Crispy. Buttery. Garlic. Bread. The secret to restaurant level deliciousness is within reach — and we got a couple of experts to tell us how.
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00:00Crispy, buttery, garlic bread. The secret to restaurant-level deliciousness is within reach,
00:06and we got a couple of experts to tell us how.
00:10It's called garlic bread for a reason. And that bread? It's baked in-house. Usually.
00:15When it isn't baked by the restaurant, it's been carefully sourced.
00:18As Michael Friedman, a James Beard-nominated chef and owner of several Washington, D.C.
00:22restaurants explains,
00:23"...we use our house-made focaccia for our garlic bread. Light, chewy, and airy,
00:28focaccia toasts really well and soaks up all the garlicky, buttery goodness."
00:32People often use baguettes to make garlic bread. Supermarkets usually do it this way.
00:36But Steve Ciappetti, executive chef of the Albert & Archive Lounge at Chicago's Hotel
00:41EMC2, tells us that baguettes aren't the way forward. As he explains,
00:45"...a baguette is sometimes too dense of a bread,
00:47not really allowing the oil and butter to be soaked into the bread itself."
00:51Your bread choice can make all the difference. So if you can find some locally-made ciabatta
00:55or focaccia, you'll probably make your best-yet garlic bread.
00:59"...it's actually a really good garlic bread. Garlic bread is my favorite food.
01:02I could honestly eat it for every meal. Or just eat it all the time without even stopping."
01:07Part of what makes restaurant garlic bread so delicious is that squidgy,
01:10garlicky center. But is it oil or butter that makes it taste so great? Well,
01:15it turns out the answer is both. Ciappetti explains,
01:18"...some just use butter, some use olive oil, but the best garlic bread uses both."
01:23This is a secret of restaurants that you won't commonly see in the home kitchen.
01:27Ciappetti first drizzles the bread with olive oil, then spreads butter across the
01:30bread before baking. But not every restaurant uses both oil and butter.
01:34Friedman tells us they only use butter at all purpose in Washington, D.C., saying,
01:38"...we essentially make a compound butter with fresh garlic,
01:41roasted garlic, oregano, black pepper, and lemon zest."
01:45Ciappetti also mentions that using compound butter is a great way of getting an even
01:49distribution of ingredients. It's also easy to slather onto bread.
01:53The difference between restaurant-level garlic bread and what you make at home could come down
01:57to the garlic. Garlic bread from restaurants usually includes at least some fresh garlic.
02:02Ciappetti explains,
02:03"...fresh garlic is best. I love to use both fresh and granulated garlic when making my garlic bread."
02:09One thing he definitely recommends? Avoid garlic powder like the plague. The difference
02:13between garlic granules and garlic powder is that powder is fine, while granules are chunkier.
02:18It's easy to overdo it with the powdered stuff, which may be part of why it's not good for garlic
02:22bread. You might find that some restaurants use a blend of fresh and granulated garlic,
02:27but plenty of chefs stay away from the granulated stuff, too.
02:30Still, they may combine fresh garlic in different forms. Friedman tells us his
02:34restaurants use both slivered and roasted. Chefs all have their own preferences for garlic,
02:39but if your homemade version doesn't contain any of the fresh stuff, you're doing it wrong.
02:44When roasted, garlic takes on a mild, sweet flavor and a soft,
02:47spreadable consistency, making it a subtle addition. It can be used on its own,
02:51but a combination of sweet roasted garlic and punchy fresh garlic is delicious.
02:56Ciappetti recommends storing a jar of roasted garlic and oil in your fridge,
03:00so you can use it to quickly and easily make garlic bread when you're in the mood.
03:04When you want that garlic-infused bread, cut the bread in half and spread it with
03:08the cooked garlic and olive oil, a dash of fresh oregano or thyme, and bake.
03:12This is a sweeter version of the typical family-style garlic bread.
03:15Friedman says roasted garlic confit is an alternative to classic roasted garlic,
03:19and one he uses at his restaurants. He explains,
03:22"...we take whole garlic cloves and slowly braise them in olive oil until caramelized.
03:27This allows the garlic's natural sweetness to come out,
03:29along with a nutty, toasted note that is as delicious as it is addictive."
