make garlic bread like this.
Thank you for the great newsletter and recipes. Nine months ago, I decided to eliminate meat and poultry from my diet. I don’t miss it and you make it better.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I hope you like this one as much, if not more, than the one you use to make. I appreciate your comment and review, Charles!
Sofia
The extra time is definitely worth it. I used vegan butter and we topped half our bread with vegan cheese. My non-vegan partner’s first response was, “WOW”. The garlic just melts right in. And we were so happy we didn’t have to use foil with your method. Definitely a new fave to go with pasta night!
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! Thanks for sharing how you made this work vegan for you, Sofia. I appreciate your comment and review!
Olivia
Perfect timing! Just made this with pasta and it was sooooooo good! It is so garlicy in the best way! And the ingredient are so simple. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Kate
I love when that happens! Thank you for sharing, Olivia.
Generation786
I am very mush inspired after reading the nutrition value of your food recipes it is less in fat and cholesterol and high in vitamins and minerals, which is a good sign,
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you!
Jen Hodder
Grandma Virginia’s recipe is a must! Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome! :)
Sadye
A pantry-building guide sounds like a great idea to share — the resource I think I, personally, need the most now are the moments of escape and comfort … as in, just reading great recipes and thinking about delicious meals :) (Not to say anyone should bury their head in the sand, of course!)
Kate
Thank you, Sadye! I have the resource up on the blog now and hope you find it helpful, too.
Sadye
Yes, I enjoyed both the recent posts — I was actually thinking, after I made the comment, that what also might be helpful is recipes written with generalities versus specific ingredients. Like, this many cups/ounces of veggies, this weight of pulses, etc. Thanks for already being in the habit of adding notes on substitutions!
curtis
Oh, goodness was this ever good.
Ate it with roasted red pepper and tomato soup with a simple green salad.
A delicious, simple meal in an odious time — thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I love the sound of that combination, Curtis. Thank you for your comment and review!
SS
Can this be made with gluten free bread?
Kate
Hi! You could try it. I recommend a thick bakery bread, if you can find it. I know some sourdough varieties can work, depending on your gluten sensitivities. Of course, that is up to you based on your needs and potential allergy.
Cale
I’ve never used roasted garlic for garlic bread before this, and I can’t believe I missed out for so many years. These were absolutely fantastic and my son (who’s a bit of a particular eater) loved them too!
It was actually tough not to eat the garlic straight out of the oven; thanks so much for this gem!
★★★★★
Cara R Norris
This was really delicious. Next time, I’m going to experiment with some other herbs/spices – spoked paprika, perhaps? Kate, I really appreciate how you are providing options that limit the use of throwaway items like foil, etc. Making a second batch of garlic now to use later this week – this time I bought more heads!
★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Cara! Thanks for your comment and review. I do love smoked paprika! Let me know if you try it sprinkled on top, sounds interesting.
Mary in San Antonio Texas
With so many vegetarians in my family and of course always looking for healthy alternatives for holiday meals, this one will top the list to try this year! LOVE your blog and have made many of your recipes. Wishing you much success and keep on blogging!
★★★★★
Lori
Made this tonight for a soup dinner. I think this tastes so much better than the traditional “raw” garlic kind of garlic bread. My new favorite. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Lori! I’m happy you think so.
Carrie
AMAZING rich roasted garlic flavor! Also love the ease of using a Pyrex covered dish to roast the bulbs. I served this last night with your Best Vegetable Lasagna for Christmas dinner. A feast! Thank you, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Carries! Sounds delicious. Thank you for your review!
Hayley
Would the garlic spread keep on its own in the fridge for a day or two before spreading it on the bread and cooking?
Kate
Hi Hayley, sure you could try it. I find it’s best right away. Let me know if you try it!
Kathy
I made the crispy edge version of this recipe tonight. It was easy to make and delicious!
Cassie
This looks just like the garlic bread from my favorite restaurant, Pisticci. They let you add goat cheese to it. It’s delicious! Can’t wait to try this!