This roasted garlic, garlic bread is my contribution to Pane Criminale. This loaf has deep crevice’s dripping with garlic butter and herbs. And while it takes a little longer to bake than my also amazing regular garlic bread, it’s well worth the extra effort when you have the time. Pane Meno Criminale is insanely buttery and deeply herbaceous and garlicky in a way that makes me want to lick my fingers (and maybe my plate).
I have a crush on Samin Nosrat’s recipes (and a little crush on her). One of the things that makes her so charming is that her recipes feel like an invitation to cook and not a stress-laden checklist. I made her pane criminale right when I got her most recent cookbook, but I was more than a bit disappointed. The garlic tasted harsh and there wasn’t quite enough cheese. But, since her recipes are open invitations to play, I’ve toyed with it, and here’s my version.
Notes
Note about roasting garlic
I roast garlic when I am already using the oven (roasting beets or broccoli, making baked potatoes, ect.). I’ll throw a couple of heads in while I’m doing it. Just throw in a few heads of garlic next time your oven is on cooking something savory. Or, since this bread is so good fire up the oven just for this bread.
Note about (not) using a food processor
You do not have to use one. BUT it using it means your butter doesn’t have to be at room temperature (although slightly softened is helpful), and the processor is really nice for making the garlic-herb-butter compote nice and uniform. If making the butter compote by hand, make sure your butter really is at room temperature and mash the roast garlic before combining it with butter.
Bread type
I use Wegman’s olive oil bread for this recipe, so I have a strong preference for making this with a standard peasant loaf. While I I think it would be tremendous with sourdough, I haven’t tried it yet. Please note that if you’re if making this with a baguette, you’ll only need about ½ of the amount of garlic butter
Key Ingredients
Head of garlic
peasant loaf
butter
Parmesan
Italian Parsley
Roasted Garlic Pane Meno Criminale – Recipe
Takes about 10 minutes to make garlic bread plus 30 minutes to cook. Roasting garlic takes 5 minutes to prep and 35-45 minutes to bake. Recipe adapted from Samin Nosrat’s Pane Criminale in “Good Things.”
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic
- 1 md/lg head of garlic
- 1-2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
Garlic Bread
- 1 peasant loaf style boule/loaf
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, ideally room temperature
- 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, garlic scape salt, or diamond kosher salt
- 1-3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
- ¼ heaped cup fresh Italian parsley
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (to taste)
Step One
Roast the Garlic. This step can be done up to 3 days in advance. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice off the top of a garlic head so that the tops of the cloves are exposed. Discard the top and place the head on a piece of tinfoil large enough to completely wrap up the garlic. Drizzle about 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil over top the head then wrap it in tinfoil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 35-40 minutes until cloves are a squishy and golden colored. Allow garlic to cool a few minutes then use or store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Step Two
Prepping the Bread. Preheat oven to 400 (380 convection). Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the loaf of bread. Set aside. Slice loaf into ½ inch slices, leaving the bottom inch uncut so bread slices stay together. Then slice the sliced bread crosswise so that each slice is divided in half. (See photo) Set bread on the tinfoil and set aside.
Step Three
Make the garlic butter by removing the roasted garlic cloves from their casing and combining them in the bowl of a food processor with butter, garlic salt, parsley, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Pulse food processor to combine. If the butter is cold, you may need to add a small drizzle of olive oil. Once garlic and butter are adequately blended, add grated Parmesan and pulse until just combined.
Step Four
Assemble the garlic bread. Spread the roasted garlic butter on the sides of each slice of bread without tearing it from the whole. Wrap bread in tinfoil covering completely. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 23 minutes (don’t skimp on this or butter will not fully infuse the bread). After 23 minutes, open the tinfoil so that the top of the bread is exposed. optional. Continue to bake for 5-6 minutes until top looks a little extra brown and crusty.
Step Five
Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Bread can be stored, wrapped in tinfoil in the fridge, for up to 3 days