Garlic Parmesan Bread

Crusty oven toasted bread warmed with Parmesan cheese and loads of garlic taste is a mouth explosion of flavor. 

This particular garlic bread is well….garlicy. I am talking, if you do not like garlic, its not for you.

There are also a few rounds of changes that are pretty easy to make and I am noting them below for those people that are a little more comfortable experimenting in the kitchen. This particular oven baked bread is about as easy as it gets and will have you eating garlic parmesan bread in under 15 minutes or less. 

GARLIC BREAD GROCERY LIST

Do you have these items on hand?

For the most part all cheesy and garlic breads are relatively simple to make. Its all about picking your favorite bread, getting a base like butter so it crisps up beautifully, and smothering in cheese and herbs.

• minced garlic
• fresh Parsley
• butter
• Italian Bread (or similar) 
• Grated Parmesan Cheese*

Garlic and Herb Parmesan Bread

Step 1: Prepping the Bread

To get started, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut the bread of choice open face, where the inside of the bread is facing up on a sheet pan. 

Step 2: Prepping the Garlic Parmesan Mixture

Combine grated Parmesan Cheese, fresh Parsley leaves, and minced garlic in a bowl and stir to combine. 

Melt down 1 full stick of butter in a pan. Once melted, remove from heat an pour Parmesan mixture into pan.

Mix well until all butter and Parmesan mixture is incorporated together. 

Step 3: Combining Parmesan Garlic Butter & Bread

Now transfer Parmesan Garlic butter to the open pieces of bread, making as thin or as thick as you like.

Please note that depending on how thick you spread the mixture will dictate how many bread pieces you ultimately get out of this recipe.

As it stands, a fairly thick mixture gets about half an Italian bread made. 

Step 4: Oven Toasting

Place sheet pan into oven on 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 

To further brown bread, kick oven over to BROIL on low for approximately 2 minutes or HIGH on 1.

Please watch if you move to broil as the heat always moves quicker than you realize and run the risk of burning perfectly done bread. 

Let cool a few minutes, cut and serve while hot. 

Tips for Easy Garlic Bread

What kind of bread is recommended for Garlic Bread? 

I think what kind of bread goes best on garlic bread is a personal choice. My favorites are French Bread, Italian Bread and Sourdough.

Can Shredded or Shaved Parmesan be used over Grated Parmesan Cheese?

When I tested this recipe, I tried shaved AND grated. The truth is I love fresh grated or shredded parmesan way over grated cheese, but the heat from the butter almost instantly makes fresh cheese clump. It can be transferred to the bread still if you do not mind presentation. Additionally you could simply melt the butter and place herbs and fresh cheeses directly on bread and go to baking. The choice really is yours, just note that using FRESH Parmesan cheeses and hot butter will cause a little bit of work. 

Do you have suggestions on browning the top of the bread? 

Broiling always works the best for browning bread and cheese but be careful- a little bit of broiling at the end can go oh-so-wrong in an instant. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM BROILING BREAD. 

What is garlic bread typically served with? 

This garlic parmesan bread is really really full of loud flavors by itself, but goes great with a dipping sauce like ranch or marinara. 

Does this Parmesan Garlic Bread go by any other names? 

Many people refer to crunchy Parmesan Garlic Bread as “crack bread” as its addicting to eat. If you have heard that reference, you have found the right bread. 

How do you make Garlic Bread Extra Crusty? 

The crusty bits around the edges ARE the best part. If you want more of those, simply melt the butter around the edges and NOT the cheese mixture.

Leaving open spaces with just butter allows the bread to crisp up in those areas. I recommend only centering the Garlic Parmesan mixture and leaving an inch around sides of bread for extra crunch.