Garlic>Recipes>Garlic Bread Recipe

Garlic Bread Recipe

Garlic bread has become a popular starter food these days. Its beginnings are traced back to bruschetta, an Italian recipe originating in the Tuscany region. Bruschetta is prepared by toasting bread on both sides, rubbed with garlic then drizzled with olive oil. The name reflects the method it was cooked, coming from the Italian word bruscare, to roast over coals.

Food historians agree to two theories on the original purpose of bruschetta. One theory suggests that this dish was to show off the new season’s oil at the time of the olive harvest. The other theory suggests that it has always been the way to salvage bread that was going to stale. Sometimes the whole bread is immersed in oil but a more popular method was pouring oil on top of the bread.

It is said that the most important ingredient in bruschetta is not garlic but olive oil. Fresh garlic is rubbed on so that you can inhale the garlic flavor in the backdrop of olive oil, rather than eating the garlic itself.

The British elite went crazy over bruschetta. It is unclear how this dish became known as garlic bread. Ever since, garlic bread has emerged as the “people’s food” leaving bruschetta as the poncy snack.

The popularity of garlic bread may be attributed to the widespread farming of garlic, hence its availability now common place; people became familiar with the unique taste and its pungent flavor. Not to mention the health benefits that comes with consuming garlic.

Here are some of the ways to make garlic bread:

Garlic Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 16-ounce loaf of Italian bread or French bread
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method 1 - Toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut the bread in half, horizontally. Mix butter, garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread butter mixture over the two bread halves. Place on a sturdy baking pan (one

that can handle high temperatures) and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. Sprinkling Parmesan cheese over bread is optional. Return to oven on the highest rack. Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese (if you are using cheese) bubbles. Watch very carefully while broiling. The bread can easily go from un-toasted to burned.

Remove from oven, let cool a minute. Remove from pan and make 1-inch thick slices. Serve immediately.

Method 2 - Soft

Preheat oven to 350°F. Make the butter, garlic, parsley mixture as above. Make 1-inch thick slices into the bread, but do not go all the way through, just to the bottom crust. Put a teaspoon or two of the butter mixture between each slice. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and heat for 15 minutes in the oven.

Fried Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

• 4 slices French Bread, 1 1/2 inch thick
• 3 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• On each bread slice, spread butter. Sprinkle garlic powder, then Parmesan cheese on top. In large skillet, place bread cheese side down. Fry over medium heat until golden brown. Makes 4 servings.

Ultimate Garlic Bread

This one is sweet, has lots of herb flavor, and really "pops" in your mouth. It does not have the nasty bitter taste that most garlic breads have, making this recipe the ultimate garlic bread!

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Italian (or French) bread
• ¼ stick butter
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ clove garlic
• ½ tsp. fresh, finely ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. basil
• ½ tsp. thyme
• ½ tsp. parsley
• dash garlic powder
• dash onion powder

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop the butter into small pieces, and then microwave for a few seconds to soften. Put into a morter, along with all of the other ingredients except for the bread and garlic. Put the garlic through a garlic press, and directly into the morter; try to get as much of the fresh garlic juice as possible as well. Using the pestle, mash all of the ingredients together. You should have a thick paste.
3. Slice the bread in half and spread the paste evenly on both sides of the bread. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil, and put into the over. Cook for 7 - 8 minutes, turn over, and cook for another 7 - 8 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into serving pieces, and serve hot.
4. For extra taste (at the expense of extra calories, fat, and salt), feel free to add mozzerella and/or parmesan cheese.

Bread Machine Super Garlic bread

Now this recipe is perhaps the truest sense of what garlic bread really is. Instead of borrowing from its ancestor, the bruschettaa, this time, garlic is an ingredient in making the bread itself. By substituting the ingredients of another automatic bread machine recipe, it turns out really good. Instead of water, use ¼ cup skim milk and at the same time replacing milk powder. Use real, fresh garlic. Sea salt and cane sugar is a must to make the bread golden, crusty and fluffy!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of warm water
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of crushed/mashed garlic
• 3 cups white flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil leaves
• ( Used 1/2 tsp organic all seasoning & 1/2 tsp organic thyme, and throw a tiny bit of chopped fresh basil)
• 1 ½ teaspoons yeast

Preparation

1. Combine measured ingredients in bread pan. First, the liquids, then add dry ingredients.
2. Form a hold in the dry mixture to pour yeast into.
3. On the bread machine, select medium crust, and large loaf.
4. When finished, remove carefully and let cool out of the bread machine for a few minutes.
5. Slice, and enjoy immediately for a delicious time.

RSS Feed