Ina Garten's Baguette Recipe Swaps Simple Butter for Slow-Cooked Garlic

Standard home preparation for garlic bread typically involves slicing a baguette, applying garlic butter, and toasting it in a hot oven until browned. Ina Garten, the cookbook author and television host, proposes a more complex variation that she titles "Outrageous Garlic Bread." Her method replaces simple butter with a slow-cooked mixture that incorporates additional aromatics and cheeses.

The recipe, detailed in the book "Modern Comfort Food," yields eight servings. The process begins with 1.5 sticks of unsalted butter and one head of garlic, which requires 12 tablespoons of butter to coat the separated cloves. The garlic is cooked in the butter over low heat for 20 minutes until it becomes very tender. This step is distinct from standard toasting methods, as it requires the pot to be covered while the cook stirs the mixture occasionally.

Once the garlic is tender, it is mashed in the butter. The cook then stirs in one cup of freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, two tablespoons of minced fresh parsley, two teaspoons of grated lemon zest, and a quarter teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. The mixture is seasoned with one and a half teaspoons of kosher salt and half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Garten notes that this garlic mixture can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in a refrigerator.

The bread component is a single crusty French baguette measuring between 20 and 24 inches in length. The baguette is sliced in half lengthwise and scored diagonally to create large serving pieces. The garlic mixture is spread generously on the cut sides. The four resulting pieces are placed on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

The oven is preheated to 450 degrees with the rack set to the middle position. The bread bakes for five to seven minutes. The cooking is complete when the topping is bubbly, beginning to brown, and the bread is crisp. The final step involves transferring the bread to a board, cutting along the scores, and sprinkling the pieces with fleur de sel or sea salt before serving warm.

The recipe includes specific instructions for peeling the garlic, suggesting that cloves be smashed with a chef's knife or boiled for 15 to 30 seconds to remove the peels. The article was written by award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas, who has published three cookbooks, including "Melissa's 50 Best Plants on the Planet."