03:33If your homemade garlic bread lacks a certain something,
03:36it might be that you're just not going hard enough on the garlic. As Friedman tells us,
03:40in a restaurant setting, we likely use a bit more garlic than the average person
03:44might when making it at home. Ciappetti also says he's sure he uses much more garlic than
03:48a home cook. It's a common mistake. It's easy to be scared of ingredients with bold flavors
03:54and use them sparingly. But with something like garlic bread, you should go big or go home.
03:58Although not serving garlic bread at all is its own issue.
04:02Uh-oh. Guys, we have a major problem here. No garlic bread.
04:06Moral of the story? You can use more garlic than you probably think.
04:10And remember that roasted garlic is significantly milder than fresh.
04:14So when you're using it in a recipe, you might need as many as three bulbs.
04:18That's right. Bulbs, not cloves.
04:20Salt is another ingredient that people are often scared of. There's many types of salt available,
04:25and most people likely don't know how to utilize them all properly.
04:28Garlic bread doesn't escape this fate. It's commonly under-salted,
04:32making the finished bread bland and boring. We all know that food needs salt to taste good,
04:36but why? It's not just that salt makes food taste salty, it also elevates the flavor of
04:41other elements. So salt makes garlic more garlicky and butter more buttery. But as Friedman warns,
04:47too much salt makes it inedible, and not enough salt makes it a rich, bland mess.
04:52In regards to under-seasoning, Chia Petty recommends using kosher salt for larger flakes
04:56and more distinct taste. That slight crunch that flakes of kosher salt or sea salt brings
05:01contrasts the center of the bread, which can be soft and slightly stodgy.
05:05Thinking about texture in this way is just another part of what makes restaurant garlic
05:09bread superior. You might think garlic bread just needs garlic, oil, or butter and salt,
05:14but the best restaurant garlic bread uses a variety of other seasonings. Expanding seasonings
05:19beyond just salt brings a greater depth of flavor, and herbs add a lot to the party as well.
05:24As Michael Friedman tells us,
05:26We use Sicilian oregano in our garlic butter and finish the garlic bread with fresh parsley for a
05:31nice herbal note. Aside from oregano, Friedman seasons garlic bread with lemon zest and black
05:36pepper. The pepper brings slightly spicy notes, while the lemon zest adds brightness.
05:41Chia Petty also utilizes herbs, saying,
05:43Oregano is my go-to on this dish, but you can mix it up with rosemary or marjoram, too.
05:48If you're wondering whether to opt for fresh or dry herbs, Chia Petty says,
05:52Fresh is always bright, brilliant, and robust. Dry is absolutely fine as well,
05:56but be careful of the amounts since an overage can give a medicinal flavor.
06:00In addition to fresh oregano, Chia Petty uses black pepper and chili flakes to season his garlic
06:05bread. So if you want to up your game when making garlic bread at home, embrace herbs and look
06:10beyond just salt for seasoning. It's not just the ingredients, it's their overall quality.
06:16When you make garlic bread at home, you'll probably pick up whatever you can get at the store.
06:20Chefs, on the other hand, are professionals who pore over ingredients and make sure they
06:24buy from the best stockists. This can make the difference between decent garlic bread
06:28and amazing garlic bread. As Chia Petty explains,
06:32I used to think ingredients were just about recipes, but the real secret to cooking is to
06:36get to know your ingredients. Where are they from, and how are they grown?
06:40When looking for quality ingredients, he recommends choosing seasonal products
06:44and sourcing them close to home. He looks for local farmer's markets and local dairy farmers.
06:49Friedman agrees that ingredient quality is important, explaining,
06:52Good ingredients matter. It's important to source well and talk to your purveyors
06:56about what's available. If you use subpar ingredients, the end result will be, well,
07:01subpar. So for those really serious about making great garlic bread, buy the bread from a local
07:06bakery, get herbs and garlic from the farmer's market, and look for butter from an independent
07:10dairy. These changes will elevate the recipe, making it so incredible that people won't
07:15believe you can get that amount of flavor just from garlic bread.
07:19Garlic bread.
07:23Garlic bread.