Garlic Bread

Garlic bread a a family favorite in my house. It goes great with pasta or pizza.


I was supposed to bake ciabatta bread as the base for my garlic bread but I forgot to get the starter going the night before. I already had everything else planned so I switched to a focaccia type bread recipe and used it for the garlic bread instead. It worked well.

You will need
For the bread
1 1/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 oz. Fleischman instant yeast (half packet)
1 cup warm water
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided

For the garlic butter
5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 springs cilantro
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme

To bake the bread
Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add 2.5 tbsp. of oil and mix it into the flour. Add the warm water a little at a time and form a sticky dough. Knead for about 5-9 minutes to form a soft and elastic dough.


Let it rest in a covered oiled bowl until it doubles in size, about an hour. Punch it down and form into a loaf. Let the loaf rest covered for about 10-15 minutes. Transfer it to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Let it rise for 30 minutes. In the meantime preheat oven to 400 F.


Use the remaining oil to brush the surface of the loaf. Bake the bread in the oven for 20-25 minutes. I put under the broiler to let the top brown but that is not necessary.

To make the garlic butter
Cut off the leaves of the cilantro and mince. In a microwavable bowl boil 1/2 cup of water. Add the garlic cloves with skin and boil again at 50% power for a minute. Take out of the microwave and let them sit in the water for another minute. Scoop out the garlic to a work surface and discard the water.


Once the garlic cools, peel of the skin with your hands. Crush the garlic with a fork. They should be mushy and easily crushed.


Mix all the ingredients together.


To put it all together
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F. Cut the bread vertically one inch apart. Fill the garlic butter on the cut side of the bread and put all the pieces together on an aluminium foil.


Fold the aluminum foil over the bread and seal it on all sides.


Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the butter melts completely.


Serve hot.

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