The Best Ever Cheesy Garlic Bread
Make this and I bet that you won't want to order cheesy garlic bread from your local pizzeria ever again.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1¼ cups Warm water (between 98-110 degrees)
- 1½ teaspoons Granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons Yeast
- 3½ cups Bread Flour
- ¼ cup Olive Oil plus extra for greasing the pan and bowl
- 2 teaspoons Salt
Toppings
- 8 oz Shredded Mozzarella
- 4 Tbsp Salted Butter
- 5 cloves Garlic pasted/grated
- 1 bunch Fresh Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Measure out the warm water in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup.
- Mix the sugar into the warm water until dissolved.
- Sprinkle the yeast across the top of the water/sugar mixture, and gently stir.
- Set the yeast/sugar/water mixture aside for about 5 to 10 minutes until it "blooms" i.e. gets foamy and fragrant.
- Meanwhile, add the flour to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Make three separate divots or pockets into the flour, on the outer edge of the bowl.
- In one pocket, put the salt
- Another pocket, the olive oil.
- And lastly, the third pocket the yeast mixture.
- Fit the mixer with a dough hook attachment, and turn on "stir" or one to knead for 8-10 minutes.
- When the dough is combined, and elastic, remove the dough from the bowl.
- Use olive oil to grease the inside of the bowl, and return the dough.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
- When the dough has doubled in size, oil a large baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- While the oven is preheating, press the dough into a large rectangle on the baking sheet.
- Use a fork to poke holes over the entire dough rectangle.
- Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is lightly browned, and the cheese is melty, bubbly, and starting to brown in spots.
- While the dough is baking, add the garlic and butter to a small microwave safe bowl, and microwave for about 1 minute, until the butter is completely melted. (You can also melt the butter and cook the garlic in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat, if microwaves aren't your thing.)
- When the dough is baked, remove from the oven.
- Use a pastry or basting brush, and brush the warm butter and garlic mixture over the hot cheese and dough.
- Allow to cool approximately 5 minutes, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, slice, and serve with your favorite dips. See my suggestions above.