Ciabatta Garlic Bread is a quick and easy homemade garlic bread recipe. Cheesy, garlicky and herby with freshly toasted crispy ciabatta, this recipe is one you will return to again and again. It can be paired with anything and everything. Garlic ciabatta has taste, texture and creates a sensational aroma wafting from the kitchen as it cooks!
Recipes like my Lamb Bolognese, Honey Soy Pork Ribs and Slow Cooker Lamb Ribs call for a cheesy garlicky side.
My Ciabatta Pizza is another recipe that uses a Ciabatta loaf as a key ingredient.
Jump to:
🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Homemade garlic bread: yes, we all love an easy store bought garlic bread, especially when there is no time and the people need food. But when you do have a little bit of extra time, there is something special about making your own garlic bread (and generously garnishing it) that makes you bite twice 😂. (Also known as so yum).
- Quick and easy: this is not a recipe that will see you spending hours and hours in the kitchen in the creation of. Give yourself 2 minutes to make the butter mixture another 2 to spread it onto the ciabatta loaf followed by 1 minute to grate some cheese over the top. Then pop it in the oven and try and walk away as the aroma begins to beckon you back.
- Crispy base and edges: toasting this bread for 30 minutes guarantees super crispy edges with an audible crunch when you bite into it. If they are not brown, keep cooking till they are! Store bought frozen then cooked garlic bread can be a little rock hard in this sense.
- Easy cheese garlic bread: so we could make a straight garlic bread, but where would the cheese be in that! Taking one extra step and grating some cheese over the top really makes this a bread recipe that almost doesn't need a main to go with it!
- Versatile serving options: be it a plate of spag bowl, your favourite homemade pizza, a slow cooked soup or light garden salad this easy garlic ciabatta will partner and compliment a wide range of dishes.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Ciabatta loaf: this is a loaf of white bread that you will be able to find at the supermarket or the local bakery. It is a long flat-ish loaf of bread that has a slightly more domed appearance than a loaf of Turkish bread.
- Butter: you can use your preference out of salted or unsalted butter. Grab it out of the fridge as a starting point as it will be easier to work with if it is at room temperature when you come to use it.
- Garlic: minced, store bought garlic or garlic cloves that you finely chop yourself will both work well for the recipe. If using store bought, try to get one that has a thick texture, not the super paste like version in the fruit and vegetable section of the store. We want a little garlic oopmh to the bread 👍😉.
- Dried parsley: easy to have on hand and not need to run out and purchase fresh parsley, this is one of the 3 herbs we use for the recipe.
- Dried oregano: a great Italian spice that works well for cheese on toast and in soups and stews. This is the 2nd herb needed.
- Dried chives: unique in their taste and bright green texture, even when dried, this is the 3rd herb used to deliver maximum flavour yum to the bread.
- Cheese: nope, you don't need as much as I have shown in the photo in the post. That is a whole lot of cheese! Would almost be more cheese than bread if we did that, haha! I am showing you the cheese like this as I think freshly grated from the block delivers better results, especially in a recipe like this. The cheese (whilst optional) can either be romano or parmesan, my recommendation is the romano as it delivers a sensational taste to the garlic bread and is less commonly used than parmesan, so nice for a change.
Tasty tip: if you cannot easily find Ciabatta bread at your local store or bakery, Turkish bread is a good alternative.
🍳 Instructions
Here at the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by preparing the ciabatta loaf, you will need a knife and chopping board for this step.
- Cut the ciabatta loaf in half (Photo 1)
- Mush the butter in a bowl (Photo 2)
- Add garlic and dried herbs (Photo 3)
- Spread onto ciabatta (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Ciabatta Garlic Bread
To make the garlic ciabatta, start with a knife and chopping board and slice the bread in half lengthways. Then add the butter to a small bowl and use a spatula to mush it so it is soft and pliable. Once done add the minced garlic as well as the dried herbs and stir together till it is consistently mixed. You may need to hold the edge of the bowl as you do this so that it doesn't slide off the bench 😉👍. Once this is done, you can spread the garlic herb mixture onto the bread in a layer.
- Sprinkle the bread with freshly grated cheese (Photo 5)
If you like the idea of making it a cheese ciabatta bread (garlic ciabatta with cheese), now is the time to get the grater and sprinkle a layer of cheese over the top of the butter. You will only need a small amount of this to make a big depth of flavour to the bread so opt in I say 😁.
- Place the bread halves onto a baking tray (Photo 6)
Once ready slide the baking tray into the oven and let the garlic ciabatta cook for 30 mins. You will see that the edges go golden and crispy during this time.
- No cheese on the left and cheese layer on the right (Step 7)
Once cooked, used oven mits to remove the baking tray from the oven, place on a heatproof surface and let sit for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring to a chopping board to slice into pieces.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
You are going to want to serve this garlic bread with anything and everything once you have tried it! It is very versatile and complimentary to a wide ranges of dishes including a variety of proteins be they beef, pork, chicken or fish.
Use either a bread knife or regular knife to cut the bread into chunky pieces and serve straight away, fresh and hot.
Some popular pairings are the Air Fryer Roast Chicken, Bolognese Pizza or Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese. It is also great with the finger licking BBQ Lamb Ribs.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftovers of the garlic bread on a plate in the fridge covered with cling wrap. It will be ok for that day and the next.
