Herby Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Easy, fast, flavorful. This simple Herby Pull-Apart Garlic Bread checks all of the major MKL weeknight boxes, and is sure to be a hit in your home as well. My fam totally digs this stuff, because let’s be honest … what is there not to dig? This is a “doctoring” recipe in that, we’ll doctor up an ordinary store-bought baguette into something extraordinary; something befitting any and all dinner tables. Read on for more, or jump to the recipe itself …

Garlic two ways … Because it IS Garlic Bread, after all

Alright, so. This recipe is very very tasty, and that’s all due to the specific set of ingredients we’ll employ to get us to that high level of flavor we’re aiming for (this is starting to sound like Liam Neeson in taken, yes?). Anyway, I have found that the combination of both fresh minced garlic and dried garlic powder yields a VERY delicious flavor, each ingredient bringing its own level of special to the finished product.

Garlic powder is a very un-sexy thing, let’s be real. It’s not exactly cool to call for it in modern recipes. I know this to be true, as I develop recipes for a living. But trust me when I say that “cool factor” is not something I often analyze when creating recipes. I really can’t be bothered to care.

Delicious is as delicious does, y’all. And when it comes to a great garlic bread, the combo of dried and fresh garlic is better than using just one.

Serving Suggestions for this Pull Apart Garlic Bread

This bread has a very nostalgic, classic garlic bread vibe to it – which was really the whole point. But it’s more of everything we like. More garlic, more butter (browned butter!), herbs, cheese, cheese, and more cheese. But even so, it’s a very flexible recipe, and you can play around with it a bit, and still wind up with a great thing. Here are some good things to try:

Spin-offs and alternatives

1. Use all of the cheeses listed, or just one. Use asiago. Use grated/shredded mozzarella or provolone. Like a smoky note in your foods? Try some grated smoked mozzarella or gouda. When it comes to cheese, it’s tough to go wrong.
2. I suppose you could stray from the baguette here as well. A nice Italian loaf would do nicely, as would a crusty French bread. A seeded loaf? Sure, texture and nuttiness is always good. If you happen to have a loaf hanging out that is almost ready to be tossed. This is a great way to breathe new life back into it.
3. The herbs can be swapped as well. Just oregano is fine, or just dried basil. Anything you like! I like the blend here, but dried or dehydrated chives would be amazing, too.
4. USE ANCHOVIES! That would be the best. Just add three chopped anchovies to the skillet of melting butter and let them warm and sizzle along with the browning butter and olive oil. I die.

What you’ll need to make this Herby Pull Apart Garlic Bread

See above for swaps and switch-er-oos that would also work here. What I have listed below is what I tend to do time and time again, but this recipe is by no means set in stone. Make it yours!

INGREDIENTS

1 baguette

10 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon garlic powder

4 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or Greek)

½ cup grated pecorino, parmesan, or Grana Padano cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Salt and pepper, to taste

How to make this pull apart garlic bread

Easy, fast, and show-stealing in nature, this garlic bread has an old-school vibe, filled with sweet nostalgia. It goes with just about anything you want to serve with it.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position. Place a large piece of foil over a baking sheet (big enough to fully wrap the bread). Slice the baguette into approx. 1-inch slices, cutting * almost * all the way through, but stopping just before doing so (you want the baguette to essentially remain intact).

Add 3 tablespoons of the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to fully melt and then continue cooking for a couple minutes more, until it appears light golden and smells nutty (brown butter! woo!). Turn off the heat and add the oil and minced garlic. Stir or swirl it all around, to lightly toast the garlic and to cool it slightly.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 7 TBSP butter, garlic powder, dried seasoning, and grated cheese, stirring to combine. Add the garlicky browned butter and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and lots of freshly cracked pepper. Brush/spoon as much of this mixture down into each opening/slice, being sure to cover as much surface area as possible (you will probably have some leftover – just cover and freeze it and stir it into soups or stews for a turbo boost of flavor).

Wrap the bread in the foil and bake for 12 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes more, or until crunchy on top and golden brown. Sprinkle with a little extra cheese and serve warm. 

If you like the looks of this Herby Pull-Apart Garlic Bread, you might also want to try:

Garlic Butter Bubble Bread

Ultimate Cheesy Garlic Bread

Honey Caramelized Tomato Upside Down Cornbread

Bourbon Brown Butter Monkey Bread

Vanilla Chai Swirl Pull Apart Bread

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