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Even More Sandwich Ideas!
Proper Garlic Bread (with roasted garlic)
Proper garlic bread is one of those things I take seriously. I make it with good crusty bread, heaps of roasted garlic, real butter, and a sprinkle of parsley – sometimes cheese if I’m feeling extra. Baked until golden and crisp on the edges, it’s everything garlic bread should be: rich, fragrant, and impossible to resist. Whether I’m serving pasta, soup, or just need a carby pick-me-up, this homemade garlic bread always steals the show.
Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic, top sliced off to expose the bulbs
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sourdough baguette, cut in half and sliced lengthways
- 50g salted butter, softened
- 25g fresh flat laf parlsey, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Drizzle the garlic bulb in olive oil, and then wrap in foil.
- Rost the garlic in the hot oven for 45 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, squeeze the roasted garlic into a bowl and add the soft butter. Use a fork to mix the two together until well combined.
- Lightly toast the bread on each side until golden brown.
- Spread the garlic butter on one side of each piece of toasted bread. Next, place the bread halves buttered sides together (like a sandwich), and wrap them in foil.
- Cook the wrapped baguette slices in the hot oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the foil, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 149Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Proper Garlic Bread
Why Proper Garlic Bread Is Always On My Table
Spaghetti is a regular feature on our weekly meal plan, and as we all know, you can’t have spaghetti bolognese without garlic bread. It’s the law… I think. Like hjow if a cat is asleep on your lap you’re not allowed to move. But I’m not talking about those frozen supermarket logs of butter and regret. I’m talking about proper garlic bread. The kind you make yourself, with roasted garlic, salty butter, and more flavour than should be legally allowed on a side dish. And yes, it’s absolutely worth roasting the garlic first. Don’t roll your eyes at me – it takes less than a minute to prep, and once it’s in the oven, it basically looks after itself. The transformation from sharp raw garlic to soft, sweet, spreadable perfection? Life-changing. And if you’re not already using salted butter as your default, please have a word with yourself. Life is short. Eat the salted butter. Thank me later.
I started making this proper garlic bread because I wanted something that actually felt indulgent. I was tired of those sad little garlic toasts that felt like an afterthought. When you’re already putting effort into making something like a slow-simmered bolognese, why settle for less on the side? This recipe makes garlic bread that can hold its own. Honestly, I’ve been known to skip the pasta altogether and just eat a couple of pieces of this with a glass of wine. It’s golden and crisp on the outside, soft and buttery inside, and full of proper roasted garlic and fresh parsley. Not fancy, but it feels fancy. And we all deserve that on a Tuesday night.
Seasonal Cravings and Autumn Comforts
Now that autumn is finally here, I’m fully leaning into comfort food season. You can keep your summer salads (ok but not for long because we know I love them) and smoothie bowls. I want stews, soups, warm puddings, and cosy carbs. The cooler weather just makes me want to spend more time in the kitchen, and that usually means garlic bread gets pulled out of the rotation a little more often. It’s the sort of thing that makes any meal feel just that bit more special. Even a quick weeknight soup gets a glow-up with a side of garlicky, buttery bread. And when it’s raining outside and your house smells like roasted garlic? Tell me that’s not peak cosy.
The change in season always gets my cooking brain ticking. I’ve been baking more often again, mostly because I just bought a new stand mixer and I need to justify the bench space it’s now permanently occupying. This week I’m testing out chocolate ice cream and making a batch of cheese and bacon muffins for a friend. I’m also starting to plan some Christmas side dishes, because somehow it’s already that time of year again. Maple-roasted parsnips, braised cabbage, the works. I know, it sounds like overkill, but I love the ritual of it all. Plus, you know those sides will be making an appearance with garlic bread too. It’s a whole thing.
Making Meals Feel Special
One of the things I love most about cooking is that it turns an ordinary moment into something a little magical. You don’t need to throw a dinner party or spend hours over a hot stove. Sometimes it’s just about taking a little extra care, like roasting the garlic instead of reaching for powder, or using fresh herbs instead of dried. My proper garlic bread isn’t hard to make, but it’s got that bit of intention behind it. And that intention makes dinner feel like more than just another tick on the to-do list.
I grew up in a house where garlic bread was serious business. We’d make it from scratch, smearing the garlicky margarine (we were a mostly dairy-free household) onto sliced up baguettes like it was the most important step of the day. And it kind of was. Garlic bread was a big deal. We also used to make herb and onion bread, which is another recipe for another time, and honestly, I’m drooling just thinking about it.
These days, I still want that kind of flavour. I want buttery, golden, garlicky bread that you rip apart with your fingers and eat standing at the bench because sitting down is suddenly optional. It should make you close your eyes and think, Yep. This is the stuff. That’s what food should do. It should make you feel something – even if that something is just, “Wow, I really needed this.”
Ingredients Breakdown
This recipe is quite dramatic in that it calls for a whole bulb of garlic, roasted until soft and golden. Slicing the top off the bulb exposes the cloves and lets them caramelise beautifully in the oven. Roasting tames the bite of raw garlic and transforms it into something sweet and mellow. Once it’s done, you squeeze the soft cloves out like toothpaste and mash them straight into your butter.
Speaking of butter, I always use salted butter. Always. Even in my baking. It’s got more flavour and gives the bread a better balance. Unsalted might be trendy in baking (and they’re wrong), but when it comes to garlic bread, salt is essential. I mix the softened butter with the roasted garlic and plenty of fresh parsley. Flat leaf parsley is my go-to, roughly chopped for that pop of green and a bit of herby freshness to cut through the richness.
And finally, the bread itself. I use a sourdough baguette, sliced lengthways. The tang of the sourdough adds a nice contrast to the butter and garlic, and the texture is just perfect. Crisp edges, chewy centre, and all those lovely nooks and crannies for the butter to melt into. You can use whatever bread you like, but sourdough really does take it to the next level. It’s proper garlic bread, after all. You want it to be worth it.
