Garlic Bread Slices

I’ve pretty much come to the realization that there are 8,752 ways to make garlic bread, and that there are inherent problems with each and every one of them.

I’ve made bread that’s soggy and dripping with butter, some that gets its garlic flavor strictly from granulated versions (and it shows), some that really have no discernible garlic flavor, and some that tastes that like you bit into a raw clove. I’ve tried whole loaves of bread split in half, stuffed, partially sliced and fully sliced, and I’ve added every type of cheese there is. Oh yeah, I’ve also bought just about every one available at a store too. I’ve made bread that took 5 minutes, and bread that took two hours, and still, problems with every one of them.

I can’t even say that this is perfect, because I’m sure there’s still something that could be tweaked a little bit (I’m thinking that the cheese should be a blend, I used only mozzarella here), but it’s definitely the closest I’ve ever come. I’ve really got to get this down into the blog because I’ve been carrying around a post-it note with the ingredients I used for over a week and it’s a miracle I still even know where it is.

First off, get your broiler heating up, then get your softened butter (if it’s straight from the fridge try microwaving it for 7 second intervals until nice and soft but not melted), olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Mix it all up with a fork.

Spread it onto slices of Italian bread cut 1” to 2” thick.

Throw it under the broiler (on a middle rack) until the top of the bread is just starting to get browned and crispy. You should probably rotate the pan after a couple of minutes to get more even browning. Oliver was a bit of a mad man this night, so I was pretty distracted.

This is what you want it to look like when you take it out though. Now, you can eat it at this point, but I like just a little bit of cheese on my garlic bread, so now’s the time to add it.

Looking good! Pop it back under the broiler for another minute, just until the cheese melts.

This was too long, lol, as evidenced by the burnt edges. Like I said, I was pretty distracted while trying to get dinner on the table. Nothing a little knife scraping over the sink can’t fix though.

But here, we’ll just focus on this one piece that managed to come out of the oven unscathed. This is perfection. Crispy top and crust, soft inside, kissed with cheese and full of a soft buttery garlic flavor. It’s really quite good.

Here’s you printable:

Garlic Bread Slices

Yield: 10 slices

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

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Ingredients

• 6 tbsp butter, very soft
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp minced or pressed garlic (4 cloves)
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 (1" - 2" thick) slices of Italian bread
• 1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, or mozzarella and Parmesan blend), optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the broiler and have a rack in the middle position.
2. Mix together the butter, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Spread evenly over one side of the bread slices and place on a baking sheet.
3. Broil for a few minutes, watching carefully so as not to burn, until the top of the slices are dry and just starting to crisp, about 5 minutes total.
4. Remove from oven and top with cheese if using. Return to oven just until cheese melts, about 2 minutes.