This 15-minute homemade garlic bread is made with just a few simple ingredients: freshly crushed garlic cloves, melted butter, salt, and a fresh baguette. It's an easy baguette garlic bread recipe you will keep coming back to over and over again.
This easy garlic bread recipe is the perfect side dish for Egyptian red lentil soup, lasagna al forno, calamari, or spaghetti and meatballs.
Garlic Bread with Fresh Garlic Paste
What sets this recipe apart from other garlic bread recipes? Freshly crushed garlic! No garlic powder here. Fresh garlic is potent, which is why it must be mashed into a paste. Garlic paste allows the garlic to disperse more evenly in the melted butter. And when it bakes, your home smells heavenly!
Ingredient Notes
Fresh French baguette. Make sure to use a fresh loaf of bread. Baguettes dry out easily, so it's best to get them the same day. Use other types of bread: Italian bread, sourdough boule, homemade bread, or a loaf of French bread (country bread).
Fresh mashed garlic: Use fresh raw garlic cloves. Don't use jarred garlic, garlic powder, or garlic granules. The garlic must be mashed into a paste. Minced, chopped, or sliced garlic won't work. I give more details in my "how to make garlic paste" post if you are interested.
How To Make Garlic Bread with a Baguette
Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃). Using a mortar and pestle, mash the peeled garlic cloves with salt until they form a paste. Mix the crushed garlic with melted butter in a bowl.
Slice baguette with a serrated knife at an angle (about 1" thick). Don't cut all the way through, so the baguette will stay together.
Spread the garlic butter mixture between the diagonal cuts of the French baguette. Try to spread the garlic mixture evenly over the bread face. Spread leftover garlic butter (if any) on top of the bread.
Wrap the baguette in parchment paper. Then wrap the parchment paper with foil. Place the baguette on a baking sheet or directly on the rack in the middle of a preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 ℉ (190 ℃) until golden brown.
Recipe Variations
Use a garlic press instead of a mortar and pestle to crush the garlic. Be very careful with this because not all garlic presses are the same. Some garlic presses leave chunks of garlic, which is NOT what we want. We need the garlic to form a paste so it's not overly potent and can disperse easily in the melted butter.
Add one tablespoon of freshly chopped herbs to the garlic butter sauce. The best fresh herbs are rosemary, thyme, or oregano. Fresh parsley and chives are a great combination as well.
📋 Recipe
Homemade Garlic Bread Baguette
Ingredients
- 1 french baguette
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons of butter **see note 1
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375 ℉ (190 ℃).
- Using a mortar and pestle, mash the peeled garlic cloves with salt until it forms a paste. Melt the butter in the microwave. Mix the mashed garlic and melted butter.
- Cut the baguette at an angle into 1" slices. Don't cut all the way through so the baguette will stay together. Spread the garlic butter mixture in between the slices of the french baguette. Try to spread the mixture evenly over the bread face.
- Wrap the baguette in parchment paper. Then wrap the parchment paper with foil. Place the baguette on a baking sheet or directly on the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes in a 375 ℉ (190 ℃) oven.
Equipment
Notes
- Substitute olive oil for melted butter.
- Use a fresh baguette for the best results! Any type of bread works: Italian breads, sourdough boules, homemade bread, and even dinner rolls.
- Wrap the baguette in parchment paper and then aluminum foil. This keeps the baguette from drying out!
- Storage: Store leftover garlic bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
- Mash fresh garlic with salt into a paste. The best way to get a garlic paste is to mash it with a mortar and pestle, similar to what you use when making guacamole. This is the most important tip for this recipe to be successful. Minced garlic, chopped garlic, or garlic from a jar are not substitutes!
Nutrition
FAQs
Use freshly crushed garlic for the best garlic bread ever! Mash the garlic cloves with salt using a mortar and pestle until a paste is formed. Mix this mashed garlic with some melted butter. Then spread over the bread and bake.
Some garlic bread recipes have herbs mixed into the butter.
Garlic bread does not need to be refrigerated when it is made with fresh garlic, butter, salt, and bread.
Sherry says
Fast and delicious! Definitely for garlic lovers
Lily says
Oh yes, this is definitely the real deal sort of garlic bread. You can adjust the amount of crushed garlic in this recipe depending on your garlic taste buds!