Sarra Ina Garten’s garlic bread is a crusty French baguette loaded with slow-cooked garlic butter, freshly grated Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, then baked at 450F (230C) until bubbly, golden, and impossible to stop eating. The whole recipe comes together in about 35 minutes, serves 8, and most of the work is just waiting for the garlic to soften.
This recipe appears in Ina’s Modern Comfort Food cookbook (2020) under the name “Outrageous Garlic Bread.” In her headnote, she writes that 1960s garlic bread was “soft, doughy Italian bread dripping with garlic butter,” and she wanted to take a fresh look at it. Her upgrade uses a whole head of garlic simmered low and slow in a stick and a half of butter until it turns soft enough to mash with a fork, then adds Parmesan and lemon zest for brightness.
The technique that makes or breaks this recipe is cooking the garlic in butter over low heat for a full 20 minutes before it touches the bread. That slow simmer turns raw, sharp garlic into something sweet, nutty, and spreadable. Skip the slow cook and use raw minced garlic instead, and it burns the second it hits a 450F oven, leaving you with bitter black specks on greasy bread.
Ina Garten Garlic Bread Recipe
Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes27
minutes310
kcalIna’s updated take on classic garlic bread from her Modern Comfort Food cookbook features a whole head of slow-cooked garlic mashed into butter with Parmesan and lemon zest, then piled onto a crusty baguette and baked until bubbly and crisp.
Ingredients
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12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter (1½ sticks)
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1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 10 to 12 cloves)
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1 cup (100g) freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese
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2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
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2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
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1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
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1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1 crusty French baguette, 20 to 24 inches long
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Fleur de sel or sea salt for finishing
Directions
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Cook the garlic: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add all the garlic cloves, stir to coat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cloves are very tender and soft.
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Mash the garlic: Transfer the butter and garlic to a small bowl and let it cool until you can handle it. Mash the garlic into the butter with a fork until smooth and spreadable.
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Mix the topping: Stir in the Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper until evenly combined.
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Prep the bread: Preheat the oven to 450F (230C). Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and lay both halves cut side up on a cutting board. Score each half diagonally in serving-size pieces without cutting all the way through.
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Spread and bake: Spoon the garlic mixture generously over the cut sides of the bread. Cut each half crosswise along a score mark to make 4 pieces total and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the topping is bubbly and starting to brown and the bread is crisp.
- Finish and serve: Transfer to a board, cut along the score marks, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure your oven is clean before preheating to 450F. Butter drippings or crumbs on the oven floor will smoke at this temperature.
To peel a whole head of garlic quickly, smash each clove lightly with the flat side of a chef’s knife. Or drop the cloves into boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds and the skins slip right off.
The garlic butter mixture keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm it in the microwave just until spreadable before assembling the bread.
FAQs
Why does Ina slow-cook the garlic in butter?
Raw garlic is sharp and pungent, and it burns fast at high oven temperatures. Simmering the cloves in butter for 20 minutes on low heat transforms the flavor from harsh to sweet and nutty, almost like roasted garlic.
The covered pan traps steam, so the garlic essentially braises instead of frying. That softens the cloves enough to mash with a fork, giving you a smooth paste that coats every inch of bread evenly. Raw minced garlic clumps in spots and leaves bare patches.
Can you make the garlic butter ahead of time?
Ina says you can prepare the garlic butter mixture up to three days ahead and store it in the fridge. When you are ready, warm it briefly in the microwave until just spreadable, then assemble and bake the bread right before serving.
This makes it a great dinner party recipe because the real work happens days before guests arrive. All you do that night is slice, spread, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes. If you need a make-ahead appetizer that requires zero last-minute oven time, Ina’s Smoked Salmon Dip is a good cold option to set out while the bread bakes.
Why does Ina add lemon zest to garlic bread?
The lemon zest cuts through the richness of the butter and Parmesan without adding any sourness. You barely taste lemon in the finished bread, but without it the whole thing tastes flat and heavy.
Ina uses this trick across a lot of her savory recipes. A small amount of citrus zest brightens rich, fatty dishes the same way a squeeze of lemon finishes a pan sauce. Use a Microplane to zest only the yellow outer layer and avoid the bitter white pith underneath.
What kind of bread works best for this recipe?
Ina calls for a crusty French baguette, 20 to 24 inches long. The crust needs to be firm enough to hold up under a generous layer of garlic butter without going soggy during baking.
Soft sandwich bread or a spongy Italian loaf will not work because the butter soaks straight through and the bread collapses. A good ciabatta is the next best option if you cannot find a proper baguette. Ina actually used ciabatta in her earlier garlic bread from Back to Basics (2008), which takes a completely different approach with olive oil and fresh herbs instead of butter, Parmesan, and lemon zest.
What should you serve this garlic bread with?
This bread is rich enough to hold its own next to bold main courses. Pasta with a red sauce, a hearty beef stew, or a simple roast chicken all pair well because the garlic butter echoes the savory flavors without competing.
It also works as a starter alongside a warm soup because the crusty edges make perfect dipping bread. Ina’s Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Recipe is a natural match since the bright tomato and basil cut right through the richness of all that butter and Parmesan. For a full appetizer spread, set the bread alongside a cold dip and something green to balance the table.
