Crafting the Ultimate Garlic Bread Recipe

I wasn’t ready for how delicious this garlic bread would turn out. I’d made it on a whim for when guests were coming over and I wanted to be able to pull something warm out of the oven upon their arrival. I figured nothing smells better than butter, garlic and cheese melting away so that was what I went with. But I’m not sure I was expecting the gooey fragrant bread that came out.

Universally loved and cherished, garlic bread is a delightful side dish that adds an extra dash of flavor and charm to any meal. Making the dough from scratch allows it to infuse the flavours much better and it makes it even more inviting in this pull apart version.

It starts easy, the dough is just a simple bread dough, you’ll need to let it rest for an hour. If you want it can also let it rise slowly in the fridge, in which case you’ll need to let it chill in there for 8 hours or overnight.

Next, mince garlic, parsley and mix it with as much butter as your arteries can handle. Add cheese to the mix and…try to stop thinking about your arteries altogether. This is not the time for that.

Enough talking though, let’s begin:

Ingredients (makes a 26cm pan of cheesy, garlicky rolls)

Dough

510g white flour
250ml lukewarm water
15g sugar
30ml olive oil
1 packet/7g rapid rise yeast
2 tsp salt

Filling

75g butter, softened
1 tsp salt
leaves of 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
4 cloves of garlic
250g melty cheese such as cheddar or mozzarella, grated

Start by making the dough: in a large bowl mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle. Separately mix the warm water, sugar and yeast. Leave it to bubble for 10-15 minutes. Add it to the dry mix and incorporate the olive oil. Start bringing in the flour with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Bring it on a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until it becomes springy to the tough and isn’t sticky anymore.

Alternatively, put all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and knead it for 5 minutes once a dough forms. Place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Meanwhile, make your filling. In a small food processor first pulse the parsley and garlic together until finely chopped. Add the butter and salt and process until it forms a green and very fragrant paste.

Heat up your oven at 180 degrees C; oil a cast iron or oven proof pan and have it ready.

When ready, punch the dough down and roll it in a 1 cm thick sheet on a floured surface. Spread evenly with the garlic butter. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.