This easy homemade garlic bread is loaded with two kinds of cheese and has secret ingredients that puts it above the other garlic bread recipes out there!
My Garlic Bread Secret Ingredients
- Roasted Garlic: If you roast your own garlic, (up to 8 cloves per pound of bread), the flavors blend together much better, especially when combined with the other ingredients. Overall it’s a bit more subtle and pleasant to the palate. This is definitely not something that you typically find in most garlic bread recipes.
- Italian Salad Dressing: You may have heard of adding Italian Seasonings to Garlic Bread, but actually adding a bit of Italian Salad Dressing brings on a whole new world of flavor!
- Not sure about adding Italian dressing?! Try THIS:
- Mix the spread without any dressing and spread half of it over one of the bread slices.
- Add 1/4 cup Italian dressing to the remaining spread to try on the other half.
- Compare, and see which you like better!
How to Bake Garlic Bread
For Crispier, Crunchier Garlic Bread:
- Place the buttered halves on a baking sheet, butter side up. Bake for 10 minutes in a 375° oven.
- Increase the heat to a low broil and heat for an additional 2-3 minutes, keeping a close eye on it. This will crisp up the top and the edges.
For Softer Garlic Bread:
- Put the loaf halves back together after buttering them and wrap the tightly in foil. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted.
- Slice into thick slices and serve.
Making Garlic Bread Ahead of Time (For the Freezer)
- Slice the bread in half horizontally and spread with garlic butter.
- From here, you can place the entire loaves in the freezer or cut them into slices for individual servings. Either way, flash freeze the bread for about 20-25 minutes.
- Place the bread into a tightly sealed and labeled freezer bag for up to 3 months.
To reheat, bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is warm and melted through.
If desired, increase the oven to a low broil and heat for an additional 2-3 minutes to crisp up the sides and the top.
Remove from the oven and serve!
Storing Leftover Garlic Bread
Leftover garlic bread should be wrapped in foil or in an airtight freezer bag and store in the refrigerator. It’s best if eaten within 3 days.
Reheating Garlic Bread
- To reheat garlic bread, simply wrap it in foil and bake it at 350° until heated through, about 10 minutes.
- To reheat it in the microwave, turn the power down to around 40% and reheat with a cover over it for a minute or so. If the bread gets too hot, it will lose its texture and become very chewy.
Servings: 8
The BEST Cheesy Homemade Garlic Bread
| Prep Time 5 MINS | Cook Time 13 MINS | Total Time 18 MINS |
| Author Zeeshan | Course BREAD | Cuisine American, Italian |
This easy homemade garlic bread is loaded with two kinds of cheese and has secret ingredients that put it above the other garlic bread recipes out there!
Ingredients
1 loaf French bread
Garlic Butter Spread
- 1 stick salted butter at room temperature
- 4 cloves garlic minced* See Notes
- 1/4 cup Italian Salad Dressing
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- Fresh Parsley to garnish. Optional.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine all garlic butter ingredients in a large bowl until well incorporated.
- Set 1 cup of mozzarella cheese aside along with the Parmesan cheese.
- Slice the French bread in half horizontally and spread the top of each half with equal amounts of garlic butter.
- Place the halves on a baking sheet, butter side up. Top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan Cheese over the bread.
- Increase the heat to a low broil and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes to crisp up the top and edges. Keep a close eye during this time. Remove when the cheese begins to brown.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
- Cut into thick slices and serve!
For Softer Bread:
- Put the loaf halves back together after buttering them and wrap the tightly in foil. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted.
- Slice into thick slices and serve.
*Although I recommend mincing fresh garlic, you can substitute jarred minced garlic or garlic powder as follows.
4 cloves fresh garlic = ½ teaspoon garlic powder
4 cloves fresh garlic = 6 teaspoons jarred minced garlic.
For even better results, I recommend trying this with 7 cloves of roasted garlic instead of fresh.
Not sure about adding Italian dressing?! Try THIS:
- Mix the spread without any dressing and spread half of it over one of the bread slices.
- Add 1/4 cup Italian dressing to the remaining spread to try on the other half.
- Compare, and see which you like better!
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Calories: 363, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 702mg, Potassium: 98mg, Carbohydrates: 31g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Protein: 12g, Vitamin A: 525%, Vitamin C: 0.5%, Calcium: 185%, Iron: 2%