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This garlic bread recipe is a standard in our house. Mini Chef loves it and will polish off an entire loaf by himself over the course of a week (if I let him).

It’s a staple in many households, especially on pasta nights. And while it’s certainly not low in fat, it absolutely can be made healthier by your choice of bread and other ingredients.

GARLIC BREAD INGREDIENTS:

If you have ever purchased packaged garlic bread from the store, I have two things to tell you.

You’re totally missing out if that’s the only garlic bread you use. Homemade tastes SOOO much better!
You are getting ingredients most people would never dream of adding to garlic bread.

This is a list I grabbed off the web for a Food Lion brand garlic bread. It’s one of the shorter lists I’ve seen.

Enriched Wheat Flour (flour, Ascorbic Acid As A Dough Conditioner, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate (vitamin B1), Riboflavin (vitamin B2), Folic Acid), Water, Soybean Oil, Yeast, Sugar, Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour, Microbial Enzymes. Spread: Soybean Oil, Water, Palm Oil, Dehydrated Garlic, Salt, Vegetable Monoglyceride (While natural, can contain saturated fats), Natural Flavors (This could be literally anything. The word “natural” means nothing), Dehydrated Parsley, Whey Powder, Beta-carotene (color).

And remember, that’s a SHORT list! I’ve seen much longer lists with far more offensive ingredient lists. So you’re getting far more garbage and far less flavor. That’s a lose-lose in my book.

GARLIC BUTTER SPREAD

Truth be told, this recipe is really for the garlic butter spread you use on the bread. You’ll want a food processor for this, and I can tell you from personal experience, you’ll want your butter at least partly softened. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend too much time with the processor. But don’t get it so warm that it’s ready to melt either. Just a good, cool-room temperature that’s easy to cut.

BREAD FOR MAKING GARLIC BREAD

This is where most people get hung up. It can be tough, particularly in some areas of the country, to get a good, clean, whole grain, loaf of bread. Even if you find one that is 100% whole grain, there are often less desirable ingredients added. So take your time at the store reading ingredients.

I find that I am far more likely to find a clean loaf if I look for loaves of bread that are not sliced. They typically come in a paper bag that is open at one end, “bakery style”. I have only ever found one loaf, packed in plastic, that had clean ingredients, and that was at Trader Joe’s in California. I can’t find them here in North Carolina however. So it’s definitely a regional thing.

If you love baking bread, I encourage you to bake a loaf at home. But if you aren’t a baker, then I would spend some time looking at different stores until you find a loaf with reasonable ingredients.

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MORE HEALTHY BREAD RECIPES:

Enjoy!

GARLIC BREAD RECIPE

Garlic Bread Recipe

A delicious, flavorful, garlicky spread for making garlic bread for your next pasta night! Note that this makes enough for two loaves. If you can't use it all, keep the leftovers in the fridge and use it for roasting veggies or making eggs in the morning. Yummy!

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Course: Breads, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 128kcal

Ingredients

1 loaf whole wheat bread (unsliced in the package)
1 cup butter (softened)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. garlic powder (1 tbsp. if you prefer a milder garlic flavor)
2 tbsp. fresh, chopped parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Collect all your ingredients and place your loaf of bread on a cutting board.
Cut the bread lengthwise.
Blend the butter and remaining ingredients in a food processor until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency.
Use a spatula to scoop up some of the butter.
Spread the butter over both sides of the loaf. Don't be shy.
Place the loaf on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
Once it's golden brown, remove it from the oven, cool slightly so you can handle it with your fingers and slice it for serving.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition