Best Cheesy Garlic Bread

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This Cheesy Garlic Bread is life changing level of good, and once you try it using my recipe, you won’t make garlic bread any other way! It is buttery, garlicky, cheesy and crispy without being heavy – exactly how it should be.

2 loaves of cheesy garlic bread sticks on a wooden cutting board with broiled melted cheese and chopped parsley on top

cheesy garlic bread sticks on a wooden cutting board with broiled melted cheese and chopped parsley on top. one stick is broken into half with cheese stretching between both halves

WHAT MAKES THIS CHEESY GARLIC BREAD SPECIAL

I know, there are countless garlic bread recipes and they’re usually good (it’s hard to make a bad garlic bread). But there are 3 things that make this garlic bread extra special:

The garlic is roasted. You’ll start by baking the garlic in olive oil until it is golden, caramelized and soft. This additional step enhances both the flavor and aroma of the garlic, leading to a much more delicious garlic bread!
The bread is dipped in a garlic butter custard. Most garlic bread recipes spread a garlic butter mixture on top of bread. But not this one! You will make a garlic butter custard and dip the bread in it to ensure the flavor seeps through the bread instead of being limited to just the outside. This technique is similar to that used in Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns and works like a charm!
The bread is triple baked. First, you will bake the bread itself to get it crispy. Then you will make it after dipping into the garlic butter custard. And lastly, you will broil it with cheese on top. It is a lot quicker than it sounds but the result is absolutely worth it

cheesy garlic bread sticks on a wooden cutting board with broiled melted cheese and chopped parsley on top. Close up picture of one loaf

2 hands pulling a cheesy garlic bread stick into half with a cheese pull in between

BEST BREAD TO MAKE CHEESY GARLIC BREAD

Honestly, you can use any kind of bread you like. Traditional recipes use French bread (like baguettes) and slice them into half. I like a slight sweetness in my garlic bread, so I used King’s Hawaiian’s Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, which work like a charm. But you can use any kind of bread you like, as long as it comes in a loaf / log / sheet. You can also bake this cheesy garlic bread as individual rolls, which are great for serving!

HOW TO ROAST GARLIC

Garlic can easily be roasted in the oven. There are 2 ways to do this:

Bake the entire garlic bulb, with one end trimmed off, upside down with oil and salt on top
Bake individual garlic cloves

To make things quicker, I prefer the second way and bake peeled garlic cloves in olive oil and salt for about ~20 minutes at 400F in a mini dutch oven, until they are golden adn soft. It is ideal to keep the garlic covered with a lid or foil so it doesn’t burn.

raw garlic in olive oil in a mini dutch oven

golden roasted garlic in olive oil in a mini dutch oven

The detailed recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let’s go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything!

First, roast the garlic by baking in the oven. Mash it up and set it aside:

roasted garlic cloves on a wooden cutting board

roasted garlic bashed on a wooden cutting board

Divide the bread loaf you’re using into 2 halves, and bake for a few minutes until lightly crispy:

2 halves of a bread loaf in a baking tray

2 halves of a bread loaf in a baking tray, baked until golden and crispy

Make the garlic butter custard by mixing together the mashed garlic, melted butter, an egg, milk, salt, paprika and fresh parsley:

ingredients for a garlic butter dip in a glass bowl

Transfer to a larger pan and dip the bread loaf halves in it, getting them thoroughly coated all over:

garlic butter custard in a large rectangular pan

hand dipping bread load in garlic butter custard

Bake the dipped bread for ~15-18 minutes:

2 loaves of bread dipped in garlic butter placed on a baking sheet

baked garlic bread loads on a baking tray

Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and broil until it has melted and slightly charred:

shredded mozzarella cheese spread on top of 2 loaves of garlic bread on a baking sheet

2 loaves of cheesy garlic bread on a wooden cutting board with fresh parsley sprinkled on top

Slice up, serve and enjoy!

cheesy garlic bread sticks on a wooden cutting board with broiled melted cheese and chopped parsley on top. close up picture from the side

2 hands holding a cheesy garlic bread stick, more seen in the back

Ingredients

8-10 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
Roasted garlic from above
½ cup butter, melted(113g)
1 egg
¼ cup milk (60g)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
12 King’s Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sheet Rolls, kept in the full sheet form (or replace with a French baguette of similar size)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Chopped parsley and chili flakes for serving

Instructions

Roasted Garlic:

Pre-heat oven to 400F
Mix the peeled garlic cloves in the olive oil and salt. Transfer to a mini oven safe pot with a lid (or cover with foil) and bake for ~20 minutes until they are soft and golden
Mash with a fork and set aside

Garlic Butter Custard:

Add the mashed roasted garlic, melted butter, egg, milk, salt, paprika and parsley to a bowl
Thoroughly whisk to combine

Assembly:

Change the oven temperature to 350F after roasting the garlic
Use a sharp knife to divide the sheet of bread rolls into 2 halves (as seen in pictures above). Place on a large baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until light golden and crispy
Transfer the garlic butter custard to a larger pan. Carefully dip the baked bread sheets / loaves into the garlic butter custard, getting them well coated on all sides
Place the bread back on the baking sheet and bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes until golden
Cover the bread with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Change the oven setting to broil / grill and broil for ~5 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden
Garnish with fresh parsley and chili flakes. Slice up, serve and enjoy!