Garlic bread as we know it today doesn’t actually come from Europe as you might think. The dish actually originated in the United States and comes from Italian-American cuisine.
When Italians started to migrate to the US, they recreated the foods of their homeland with the ingredients available in America.
Although garlic and butter have been rubbed onto bread for centuries, it wasn’t cooked and covered with cheese.
Bruschetta is the traditional Italian food that garlic bread has stemmed from. Here, the toasted bread was rubbed with garlic and drizzled with oil and salt.
Bruschetta descended from the Ancient Romans who used to enjoy a flatbread topped with a simple mixture of olive oil, salt, and herbs. It’s easy to see how the snack has evolved over time.
In this article, learn how to make some delicious garlic bread using some of your pantry staples.
How To Make Garlic Bread With
A Bagel
Is there one pesky bagel left in the cupboard? If you’re making dinner for one or just in the mood for some garlic bread, you can turn this doughy delight into exactly that.
All that’s needed is some garlic powder, butter, and some Italian cheese.
Cut the bagel in half and place it on a baking sheet
Bake until lightly toasted at around 400℉
Mix the garlic and melted butter together and brush onto the halves
Sprinkle as much cheese as you like on top before baking until it’s melted
Cheese can be omitted and butter replaced with an alternative if you’re making a vegan version.
A Hamburger Bun
The odd hamburger bun is always left over after a barbecue or cookout. It’s so annoying as it feels wasteful to throw it away and it’s probably too late to freeze it by the time you’ve cleared everything up.
With your leftovers the next day, why not try making this hamburger bun garlic bread? Someone is always in the mood for garlic bread, so it won’t take long to get rid of that last bun.
Slice the bun in half, any bun will do but brioche buns are the tastiest
Make a garlic butter spread using fresh minced garlic and softened butter. Add some Italian seasoning or dried herbs to enhance the flavors
Slice the buns in half and spread the mixture evenly on each side
Bake for around 10 minutes at 350℉
Grill for a further 1 to minutes to get nice and crispy edges
Adjust the amounts of garlic, butter, and seasoning to your liking. The beauty of making a recipe from an unconventional source is that you can experiment with the flavors and ingredients and get everything just right.
It’s also an excuse to eat way more garlic bread.
A Baguette
When you order garlic bread from a restaurant, it usually comes in baguette form. Recreating this at home is an excellent way to make a tasty snack as well as use up that last bit of bread that is starting to go hard.
Baguettes are delicious, with their crusty outsides and soft white insides. The inside of the bread seems to absorb all the tasty garlic butter goodness much better than other forms.
This method for making garlic bread is a classic:
Slice a baguette almost all the way through to create slices that are around 2cm thick
Mix butter, garlic, salt, and parsley together
Spread the mixture on each side of the bread and any remaining mixture on the top of the bread
Wrap the baguette in foil and bake for 15 minutes at 390℉
This method will leave you with the most indulgent garlic bread you’ve ever made. There is no going back to store-bought after this.
What Else Can You Make Garlic Bread With?
Almost any type of bread can be used to make your own version of garlic bread. Avoid using any type of sweet bread as the flavors will clash with the garlic and butter. Some other types of bread that can be used are:
Sourdough
Ciabatta
Focaccia
Dinner roll
Rye
Multigrain
The simple steps included in this article can be used to turn any type of bread into a garlic fuelled sensation. Add your favorite type of cheese, herbs, and spices to the bread for a snack tailored to you.
What To Pair Garlic Bread With
If you can make your garlic bread last until dinner time, it can help to bulk a meal out. Garlic bread can is a much-loved side dish, usually paired with pasta dishes.
There are no real rules on what you should serve garlic bread on the side of, we also love it with pizza.
Here are some great recipes to serve with your garlic bread:
We recommend reheating garlic bread in the oven as it helps to keep the crispy textures of the food and stops it from going soggy.
The microwave is usually our first choice for reheating food, but this can add too much heat too quickly and ruin your bread.
To lock in the flavors of the bread (and some moisture) try wrapping the bread in aluminum foil before baking it in the oven. The process should only take about 10-15 minutes at 350℉.
Storing Your Homemade Garlic Bread
Let the garlic bread cool down (if there is any left) before storing it in a plastic storage box. If you’re saving it for a rainy day, then wrap it in a freezer-safe plastic bag before placing it in the freezer.
Guidelines suggest keeping the frozen bread for up to 6 months for best results.
The Bottom Line
When you’re in the mood for garlic bread, that craving won’t stop until you get your hands on some. Using a few simple ingredients you probably have in the house, you can whip some up in no time using any type of bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Soften A Baguette For Garlic Bread?
If your baguette is too hard to get a knife through, don’t panic. Submerge the baguette into a bowl of cold water before tightly wrapping it in aluminum foil.
Cook the wrapped baguette in the oven for around 12 minutes at 300℉.
This is a great trick to help with stale bread, the water will add moisture back into the food and allow you to work with it and carry on making the garlic bread after.
It’s important to eat the bread quickly after you’ve softened it as it can re-harden fast.
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