RecipesA recipe for the perfect cheesy garlic bread
I love making Italian food, but more than that I love eating Italian food. I"m not from Italian descent that I know of, but I"ve always loved just about every kind of pasta that has come across my plate. A good pasta needs great garlic bread to go with it, and I love making my own bread.
There are three requirements of a good cheesy garlic bread.
First it needs to be fresh. That means fresh ingredients and bread. I like to go to my local grocery store around 5pm when they bring out the freshly baked French and Italian loaves of bread. They smell so good, and they taste much better when used within a few hours after being baked. There are many specialty bakeries that make wonderful bread, but I usually find that these are farther away and more expensive. So regular grocery store bought bread is good enough for me. I like to mix it up between white and wheat breads too, for a little healthier option. Wheat garlic bread also is a nice change of tastes. You"ll also need a clove of garlic, minced. Then either butter or olive oil, and your favorite cheese for the top. Also the spice, Italian seasoning. These don"t need to be expensive either, just go with what tastes good to you. I like light-flavored olive oil brushed on top, or real unsalted butter.
Just cut the bread lengthwise so you have a top and a bottom, or you can cut into smaller slices, but it will take longer to make each individual piece. Next lightly brush the olive oil or butter onto the bread. Then sprinkle some Italian seasoning spices and the minced garlic evenly. And finally add your preferred amount of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some grated Parmesan or asiago lightly on top.
The second requirement for a great garlic bread is it needs to be crispy. Put your prepared bread into the a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. You need to watch it closely for the last several minutes because it can brown very quickly. You want to take it out when all the cheese is melted and is started to become golden brown. The crust should also be crispy and slightly browned.
And third it needs to be delicious. If you find an ingredient that you want to try, go for it. The best thing about cooking is personalization. Some people don"t like olive oil, or maybe butter. Feel free to change any part of my recipe to fit you own tastes. I"ve also made this recipe without any cheese on top and it"s very delicious, and a few less calories.
You could buy store made garlic bread, in the frozen food section, or the bakery. But they usually are too buttery, the cheese is fake, and they"re barely edible. It"s so much better when you make your own, and your friends and family will be impressed if you don"t usually cook very often.