There’s always room for garlic bread on the table! Enjoy this delicious herb and garlic bread in minutes, starting with a store-bought bread loaf and a homemade garlic and herb butter. Simply slice, spread, wrap in foil, pop into the oven and enjoy!
Warm, buttery garlic bread is always a treat, and I love this easy version that starts with a loaf of store-bought unsliced bread. Simply slice the bread as thick or thin as you like, and mix up the garlic and herb butter. Spread the slices with the herb and garlic butter, wrap in foil and pop into the oven.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Bread loaf – There are several great options, so I’ve included my thoughts on the best bread for a garlic bread loaf below.
Butter and olive oil – The base for the garlic and herb spread is a mixture of softened butter and olive oil. You can use either salted or unsalted butter, while extra virgin olive oil is recommended.
Herbs – It’s hard to beat fresh herbs for this bread, if possible. Fresh herbs will bring both brighter colour and brighter flavour to this loaf. There is also no risk of the herbs burning, as they are safely ensconced in the bread. If fresh herbs are unavailable, dried herbs are fine.
I like parsley (Italian flat-leaf parsley is ideal) at a minimum. You could certainly stop there, if you like. If you’d like to add more, consider a pinch of basil, thyme, rosemary and/or oregano. (If you’re using dried herbs, the classic Italian seasoning is a good option.) Finely chopped chives are another option, though they do introduce a distinct onion flavour to the bread.
Garlic – For the nicest garlic flavour, start with whole garlic cloves and mince them yourself. You can mince them as finely or as coarsely as you like. You’ll need 10 cloves of garlic. In a pinch, jarred minced garlic will work here.
Garlic powder – For this bread, the fresh garlic is augmented with garlic powder. Be sure to use garlic powder and not garlic salt to avoid an overly salty loaf.
Parmesan – There is just a bit of Parmesan in the spread and for garnish, for extra flavour.
Best bread for an herb and garlic bread loaf
If you are a fan of soft crust and crumb, try an Italian loaf. Calabrese bread (shown in the photos here) is one of my favourites. It makes a soft type of garlic bread with a light crumb and a soft crust.
On the other end of the spectrum, opt for a crusty sourdough or an oval-shaped (batard) French bread for a crisp crust and chewy garlic bread.
In an event, start with an unsliced loaf, and you’ll find that the oblong, oval loaves (batard) tend to work best. Go for something bigger than a baguette, if possible. Round loaves aren’t ideal as they will produce quite uncomfortably huge slices :)
Experiment with different breads and pick your favourite.
How to make herb and garlic bread loaf: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by adding the minced garlic to a small saucepan with some olive oil and heat gently to infuse. Cool.
Step 2: While cooling, chop up the herbs.
Step 3: Once the olive oil and garlic mixture has cooled, add the butter, garlic powder, herbs, Parmesan and 2 more cloves of garlic grated finely.
Step 4: Stir the herb and garlic mixture together.
Step 5: Slice the bread loaf into 1-inch slices, cutting mostly but not all the way through.
Step 6: Spread the herb and garlic butter onto the bread slices.
Step 7: Butter each slice, using all the herb and garlic mixture.
Step 8: Wrap the loaf, set it on a baking sheet and place it into the oven.
Step 9: Fold back the foil for the last part of baking to crisp up the crust a bit. Remove from the oven and enjoy warm!
Recipe tips!
- This is a garlic lover’s garlic bread! You can certainly dial back the garlic for a tamer version, if you like :)
- For easy serving, I like to finish slicing through the slices to separate them into individual pieces. Place onto a bread board and allow everyone to grab a slice.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This garlic bread is best enjoyed freshly baked, but you can assemble the loaf several hours ahead, wrap it in foil and refrigerate. Pop it directly into the oven.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 350F oven until warmed, 4-6 minutes.
The garlic bread can be frozen either before or after baking.
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Get the Recipe: Easy Herb and Garlic Bread Loaf (from a bread loaf)
Ingredients
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled, DIVIDED
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (or salted butter and reduce or eliminate the added salt below)
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped or 1 1/2-2 Tbsp dried parsley leaves *see Note 1 below
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb unsliced bread loaf, *see Note 2 below for the best bread options
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F (regular bake setting – adjust as needed for convection or fan-assisted).
- Mince 8 of the 10 cloves garlic (peeled, DIVIDED) (about 2 1/2-3 Tablespoons), setting aside the other 2 garlic cloves for now.
- Add the minced garlic cloves to a small saucepan together with 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Gently heat the oil and garlic over medium-low heat, stirring and swirling constantly, until the garlic is tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to colour at all. Remove the garlic and oil into a medium heatproof bowl and set aside to cool.
- Finely grate the remaining 2 garlic cloves. When the minced garlic and oil have cooled to room temperature, stir in the grated garlic, 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature (or salted butter and reduce or eliminate the added salt below)), 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves (finely chopped or 1 1/2-2 Tbsp dried parsley leaves *see Note 1 below), 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (finely grated), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Deeply score the bread loaf in 1-inch slices, but don’t cut all the way through the loaf. Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, generously spread the herb and garlic butter on one side of each slice, as far down as you can reach. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and place it on a baking sheet.
- Bake the garlic bread loaf for 20 minutes (10 minutes if using smaller baguettes). Unwrap the foil on the top of the loaf to expose the bread and continue baking until the crust is browned and crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
- To serve, use a sharp knife to cut the slices of garlic bread all the way through into individual pieces.
Notes
Adapted from a Sam Nosrat recipe
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
