Ina Garten shares method for layered garlic bread
The TV host's recipe from 'Modern Comfort Food' calls for slow-cooked garlic, Parmesan, and lemon zest on a French baguette.
By Ivan Mori ·
Ina Garten, the cookbook author and television host, has released a method for preparing garlic bread that expands on standard toasting techniques. The recipe, titled 'Outrageous Garlic Bread,' appears in her book 'Modern Comfort Food' and yields eight servings. It replaces simple garlic butter with a compound mixture that includes slow-cooked garlic, grated Parmesan, and fresh herbs.
The preparation requires a 20 to 24-inch crusty French baguette and 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter. The garlic mixture combines one head of garlic with a cup of freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, two tablespoons of minced fresh parsley, and two teaspoons of grated lemon zest. Seasoning includes a quarter teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, one and a half teaspoons of kosher salt, and half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
Garten instructs cooks to melt the butter over low heat and add the separated garlic cloves. The mixture cooks covered for 20 minutes, with occasional stirring, until the garlic becomes very tender. After cooling, the garlic is mashed in the butter with a fork. The Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper are then stirred into the base.
The baguette is sliced in half lengthwise and placed cut side up on a cutting board. Diagonal scores are cut into the bread to create large serving portions without slicing all the way through. The garlic mixture is spooned generously onto the cut sides. Each half of the baguette is then cut crosswise along a score line, producing four pieces that are arranged on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
The bread bakes in a 450-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes. The process is complete when the topping is bubbly and beginning to brown, and the bread is crisp. The finished pieces are transferred to a board, cut along the scores, and sprinkled with fleur de sel or sea salt before serving warm.
The recipe includes a note stating the garlic mixture can be prepared up to three days in advance and refrigerated. To use it later, the mixture is warmed slightly in a microwave until just spreadable. The bread is then prepared and baked immediately before serving. Gardeners can peel the garlic cloves by smashing them lightly with a chef's knife or by boiling them for 15 to 30 seconds, which loosens the peels.
