Home / Recipes / Course / Appetizer
33 Appetizer| Jump to Recipe
You guys, this garlic bread.
This post may contain affiliate links.
I recently had a fab dinner with Alana from Fix Feast Flair and Lily from Kale & Caramel at Jon & Vinny’s in Los Angeles. The entire meal was incredible, but I remember particularly loving their garlic bread. Served beside two saucy meatballs and a dollop of ricotta, the garlic bread at Jon & Vinny’s starts with a base of thick, yeasty ciabatta grilled until golden and black in spots. Then, it seems to me like they brushed it with a loose mixture of chopped garlic, herbs and red pepper flakes. The resulting garlic bread was crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside and just packed with flavor. Perfect for dunking into all that sauce.
With these techniques and flavors in mind, I developed this recipe for OMG Garlic Bread. With one bite, you will literally exclaim OMG. Continue reading for the recipe.
My garlic bread recipe starts witha whole head of garlic and a whole stick of butter. The two gently cook together until the garlic is beautifully golden and fragrant. Grated Parmesan, fresh basil, lemon zest and red pepper flakes get added to the mix to form a chunky garlic paste that could easily be eaten with a spoon. It’s that tasty. Next, thick slices of rosemary Parmesan bread are broiled until crisp and crunchy on the outside. Each slice gets slathered with the garlic paste before taking one last trip to the broiler. The finished garlic bread is so flavorful and so addicting. This version does vary from the one served at Jon & Vinny’s, but I can guarantee you’ll be just as happy and satisfied.
OMG Garlic Bread Recipe
by Brandon Matzek
4.67 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 6 slices
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic cloves separated and peeled (I like to use one of these for ease!)
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan*
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 6 thick slices of artisan bread (I used rosemary Parmesan bread from Costco)
Instructions
Place garlic and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook until garlic is tender and golden brown (15 - 18 minutes). If you notice the garlic is turning brown, but the cloves are not softening, turn heat down and continue cooking. Pour garlic and butter into a medium bowl, and let cool.
To the bowl with the garlic and butter, add Parmesan cheese, basil, lemon zest, red pepper and pinch of kosher salt. Using a fork, mash the ingredients to combine. Season to taste with additional kosher salt. Let sit for 5 minutes before using below.
Preheat a broiler to high. Place bread on a baking sheet, and toast under the broiler until golden (about 2 minutes). Flip the slices, and broil the other side until golden (another 2 minutes). Remove the baking sheet from under the broiler, and let the bread cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, slather the top of each slice of bread with the garlic-butter mixture, and return underneath the broiler. Cook until the cheese is golden and bubbling (about 2 minutes). Let cool for a moment then enjoy!
Notes
* When I am cooking with a sizable amount of Parmesan (more than just a sprinkling), I like to "grate" my Parmesan in the food processor. Cut up a small block of Parmesan cheese, and place in a food processor. Pulse until it reaches a fine texture. This makes it much easier to measure as well.
Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!
Check out some other garlic-forward recipes on Kitchen Konfidence:
Porchetta Pork Tenderloin
Roasted Garlic Bloody Mary
Roasted Garlic Focaccia
Caramelized Garlic Tart
Roasted Garlic Oil
33
More Appetizer Recipes
- Creamy Pesto Caprese Skewers Recipe
- Fried Rosemary and Garlic Dip Recipe
- Buffalo Chicken Dip with Caramelized Shallots and Blue Cheese
- Melon and Prosciutto Toast with Mint Pesto
Reader Interactions
Comments
This totally looks like OMG bread! Wow! And I love that you recreated a restaurant dish that you loved, and probably made it 1000x better, too 🙂
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Haha thanks Averie 🙂
Reply
Patty K says
omg….that looks incredible! Can’t wait to try!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Do it!!! Thanks Patty!
OMG indeed. I can’t imagine you had any leftovers of this!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
We did not! I immediately ate two slices and we polished off the rest later that evening ;). Thanks Maris!
Reply
Alana says
I can personally attest to the OMG-ness of this bread. HEAVEN!!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks for the review!! So glad you and your friends liked the recipe! ??????
