Essential Garlic Bread

Last Updated January 8, 2026

Ingredients

1. 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), softened at room temperature
2. Approximately ¼ cup mayo (trust me, don’t skip this)
3. ½ teaspoon (about a three-finger pinch) of Kosher Salt
4. ¼ teaspoon MSG (no, it won’t make you sick)
5. ¼ teaspoon celery salt (optional)
6. 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced (or 1 tablespoon dried)
7. 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
8. 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
9. ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
10. 3 (or more) cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane
11. 1 loaf crusty French bread (or Ciabatta or sandwich bread, or whatever you’ve got laying around) – sliced in half lengthwise, or into rounds (pictured)… whatever
12. Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon or Himalayan Pink Salt) for garnish, optional
13. Bonus Points – 1 clove of garlic, halved, for rubbing the edges of the hot bread when it comes out of the oven – trust me, do this.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 500°F
2. Using a spatula or large spoon, Mix ingredients 1 – 8 together in a medium bowl until well combined
3. Spread garlic spread all over bread, cut side up, careful not to neglect the edges
4. Spray a cookie sheet with baking spray, or grease it well
5. Place bread, spread side up, on the cookie sheet
6. Bake garlic bread until toasty and golden brown – about 4-6 minutes. (Note: Watch it like a f*cking hawk – once it begins to brown, it’ll go from perfect to incinerated in like 1/2 a second – this is not the time to walk away or try to go do dishes or something!)
7. Sprinkle with flaky salt, and rub the edges with a cut clove of garlic while still warm