Know what my favorite part about Pasta Night happens to be?
The Garlic Toast!
Is that in big font and bold type for a reason? Of course it is!! Really, pasta’s fine, but gimme that garlicky toastiness all day every day. I never get tired of it.
Even if you’re not quite as big of a fan of this delight made for the human mouth, I feel you can appreciate two other aspects to the homemade variety: it’s inexpensive and it’s easy. Sure sure you can buy the expensive box in the freezer case and toast it up in 5 minutes. But think how much more you would have if you made the toast yourself. Potentially a whole loaf’s worth!
On that note, you can actually use the compound garlic butter to make a whole loaf of garlic bread if that’s more your speed.
You like the cheesy varieties instead? Smash that buttered toast into a pile of Parmesan cheese or sharp cheddar…or BOTH! We are a cheese-loving family around here, we do not discriminate with words like “too much cheese.”
By making the compound butter for yourself, you save much muns, and you get to choose the bread vehicle of choice. Just have sandwich bread in the house? Garlic toast! A half loaf of Italian bread from the discount rack? Garlic toast! Sliced brioche leftover from making French toast? Garlic toast! Have a huge bag of hoagie rolls that need to be used up? Garlic toast!
And don’t drop upwards of $5 for a tiny tub of “garlic butter spread” at the store. All you need to replicate that stuff is one stick of butter and a few pennies of spices. Even if you have to buy those spices, the price is still under $5 all total and you have magic-making flavor shakers for weeks to come.
Homemade Garlic Toast
Course: BreadCuisine: HomestyleDifficulty: Beginner8
servings5
minutes5
minutesNothing beats homemade garlic toast. This recipe can be made in big batches and frozen for later use. Personalize this base recipe with your own flair.
Ingredients
- Garlic Butter
1 stick of butter, softened to room temperature
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley (or Italian seasoning blend)
- Garlic Toast
8 slices of preferred bread (Italian, baguette, sandwich, Texas toast, etc.)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the compound butter: in a mixing bowl, combine softened butter and herbs. Let them hang out together while the oven is preheating.
- Spread 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of garlic butter on the bread of your choice. Amount will vary based on the size of the slice. However, you want a generous covering, not a bare sheen.
- Bake in oven for 5 minutes until butter has melted into bread and become toasty.
- Eat all the toasts for yourself. You don’t wanna share and we both know it.
- Store any leftover butter in the fridge for next time.
Notes
- You can mix a clove or two of minced garlic into the compound butter and it’s delightful.
- If you want to make a loaf of garlic bread, cut the bread in half lengthwise. Slather the butter on both halves, then bake in the oven, closer to 7-8 minutes.
- You can cook the toasts for longer if they aren’t brown enough to your liking but watch them closely. They can go from not quite right to burnt pretty fast. After the base baking time, return them for no more than a minute at at time to avoid charcoal bread.
- Other herbs can absolutely be added to these based on your preference. Rosemary or cayenne for unique flavor profiles are fantastic.
- You can make a big batch of these in advance and then freeze them (like the ones at the store), and pull out as much as you need on cooking day.
- Cheeses can be added to the top of the toasts as well. The butter will help them stick to the top. Parmesan and cheddar are both great choices.
Leave a comment below and let me know which type of bread is your favorite vehicle for homemade garlic toast!
Did you know that bread is one of my 30 Best Foods on a Budget? Check out the link and get a copy of my FREE guide that lists all thirty!