Reply
Priyanka says
OMG… Thank god I just discovered your blog. This looks just Delicious. Trying it for dinner tonight.
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks for stopping by Priyanka. Welcome! Let me know how you like the Garlic Bread 🙂
Reply
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
I totally see why this is OMG garlic bread!! It looks awesome, I love good homemade garlic bread and love the addition of lemon zest and pepper flakes!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Haha yes!!! Big bold flavors here.
Reply
fabiola@notjustbaked says
OMG you are soooo right! This is amazing.
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Haha thanks Fabiola!!
Reply
OMG is right!! A whole of of garlic, basil, and red pepperflakes? Those are my three favorite savory ingredients. I bet you could make a killer caprese style panini out of this garlic bread. It’ll be OMFG Garlic Bread Caprese Panini 🙂Reply
Brandon Matzek says
LOL!!! That sounds amaaaaaze. Especially with some buratta?
Reply
Kristina says
OMG is right – this bread looks insanely good!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Kristina!!
Reply
Lorena says
OMG THAT GARLIC BREAD LOOKS FABULOUS!!! I have all the ingredients at home and tomorrow we will have that for dinner for sure! Love it, love it, love it!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Hahaha thanks Lorena! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Reply
Emily says
WOW this bread looks crazy good! I usually make my garlic bread with parsley but using basil sounds delicious.
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Parsley sounds good as well! Thanks Emily.
Reply
Alisa Fleming says
The use of red pepper flakes and lemon zest on this is brilliant!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Alisa!
Reply
Darn it, you were not kidding about OMG garlic bread!! It is not even 7:30 AM here and I would have no problem eating this right now. I am serious, I am kind of upset now, haha!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Haha thanks Kacey! I would totally eat garlic bread for breakfast too 🙂
Reply
Wow! This looks heavenly. What a tasty way to get some extra garlic into our systems this winter during the cold season. The red pepper flakes are a really great touch. I will have to try this. Thanks!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Yes!!! And I’m one who can eat garlic all the time. Love it!
Reply
thefolia says
Looks like toasty yumminess…can’t wait to try this in our nest!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Reply
This looks and sounds fabulous! Love that touch of lemon zest!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Kimberly! It really helps to brighten all of those heavy flavors.
Reply
cristina says
These are OMG garlic bread slices with a handful of tasty ingredients. LOVE that rosemary Parmesan from Costco, it is addictive eating plain and dipped in olive oil. The texture and color on your finished slices are just beautiful, Brandon!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Agreed! That bread is soooo good. Also works really well in a grilled cheese sandwich. Thanks Cristina!
Reply
Doc says
So does the OMG bread!! Makes a GREAT grilled cheese or bacon grilled cheese!! Try it!!Reply
Yeeeeeeeeees. Just yes. Because what better way to start than with a whole head of garlic and a whole stick of butter?!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Haha, there is no better way 😛
Reply
Brandy M says
Yup, this is on my list to make! WOW does this look delicious! I have never attempted something like this before and SOOOOO want to try it!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Do it!!! I’m sure you’ll love it Brandy. Thanks 🙂
Reply
Bella B says
WOW!!! I think I could eat this all myself!
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks so much Bella! I almost did eat it all by myself.
Reply
No wonder you call it OMG garlic bread! That looks insanely good!
Reply
Brandon Matzek says
It’s SO tasty!! Thanks Cynthia.
Reply
Holy cats. That garlic bread.Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Haha, it IS!!
Reply
Rene says
That mashed butter/garlic/parm mix looks like heaven in a bowl.
Reply
Anna Thvedt says
OMG….I made this last night! I was a little apprehensive about the lemon, but it totally worked! It was so so so good.Reply
Brandon Matzek says
So glad you enjoyed it Anna!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Reply
Yukirei says
Hi Brandon,
I know this post is a few years old but I made this last weekend and it was truly OooooooMGGGGG. I didn’t have basil on hand so I used cilantro instead and I LOVE IT. Cooking the garlic really helped mellow out the bite of it but retained the wonderful garlic aroma. Can’t wait to try it with basil next time!Reply
Brandon Matzek says
Hey Yukirei!! Thanks for your feedback and so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Now I need to try this with cilantro 🙂
Reply
