I love the smell when I’m making garlic bread. The garlic, infusing it’s wonderful flavor in the butter and oil is oh so good! It tastes so much better than the ready made garlic bread you buy in the grocery store. Your house smells like an authentic Italian restaurant when you make this!
Ingredients:
Italian loaf cut into slices (about an inch thick)
3 medium cloves of garlic
1 stick butter
1/4 cup olive oil
mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional – but a necessity in my house!)
Use a smaller frying pan. Add a stick of butter. Oh yeah, a whole stick of butter! Use a stove temperature like medium/low. You don’t want to scorch your butter! It takes a few minutes to melt the butter but it’s worth taking your time!
Oh no! My husband is now going to learn I’ve modified his original recipe. Yes, he was the one who showed me how to make real garlic bread. With real butter and real garlic. No garlic powder or garlic salt in our house!
I’m starting to use a little olive oil or grapeseed oil with the butter. You know, the healthier oils! If you used one stick of butter, that’s 1/2 cup. Add about 1/2 of that of olive oil (1/4 cup). Just my little attempt to make this just a tiny bit healthier. In no way do I claim this is a healthy recipe. I’m just telling you it’s really tasty! Especially if you like garlic.
Add olive oil (or other healthy oil.
Peel and slice garlic cloves into slivers. For this much oil, I used three medium sized cloves.
The peeled and slivered garlic.
It made the butter/oil mixture a medium strength garlic taste. Yes, you can still go out in public with only this much garlic. Add more if you want a really garlic experience!
Once all the butter is melted, add the garlic. You want to infuse the butter and oil with the garlic flavor. Leave the temperature low. Cook for a couple of minutes then let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. This allows the butter to get nice and garlicy. If you are making this as a side to a pasta dish etc., this is the time to get some of your final prep. done.
The reality in my house is, someone usually comes along with a slice and gives it a dip and has a garlic bread appetizer. Mmmmmmmm. My house smells so good right now and the garlic bread tastes so good!
That’s it. Just dip or dunk (or whatever you want to call it) the bread into the garlic butter. You want nice even coverage but you don’t want to soak your bread. Don’t worry, you’ll know what the right amount is :).
Sometimes I make cheesy garlic bread. Really easy and takes just a few more minutes.
Just grab some shredded mozzarella and place it on the garlic bread.
I heat it in the toaster oven (toast setting, about 5 minutes at 400 degrees).
You can also put it on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven if you make a bunch. Preheat to about 450. Just watch really closely. All you want is the cheese to melt and to start turning brown. As soon as it starts browning, pull it out quickly.
Enjoy this wonderful side to an Italian meal. It can also be a nice, easy filling snack, especially when you add the cheese on top. Enjoy!
I am going to make some now. And yes, the olive oil sounds like a nice touch.