Gluten Free Garlic Bread
The best gluten free garlic bread, filled with garlic butter flavor, crispy all over and tender inside, is made with fresh gf baguettes, sliced, soaked, and then baked to perfection.
Servings: 16 slices
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 recipe gluten free French bread see Recipe Notes
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, plus more as desired see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley see Recipe Notes
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
Make the gf French bread.
- Prepare the gluten free French bread dough according to the recipe instructions (linked in the ingredients list above). Modify the shaping technique in the recipe slightly to create loaves that are cylinders that are uniformly thick all the way through, with blunt edges (instead of tapered).
- Proceed with the recipe as written, including rising, slashing, and baking—but don’t bother throwing ice cubes in the oven at the start of baking and bake at 450°F for a slightly less crisp crust.
- Wrap the hot loaves of bread, fresh out of the oven, loosely in a tea towel and allow them to cool completely. This will prevent the crust from maintaining its crispness.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside. Once the loaves of bread are cooled, slice the loaves by cross-section on the bias (i.e., at an angle) into pieces about 3/4-inch thick.
- You should get about 8 slices from each loaf. Place the slices cut side up on the prepared baking sheet.
Prepare the garlic.
- Place the fresh cloves of garlic on a cutting board, cover with the broad side of a wide cutting knife, and press firmly with the palm of your hand. This will make peeling and mincing the garlic much easier.
- Peel the paper away, gather the cloves together, and mince as finely as you can. Add the salt to the minced garlic, and place the flat side of the knife on top. Press and drag the the knife over the garlic to create a paste.
Coat the bread in garlic butter.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Do not brown the butter.
- Add the olive oil to the melted butter, and mix to combine. Add the minced garlic paste then the dried parsley, and mix to combine completely.
- One at a time, place each slice of bread in the butter and oil mixture, turning over to ensure that both sides are soaked completely with as much of the garlic as possible.
- Squeeze the slice of bread with the tips of your fingers to release most of the excess, and return the bread to the baking sheet.
- Once all the bread has been soaked and squeezed, spoon the remaining garlic and herb paste on top of the slices of bread, and spread into a thin layer.
Bake the garlic bread.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, using tongs or your can’t-feel-the-heat fingers (just me?) to flip each slice over.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the underside is beginning to brown and the edges are golden. Remove from the oven and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving. The garlic bread slices will soak up some of the butter mixture that’s leaked during baking.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with the (optional) chopped fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
Make-ahead options.
You can make the gluten free French bread, let it cool completely, slice it, seal it tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months. Let the bread defrost at room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. You can prepare the garlic bread completely up to 12 hours ahead of time, and then refresh before serving. Just sprinkle the garlic bread with lukewarm water, place on a lined baking sheet and reheat at 300°F in the toaster oven or oven and serve immediately. Bread options. You don’t have to make homemade gluten free French bread to make this recipe. If you have a favorite packaged gluten free bread, use that. It’s best to use thicker slices, so prepared gluten free hamburger or hot dog buns work well. If your packaged bread is gummy at all, toast it for a few minutes before slicing it and proceeding with the recipe as written. Garlic options. This recipe works best with fresh garlic cloves. But you can also make it with jarred minced garlic packed in olive oil. Try pressing it into a paste with a bit of salt, as instructed in the recipe. Herb options. You can use whatever dried herb you like best. Don’t use fresh as anything other than a garnish, though, since it will lose its flavor during baking.
You can make the gluten free French bread, let it cool completely, slice it, seal it tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months. Let the bread defrost at room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. You can prepare the garlic bread completely up to 12 hours ahead of time, and then refresh before serving. Just sprinkle the garlic bread with lukewarm water, place on a lined baking sheet and reheat at 300°F in the toaster oven or oven and serve immediately. Bread options. You don’t have to make homemade gluten free French bread to make this recipe. If you have a favorite packaged gluten free bread, use that. It’s best to use thicker slices, so prepared gluten free hamburger or hot dog buns work well. If your packaged bread is gummy at all, toast it for a few minutes before slicing it and proceeding with the recipe as written. Garlic options. This recipe works best with fresh garlic cloves. But you can also make it with jarred minced garlic packed in olive oil. Try pressing it into a paste with a bit of salt, as instructed in the recipe. Herb options. You can use whatever dried herb you like best. Don’t use fresh as anything other than a garnish, though, since it will lose its flavor during baking.