As one of my most loved and most popular recipes, I had to include this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’!
Roasted Garlic
I’ve been obsessed with roasting garlic for a while now and honestly by this point I’m just looking for different ways to use it other than spreading it over my face. Shameless.
Why roast the garlic?
The killer question. Yes, it takes a little extra time, but it’s totally worth it. When you roast garlic low and slow in the oven it turns sweet and sticky. It completely takes the pungency out of the garlic and actually changes the flavour quite considerably. Roasted garlic bread is just as flavoursome as classic garlic bread, but without being too ‘up in your face garlicy’, if you get my flow…
Can this be done in advance?
Yup! If you’re concerned about time you can always roast the garlic ahead of time. I do have a full post dedicated to Roasted Garlic, but for now… How to roast garlic (process shots): Slice the tips off 2 small garlic bulbs (photo 1), place on top of 2 sheets of foil and drizzle with olive oil (photo 2), wrap (photo 3), place in a baking tin and roast (photo 4), drown in the gorgeous sweet smell of caramelized garlic (photo 5).
Roasted Garlic Butter
Alrighty, so you’ve got your roasted garlic, let’s talk butter. Couple of tips to keep in mind:
Unsalted Butter
Firstly make sure it’s unsalted butter, just so you’ve got complete control over how salty your garlic bread ends up. Salted butter isn’t a deal breaker, just easier to start with a blank canvas to adjust as needed.
Smooth the garlic
When it comes to the roasted garlic it will actually be pretty smooth, but I like to mash out any final lumps by spreading it into a pinch of salt.
What herb goes well with garlic bread?
With regards to herbs I like to keep it classic with parsley. Nice and fresh, not too overpowering. Parsley is certainly the most mainstream choice, other recipes don’t include any herbs at all. How to make roasted garlic butter (process shots): Mash roasted garlic into a pinch of salt to break up any hard bits (photo 1), add unsalted butter, parsley, black pepper and olive oil (photo 2), combine until smooth (photo 3).
Roasted Garlic Bread
What bread to use for garlic bread?
I always use a part-baked french baguette. You can pick these up almost anywhere in the UK. Using a part-baked baguette offers the perfect texture, ensuring it doesn’t end up too hard/chewy after it’s baked. If you can’t find part-baked don’t panic, a fresh baguette will do perfectly. In all instances I recommend using a simple french baguette, and try and ensure it’s a nice soft one. Don’t need fancy bread, the store bought stuff works the best.
What size baguette to use?
The baguettes I use are around 10″/25cm long and around 300g/10.5oz. This is the standard size in the UK for store bought garlic bread. I slice into 12 pieces which should serve 3-4 people as a side. How to make Garlic Bread (process shots): Slice equal into 3/4″ chunks, ensuring you don’t slice all the way down (photo 1), with a knife, spread the garlic butter down the slits (photo 2), wrap in foil and bake for 10 mins, the unwrap and bake again until desired texture (photo 3).
Can I prep this ahead of time?
Absolutely! Just butter it up, the cover and store in the fridge or freezer until needed (thaw in fridge before baking if freezing).
Can I use regular garlic?
If after all this I can’t convince you to use roasted garlic, you can indeed use regular garlic. Around 1 tsp minced garlic should suffice. If you’re looking for more garlic bread recipes definitely check out my Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread and Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread! If you’re after more roasted garlic recipes then check out these beauties too:
Recipes using Roasted Garlic
Roasted Garlic Aioli Roasted Garlic Mac and Cheese Cheesy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Roasted Garlic Sweet Potato Mash
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this roasted garlic bread shall we?!
How to make Roasted Garlic Bread (Full Recipe & Video)
If you loved this Roasted Garlic Bread Recipe then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
