Olive Oil Garlic Herb Bread
With inches of snow on the ground and sub-zero temperatures looming, last summer seems like a lifetime ago.
This recipe goes back to summer, when a vegan friend of my daughter’s came to visit. On those long summer days, the wheels began to turn. What could I make that would be vegan, realistic, and broadly appealing? Finally, this week, I made the olive oil, garlic herb bread I envisioned then. Sometimes those wheels turn slowly!
Over the holidays, we spend some time “up north” amid snowmobilers, Christmas cabarets, and holiday boutique sales. Pack up the Christmas leftovers, buy a big turkey and the living is easy. Glowing fires, old movies, and tubing down the golf course hill.
While olive oil garlic herb bread might not seem like a classic accompaniment to leftovers, it worked so well that I made spaghetti so we could have it again. Everyone should get a week of easy living now and then!
Interestingly, this recipe was in some ways simpler than the traditional butter garlic bread I make. When I prepare that, I saute garlic in butter, then repeatedly move the molten liquid to and from the freezer, looking for perfect spreadability. Since olive oil is something I think of as liquid (unless I am annoyed that my olive oil salad dressing has clumped in the refrigerator), I just picked up a pastry brush and started “painting” the bread!
Easy peasy!
Olive Oil Garlic Herb Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil divided
- 1 Tablespoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 loaf French bread approx 18 inches
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Saute minced garlic in 1/4 c olive oil on low heat until just tender
- Add other herbs and remaining olive oil and cook for a minute
- Cut French bread in half lengthwise and brush with oil herb mixture
- Place halves back together, wrap loosely in aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes until starting to crisp.
- Remove from foil, slice and serve
Nutrition
- Start the New Year Right with Whole Wheat Waffles
- Easy Coconut Orange Tart
Yum! This sounds like something our Book Club would enjoy, maybe with some of that spaghetti.
Good idea Kathy. I’ll have to remember that when it’s my turn to host book club again.
Looking forward to making this! My garlic bread never comes out right so I’m happy to have a good recipe for it!
My husband took it to a party Saturday night (while I chaperoned a slumber party) and I was happy to learn it went over well there.
Made this tonight. It was delicious in its own right, and the perfect accompaniment to a simple vegan meal of green salad and spaghetti with Rao’s marinara sauce and Boca crumbles. Plus it’s quick and easy!
I am so happy you enjoyed it!
Oh, what great looking garlic bread!
Thanks!
OMY I love garlic bread and this look and make me really hungry!!
xx
Sorry to make you hungry Gloria–I know how that is when reading food blogs 😉
I’m not how sure a “week of easy living” is going to transpire with this darn weather but, I know for sure Garlic Herb Bread will send me in the right direction. Is it warm in Italy this time of year, lol…Thanks for sharing, Inger…I sure wish I had a taste right now!!!
Well the easy living has ended for me! I will be driving my kids to dentists and orthodontists in the sub zero afternoon tomorrow. Perhaps it’s all a good excuse to do some more baking! Stay warm Louise!
Oh this bread loos so delicious!
Thanks!
Looks delicious! Sometimes these ideas take a while to come to life, don’t they?
It’s true Beth. So glad for the saying “better late than never”!
Reading you talk about olive oil in the refrigerator reminds me of a funny moment at my mother-in-law’s house recently where we discovered that she had misread the bottle months ago thinking it said “refrigerate after opening” when it actually said “do not refrigerate.” So each time she needed to use it she had to wait for it to liquefy. She was so happy to discover it didn’t need to be refrigerated.
Oh too funny!