Garlic Bread and Chili Flakes

This simple garlic bread recipe with a chili flakes twist is the good side for everything, especially our creamy mushroom soup because OMG! It only takes 15 minutes to prep.

Is there anything better than a good piece of garlic bread? YES! A piece with chili flakes to spice it up a little. Cheesy and SO CRISPY, you'll never go back to normal bread again once you try it.

Homemade Garlic Bread

Okay, inspired by our easy and classic garlic bread that you already love, we PROMISE we found a BETTER version of it. And it's just as simple as the original recipe.

Since garlic bread is a recipe that cannot be missed on our table, we always try to create different versions to keep enjoying it. To be honest, a few years ago we used to make it for myself when we were home with two sleeping babies and no time to make lunch in between. No, this is NOT an ideal lunch… don't hate us. But being a new mum, tired as hell and HUNGRY, a warm piece of soft garlic bread was all we ever wanted to soothe our soul before another round of teething babies started. Of course, putting cheese on it made these slices all the more good.

Following the same idea, we kept adding things, and then it hit us: CHILI FLAKES, but that's not the only secret ingredient.

On the stove

This is SO easy. To make things even simpler, we like to work in stations. First, we prep the garlic, then the butter, and finally, the bread! If you have ever wondered how to make homemade garlic bread that tastes incredibly good with minimal effort, this is the recipe.

Roasted Garlic

We start by wrapping 3 heads of garlic in aluminum foil with a quick drizzle of olive oil, plus a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast them in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 50 minutes. You will know they are ready when the cloves are completely soft and caramelized. This is the longest part of the recipe; that's why it is the first section.

Note: This step can be done ahead of time. Store the squeezed cloves in a container and save them in the fridge.

Garlic Butter

Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, we gently squeeze the base of the head with our fingers. The roasted cloves will pop right out easily into a mixing bowl.

Smash them down with a fork until smooth. Next, stir in the softened low-fat butter, parsley, a little bit of Parmesan, just a splash of lemon juice, and season. Add a part of the chili flakes here. Mix everything with a fork or spoon until you have a thick garlic bread spread.

a reliable Bread

Slice the half loaf of ciabatta. Spread the garlic butter mixture generously over the bread, covering the entire surface right to the edges. Top with the light mozzarella and extra parmesan, drizzle with the remaining part of chili flakes and a little extra fresh parsley, and bake.

Cooking this garlic bread recipe at 400°F (200°C) takes about 12 to 15 minutes. Watch for the cheese to get completely bubbly and melted. Let it rest for two minutes before slicing. We love to serve this with spaghetti bolognese tomato soupor anything really!

Air Fryer Option

YES, you can transform this recipe into an air fryer garlic bread; it's just as easy.

And we also save you a little bit of time. Roast the garlic right in the air fryer basket. Just wrap the heads in foil as instructed and cook at 350°F (180°C) for 20 to 30 minutes.

Once you mix the butter spread and assemble the ciabatta, place the bread halves directly inside the air fryer. Cook at 400°F (200°C) for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese melts and bubbles on top. You're going to make smaller pieces, but it's still good.

A Few Quick Tips

• Prep the garlic: Always start with whole bulbs of fresh garlic for roasting, never pre-peeled cloves. Cut the top off the heads before wrapping them in foil. That helps them roast faster and squeeze out easily without the papery skin getting stuck.
• Don't melt the butter: Since we use a low-fat unsalted butter, we always make sure it is just softened at room temperature. Melting it in the microwave will make the base of your bread soggy.
• Cutting the bread: Doesn't matter if you're using a baguette from the grocery store or a ciabatta. Whatever you use, ALWAYS grab a sharp serrated knife to cut the loaf in half so you don't squash the airy texturewhich helps keep the bottom crust intact.
• Use the air pockets: When you add that buttery spread of garlic, press it right down into the natural craters of the bread. This traps the flavor inside the bread itself rather than just letting it sit underneath the cheese.
• Watch the heat: Keep a close eye on your preheated oven during the last two minutes. Light mozzarella and Parmesan cheese melt fast, and you want to pull it out before the cheese turns rubbery.

Serve it with

As we mentioned before, this bread is the absolute best dish side. While it works wonderfully next to a grilled steak or pan-seared pork chopsour top choices are always soups and creamy pastas. The thick ciabatta easily soaks up any extra sauce left on your plate.

• Veggies: Serve it with some creamy broccoli and bacon for a complete meal.
• Pasta: It is SO GOOD next to a bowl of creamy gnocchi. (or a homemade pizza)
• Soups: Dunk it straight into a warm bowl of pumpkin soup.

Cook notes

A splash of fresh lemon juice stirred into the garlic butter spread. It cuts the heavy butter and cheese while it highlights the natural sweetness of the roasted garlic and chili flakes.

Yes, you can use standard French bread or a baguette from the grocery store. We prefer ciabatta because its air pockets hold the garlic butter mixture better, but any crusty bread works.

To save time on weeknights, roast your heads of garlic in advance and keep them in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, smash the roasted cloves into the butter, spread it over your sliced bread, top with cheese, chili flakes and bake.

5 from 4 votes

Cheesy Garlic Bread With Chili Flakes Recipe

What you need

• 3 head garlic 3 heads of garlic
• Olive oil
• 7 tbsp Unsalted low fat butter soft (unsalted butter / reduced-fat butter spread)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp chili flakes red pepper flakes
• 1/2 ciabatta bread just half (1/2 loaf ciabatta)
• 1 1/2 cups light mozzarella shredded (part-skim mozzarella)
• Extra parmesan for topping

Method

1. Wrap the garlic head in foil with a little drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. In a mixing bowl, extract the garlic cloves from the head (like pushing the head with your finger on the head). Garlic cloves should come out easily. Smash the garlic with a fork until smooth.
3. Add softened low fat butter, parsley, parmesan, lemon juice, salt, pepper and 3/4 tsp of chili flakes (save 1/4 tsp chili flakes for top on cheese).
4. Using a fork or spoon mix all ingredients together until combined.
5. Slice bread in half. Spread garlic butter generously.
6. Top with mozzarella and parmesan, and drizzle with 1/4 tsp chili flakes left and some fresh parsley.
7. Bake at 400°F (205°C) for about 12–15 mins in the oven or air fryer until bubbly and golden.