Easy Garlic Bread Recipe: Soft, Buttery, Ready in 25 Minutes

Warm, buttery, and golden the side dish that was made for pasta night.

There are sides that complement a pasta dish, and then there’s garlic bread the one thing that makes everyone at the table genuinely excited before the main event even arrives.

Warm, buttery, and golden at the edges, it’s the kind of simple thing that somehow tastes like you put in far more effort than you did. The trick is the two-stage bake: wrapped in foil first so the butter soaks all the way through, then opened up at the end to get those slightly crisp, caramelised edges. It takes about 25 minutes start to finish and it will be gone before the pasta bowl is even half empty.

Simple Ingredients

You only need a handful of things to make garlic bread worth talking about and most of them are already in your kitchen.

• A good loaf: A baguette works beautifully for individual portions, but an Italian or sourdough loaf gives you those thick, pillowy slices that hold more butter. Either works just make sure it’s a bread with some crust to it so the edges can crisp properly in the oven.
• Real butter, softened: This is not the place for margarine or a butter substitute. Unsalted butter, brought to room temperature so it spreads easily without tearing the bread, is what gives garlic bread its richness.
• Fresh garlic: Minced or finely grated both work. Fresh garlic has a brightness that garlic powder simply can’t replicate here, so it’s worth the extra minute.
• Fresh parsley: It adds a little colour and a clean, herby note that lifts the whole thing. Flat-leaf parsley has more flavour than curly, but either is fine.
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper: Season the butter well it needs it. Flaky salt in particular gives you those little pops of seasoning that make each bite interesting.
• Parmesan (optional but recommended): A little finely grated parmesan stirred into the butter adds a savoury depth that takes this from good to very good. If you have a piece sitting in the fridge, use it.

Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20–23 minutes
Total time: 25–28 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 baguette or Italian loaf
• 115 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 0.3 teaspoons flaky sea salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 30 grams parmesan, finely grated (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a large baking tray with foil this makes cleanup much easier and helps the base crisp evenly.

Make the garlic butter: In a small bowl, mix together unsalted butter, softened, garlic cloves, minced or grated, fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, sea salt, and pinch freshly ground black pepper until well combined. If you’re using parmesan, finely grated (optional), stir that in too. Taste it it should be buttery, garlicky, and well-seasoned.

Slice the bread: Cut the baguette or Italian loaf in half lengthways so you have two long flat pieces. If you prefer individual slices, cut on a diagonal into thick pieces without cutting all the way through the base this keeps the loaf together while still letting the butter get into every cut.

Butter the bread: Spread the garlic butter generously over the cut sides of the bread, going right to the edges. Don’t be shy here the butter is the whole point.

Wrap and bake: Wrap the buttered loaf loosely in foil, place on the baking tray, and bake for 15 minutes. This steams the inside and makes it soft and fragrant all the way through.

Open and crisp: Open the foil and fold it back to expose the surface. Return to the oven for a further 5–6 minutes until the edges are golden and slightly crisp.

Serve warm: Pull from the oven and serve immediately. If you want to keep it warm while finishing the pasta, wrap loosely back in the foil it will stay soft and steamy for another 10 minutes.

Garlic bread is just the beginning if you’re planning a full pasta night spread, I’ve rounded up 16 of my favourite side dishes for pasta night to help you build a table everyone will love.

Recipe Notes

Make it cheesy: Scatter extra grated parmesan or mozzarella over the top before the final open bake for a cheesy garlic bread version.

Get ahead: The garlic butter can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before spreading so it goes on easily.

Leftover garlic bread: Wrap tightly and keep at room temperature for up to 1 day. Reheat in the oven at 180°C for 5–8 minutes rather than the microwave it keeps the edges crisp.

For extra flavour: Add a small pinch of chilli flakes to the butter for a gentle warmth, or swap the parsley for fresh chives.

How to Serve

Garlic bread is best served straight from the oven while it’s still warm and the butter is fragrant. If your pasta needs another few minutes, wrap the loaf back loosely in the foil it baked in it will stay soft and steamy for up to 10 minutes without drying out.

Serve it whole on a board or wrapped in a clean tea towel to keep the warmth in, and let people tear or cut their own pieces at the table. There’s something about that casual, help-yourself style that suits pasta night perfectly it makes the whole meal feel relaxed and generous rather than overly plated.

If you’re serving a saucy pasta like marinara, Italian meatballs or my spaghetti Bolognese, put the garlic bread out first. It gives people something to pick at while the pasta is being finished, and it sets the tone for the kind of easy, comfortable dinner that pasta night should always be.

Garlic Bread Recipe

Michelle

Warm, buttery, and golden the side dish that was made for pasta night.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 6

Equipment

• Baking tray
• Aluminium foil
• Small mixing bowl
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Butter knife or offset spatula
• Grater or microplane
• Oven mitts

Ingredients

  

• 1 baguette or Italian loaf
• 115 grams unsalted butter softened
• 4 garlic cloves minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
• 0.3 teaspoons flaky sea salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 30 grams parmesan finely grated (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a large baking tray with foil this makes cleanup much easier and helps the base crisp evenly.
• Make the garlic butter: In a small bowl, mix together unsalted butter, softened, garlic cloves, minced or grated, fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, sea salt, and pinch freshly ground black pepper until well combined. If you’re using parmesan, finely grated (optional), stir that in too. Taste it it should be buttery, garlicky, and well-seasoned.
• Slice the bread: Cut the baguette or Italian loaf in half lengthways so you have two long flat pieces. If you prefer individual slices, cut on a diagonal into thick pieces without cutting all the way through the base this keeps the loaf together while still letting the butter get into every cut.
• Butter the bread: Spread the garlic butter generously over the cut sides of the bread, going right to the edges. Don’t be shy here the butter is the whole point.
• Wrap and bake: Wrap the buttered loaf loosely in foil, place on the baking tray, and bake for 15 minutes. This steams the inside and makes it soft and fragrant all the way through.
• Open and crisp: Open the foil and fold it back to expose the surface. Return to the oven for a further 5–6 minutes until the edges are golden and slightly crisp.
• Serve warm: Pull from the oven and serve immediately. If you want to keep it warm while finishing the pasta, wrap loosely back in the foil it will stay soft and steamy for another 10 minutes.

Keyword Garlic Bread Recipe