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Fully baked golden brown garlic bread, pulled apart to reveal the steaming, flavourful interior, perfect for serving as a side dish.

The Ultimate Brown Butter & Roasted Garlic Bread

The Ultimate Brown Butter & Roasted Garlic Bread elevates the classic side dish with a rich, whipped compound butter made from nutty brown butter and sweet roasted garlic. Baked into a crusty loaf until golden and crispy, it's a gourmet, pull-apart showstopper perfect for any meal.
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Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour
Total Time:1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Appetiser, Entree, Nibbles
Cuisine: Australian, Italian
Keyword: Brown butter garlic bread, Gourmet garlic bread, Roasted garlic bread, whipped garlic butter
Servings: 3 - 4
Author: Kate Brodhurst

Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic, halved horizontally through the middle
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt flakes
  • 1 small loaf crusty fresh bread (See Note 2)

Instructions

roast garlic

  • Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Slice top off a garlic head, drizzle with oil, wrap in foil, and roast for 30-40 mins until soft and golden. Cool.

brown butter

  • Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until foamy and the milk solids turn a deep golden brown. Pour into a bowl to stop cooking. Cool slightly.

whip butter

  • Squeeze roasted garlic cloves from their skins into the browned butter. Use a whisk to whip for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Stir in parsley and sea salt.

assemble

  • Increase oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Slice a loaf of crusty bread at 1cm intervals, without cutting through the base. Generously spread butter mixture into every slit. Wrap loaf in foil.

bake

  • Bake for 15 minutes. Open foil to expose the top and bake for a further 3-5 minutes until golden and crispy. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

  1. COOKS NOTES:
    Oven Temps:     Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
    Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup =  250 ml.
    Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
    Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
    Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified.
  2. Bread Choice: 
    A small, crusty bakery loaf (like a ciabatta or sourdough boule) is ideal. Supermarkets often sell perfect "mini loaves" in their bakery section. For a larger loaf, double the butter mixture.
  3. The Browning Step: 
    Use a light-coloured saucepan (stainless steel is best) so you can clearly see the butter change colour. It goes from golden to burnt quickly, so stay nearby and stir often.
  4. Garlic Prep: 
    Roasting a whole head is key for a sweet, mellow flavour. If you're short on time, you can roast pre-peeled garlic cloves in a foil packet with a little oil for 20-25 minutes.
  5. Make-Ahead: 
    The flavoured butter can be made and refrigerated up to 5 days in advance, or frozen for 3 months. You can also assemble the entire loaf, wrap it tightly, and freeze it unbaked for up to 3 months—bake from frozen, adding 8-10 minutes to the foil-wrapped time.
  6. Serving Tip: 
    Let the baked bread rest for 5 minutes before tearing in. This allows the butter to settle slightly, making it less messy to pull apart.