Name: Crispy Garlic Bread
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened; 4 cloves garlic , grated (see note) or minced; 1/4 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 12 (1-inch) slices Italian bread

Why This Recipe Works

For our Crispy Garlic Bread recipe, nothing could top a hearty Italian loaf when it came to getting thick, crunchy slices. Sandwich bread was too wimpy, and baguette slices were too dainty.

Melted butter soaked into the bread too rapidly and made it soggy. Instead, we spread softened butter onto both sides of the slices. We preheated the baking sheet before lining up our garlic bread slices and popping them into the oven. This started the cooking immediately and eliminated sogginess.

Precooking garlic tamed its flavor, but we found that was an additional and unnecessary step. Adding a touch of sugar to the butter mixture helped tame the raw garlic’s bite nearly as well.

Before You Begin

For the smoothest texture, grate the garlic cloves on a rasp-style grater.

Instructions

MAKE PASTE Adjust oven rack to middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Using fork, beat butter, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in small bowl until combined. Spread butter mixture evenly over both sides of bread.

TOAST BREAD Arrange buttered bread on heated baking sheet and bake until golden brown on first side, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip and bake until golden brown on second side, about 5 minutes. Serve.

FREEZER-READY GARLIC BREAD After spreading the bread with the butter mixture in step 1, freeze the slices on a large plate until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer bread to zipper-lock freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, bake as directed, adding 2 to 5 minutes to cooking time.