The Latent Larder

Broiled Garlic Bread with Parmesan

A split loaf loaded with garlic butter and finished under the broiler until the edges char — the fastest path from oven to pasta night.

Serves
6
Prep
10 min
Cook
8 min
Written
Broiled Garlic Bread with Parmesan

Method

  1. Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler element and set it to high.

  2. Mash the butter, garlic, parsley, and salt together into an even paste.

  3. Spread the garlic butter to the edges of both cut sides of the loaf, then scatter the Parmesan over the top.

  4. Broil until the cheese is bubbling and the high points of the bread are charred in spots, 3 to 5 minutes — watch it the whole time, it goes from pale to burnt fast.

  5. Scatter with red pepper flakes if using, slice on a diagonal, and serve hot.

Notes

Grate the garlic instead of mincing it — a microplane breaks it down into the butter evenly, so you don’t bite into a raw, sharp chunk two inches from a piece that has none. Buy the loaf a few hours ahead if you can; bread that’s slightly stale toasts crisper than one still soft from the bakery.

This is built to ride along with anything saucy — Spaghetti Carbonara, a bowl of French Onion Soup, or straight off the sheet pan as a starter with nothing else on the table.