Cheesy Garlic Bread

Who doesn’t love a piece (or 5) of cheesy buttery garlic bread – it’s a quick and easy side that can easily be thrown together for any dinner party. For that matter, who doesn’t love bread and cheese?! I first make a compound butter with the garlic and parsley. This way the butter is much easier to spread and the garlic is more evenly mixed.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Ciabatta – Ciabatta is an Italian bread with a chewy exterior. I love ciabatta for it’s light and airy crumb – when you cut it open you notice lot’s of air holes. While you can use French bread, I choose to use ciabatta because the butter melts into all the holes and crevasses and you get a little extra crunch.
• Butter – I always use high quality butter. I recommend looking for European butter which has a slightly higher fat content. I typically use unsalted butter when cooking but for this compound butter I choose salted butter. The salted butter brings out the flavor of the garlic and cheese.
• Garlic – I use fresh cloves of garlic, the pre-minced jars of garlic don’t taste the same. It loses a lot of the powerful garlic flavor when it’s jarred. This is because it has been soaked in water for a long period of time. Peeling garlic only takes a bit. As the garlic is sautéed the flavor mellows so it’s not very pungent but adds a base flavor.
• Mozzarella – Rather than using fresh mozzarella I use part-skim shredded mozzarella in this recipe which melts evenly over the garlic bread for the cheese pull of your dreams.
• Parmesan – Parmesan-Reggiano is definitely one of my favorite cheeses. It’s a hard cow’s milk cheese aged for different lengths of time. I’d recommend buying a roughly cut piece of wrapped cheese from the grocery store – it’s typically a higher quality cheese.

How to Make Cheesy Garlic Bread

Step 1: Make the garlic butter.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add the butter, garlic and parsley and mix on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined and soft.

Step 2: Add bread to a baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Lay both halves of the bread on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet cut-side up.

Step 3: Spread the butter over the bread.

Use a knife to spread the butter evenly over both sides of the bread.

Step 4: Add the cheese

Top the bread with the mozzarella and Parmesan.

Step 5: Bake

Bake until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Step 6: Cut and serve

Cut into 2” slices and serve immediately.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Swaps / Substitutions

• You can add additional herbs like chopped basil or oregano for a stronger flavor.

If you don’t have a mixer

• If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can easily mix the compound garlic butter in a small mixing bowl. When using this method I recommend ensuring the garlic is very soft and pliable.

How to Store Garlic Bread

Garlic bread can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, broil on high on a baking sheet until warmed or microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

How to Freeze Garlic Bread

This recipe can be prepped ahead of time and frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, wrap the garlic bread in aluminum foil and bake until the cheese has melted, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this garlic bread recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Garlic Butter Tomato Cheese Bread
• Cheesy Garlic Flatbread
• Simple Roasted Garlic Pasta

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Print Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Serves 6

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf ciabatta bread, sliced in half lengthwise
• 8 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add the butter, garlic and parsley and mix on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined and soft.
• Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Lay both halves of the bread on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet cut-side up.
• Use a knife to spread the butter evenly over both sides of the bread then top with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Cut into 2” slices and serve immediately.

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