How to Freeze
If you want to be organised, you can make this bread in advance, pair the 2 halves back into a loaf shape, wrap in cling wrap and freeze. Then when needed oven bake from frozen for 30 to 40 minutes at the temperature listed in the recipe card.
How to Reheat
You can reheat the garlic bread in the oven, air fryer or microwave.
The microwave will be the quickest taking around 1 minute, however both the air fryer and oven will give you the best chance of ensuring that the reheated bread is still crispy on the edges.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- If you want to use fresh herbs in place of the dried ones, you can.
- Add some red pepper flakes for a little spice.
- Dried basil is another great herb if you want to use that in addition or in place of one of the other herbs.
- Both curly and flat leaf parsley in their fresh herb sense would be fine to use.
- Asiago cheese is another alternative, similar to parmesan that you could substitute if you wish to.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Hold the palm of one of your hands on top of the bread when you are slicing it, this will keep it steady for you.
- Room temperature butter cut into cubes will be far easy to mush up than firm just out of the fridge butter.
- If you cannot find ciabatta, you can use another loaf of bread that is a similar shape and length ie Turkish is a good choice.
- When you put the bread into the oven, you can slide it off onto a baking rack and place the lined baking tray beneath to help achieve the crispest of results 😁👍.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
What makes ciabatta bread different?
Ciabatta bread has a crispy coating to it which when toasted is deliciously crunchy. It is less common than white or rye bread and a great option for using for open face sandwiches or in place of a pizza base.
What do you eat ciabatta bread with?
Ciabatta garlic bread pairs well with a wide variety of main dishes. Serve it with pasta, pizza, soup, stews, casseroles, salad and spaghetti.
What cheese goes with ciabatta?
Romano cheese and parmesan cheese are both excellent choices to grate onto ciabatta bread before toasting. If using the ciabatta for fresh sandwiches, try provolone or cheddar cheese.
😍 More Easy Side Dishes
If you love the sides more than the main..don't let me stop you from simply enjoying this with a glass of wine and skip the main dish! Whilst doing so you might like to check out some more side dishes to compliment the main event.
- Creamy Garlic Potatoes
- Garlic Butter Potatoes
- Garlic Pizza Bread
- Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad
- Quick Potato Bake
- Duck Fat Roast Potatoes
- Fried Cabbage and Bacon
- Mashed Peas
If pairing with pasta is your preference, you can find all of my pasta recipes in the one spot. Time to get a little cheesy my friend, nope garlicky, nah cheesy garlicky yup that's it! xx
Adrianne
PIN and save this recipe for later!
Hunger still got you? You can SUBSCRIBE to receive the latest recipes, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.
📖 Recipe
Ciabatta Garlic Bread
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Bread knife
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking rack
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Silicon Baking Mat
Ingredients
- 2 sticks/200 grams butter room temperature, chopped into small cubes, Note 1
- 1 ciabatta loaf Note 2
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic Note 3
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley Note 4
- 2 tsp dried oregano Note 5
- 2 tsp dried chives Note 6
- 2 tablespoon romano cheese optional, Note 7
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Ciabatta loaf: use a bread knife and chopping board to cut ciabatta loaf length ways. Then set aside.
- Butter: add chopped butter to a small mixing bowl and use a spatular to push to soften into a mound.
- Garlic and herbs: add minced garlic and dried herbs to the butter and use the spatular to stir and form a paste.
- Butter onto bread: use the spatualar to spread the garlic herb butter mixture across each half of the ciabatta loaf.
- Cheese: sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the top and transfer each half to a silicon lined baking tray. Then place in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 mins.
- Serve and enjoy: use oven mits to remove the baking tray from the oven and rest of a heatproof surface. Use a flat utensil to transfer the garlic bread back to the chopping board. Use a knife to cut into individual pieces.
Notes
- Note 1 - Butter: you can use your preference out of salted or unsalted butter. Grab it out of the fridge as a starting point as it will be easier to work with if it is at room temperature when you come to use it.
- Note 2 - Ciabatta loaf: this is a loaf of white bread that you will be able to find at the supermarket or the local bakery. It is a long flat-ish loaf of bread that has a slightly more domed appearance than a loaf of Turkish bread.
- Note 3 - Garlic: minced, store bought garlic or garlic cloves that you finely chop yourself will both work well for the recipe. If using store bought, try to get one that has a thick texture, not the super paste like version in the fruit and vegetable section of the store. We want a little garlic oopmh to the bread 👍😉.
- Note 4 - Dried parsley: easy to have on hand and not need to run out and purchase fresh parsley, this is one of the 3 herbs we use for the recipe.
- Note 5 - Dried oregano: a great Italian spice that works well for cheese on toast and in soups and stews. This is the 2nd herb needed.
- Note 6 - Dried chives: unique in their taste and bright green texture, even when dried, this is the 3rd herb used to deliver maximum flavour yum to the bread.
- Note 7 - Cheese: go for romano or parmesan cheese, try if you can to grate it fresh whilst making the garlic bread, however, if you only have grated store bought cheese you can use that as an alternative.
Anna says
I love homemade garlic bread and yours looks so good will give it a go for sure.
Adrianne says
Awesome thanks Anna! That is great to hear!