Why eat the frozen stuff when you can have Texas Toast Garlic Bread from scratch in 25 minutes and with just 5 ingredients?
Fluffy bread is coated in a simple garlic bread spread made with salty, garlicky butter with real chunks of garlic and finished with fresh chopped parsley. Then, it’s toasted to get a perfectly crispy exterior to make a delicious shareable bread appetizer!
Not only is this Texas Toast easy to make (something that, as a busy mom who loves to make things from scratch, I really appreciate!), but it can also be prepped and made ahead to store in the freezer for when you want it!
Texas Toast Vs Garlic Bread
While the term can sometimes be used interchangeably, Texas Toast is distinguished by its thick-cut sandwich bread-style slices. Garlic bread, on the other hand, can be made on a wide variety of different breads.
You’ll often see garlic bread made on a baguette or French bread.
Why is it called Texas Toast?
The name Texas Toast comes from its origins. A well-known Texan restaurant in the 1940’s used to serve sandwiches on super thick-cut buttery, garlicky bread. The delicious bread quickly gained its moniker, and it stuck, all these years later.
Texas Toast Garlic Bread Ingredients
- Sandwich bread. This recipe makes enough garlic butter to spread on both sides of 6 slices of thick cut bread. White sandwich bread is the perfect vessel for your spread because it’s porous, so it sops it up in the oven for a burst of flavor with each bite. Use white bread to replicate classic Texas Toast or make it your own with anything from sourdough to whole wheat!
- Unsalted butter. Using unsalted butter allows us to have more control over the overall saltiness of the garlic butter. It’s also important that your butter is softened.
- Garlic. The real chunks of roasted garlic in this recipe make it next-level delicious.
- Garlic salt.
- Parsley.
Texas Toast Garlic Bread Tips and Tricks
The Secret is in the Softening
The butter you use should be unsalted, so you can control the amount of salt you are adding to your spread. You will also want to make sure your butter is nice and soft.
If you take it out of the fridge before you get started, and set it near your oven, that should be plenty of time for it to soften. If you forget to take it out—don’t worry! There are many ways to soften butter quickly.
Arguably, the easiest way is in the microwave. Add the butter to a microwave-safe dish and microwave it on high for ten seconds. Then, continue to heat in 5-second intervals until you get the right consistency. Remember, we are striving for softened, not melted.
You’ll know your butter is softened when you poke it, and your finger leaves an imprint.
Peel Your Garlic
Peel the outermost paper-thin layer off your garlic. I find the easiest way to do so is the crush the garlic with the side of my knife as pictured.
This will crack and fragment the peel, allowing you to easily peel it away.
Dice Your Fresh Parsley
Rinse and dry your parsley before removing the leaves from the stems. Discard the stems and chop your parsley leaves.
You’re probably wondering why I’m hand chopping the parsley and using a food processor for the butter and garlic. Trust me, I’ve tested this recipe both ways, because I’m the first to search for a shortcut, especially when it comes to chopping!
Unfortunately, adding the fresh parsley to the food processor with the garlic butter breaks the parsley down too much, resulting in a green garlic spread that isn’t too appetizing.
However, if you’re not worried about the color and want to make this super easy, you can choose to throw the parsley in the food processor whole. Please just note, you will not get the same results as pictured.
Consider Using a Food Processor for Quicker and Easier Results
While you can absolutely hand mince your garlic and mix it with the softened butter, I find that using a food processor is the simplest way to make your garlic butter for Texas Toast.
Spread Garlic Butter and Toast in the Oven
If need be, slice your bread into thick slices, about one to one and half inches thick (this is only if you buy a loaf of bread rather than pre-sliced sandwich bread). Spread a generous amount of the garlic butter on both sides of your bread.
You should see chunks of roasted garlic in your buttery spread. This recipe makes enough to spread an even layer on either side of six slices of bread.
Once you’ve spread your garlic butter all over the bread on both sides, it’s time for the oven! Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway in between. This should give your crispy edges and a softer interior.
Pro tip: Toasting time will vary greatly depending on the thickness of your bread. It’s worth checking on your Texas Toast every 5 minutes or so to avoid burning.
If you like your garlic bread crispier, you can finish it off under the broiler (about 500°F) until it starts to turn golden brown. Make sure to watch it closely, sometimes it only takes about 30 seconds.
Prepping Texas Toast Ahead of Time
Leftover homemade garlic bread will last in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. In the freezer, leftovers are good for up to 3 months.
Likewise, you can also choose to prep your Texas Toast from scratch and freeze it so you can grab a slice and heat it up whenever you want!
You can freeze it for up to 3 months and heat up a fresh piece when you want one. Allow the baked garlic bread to cool, then store it in a freezer-safe bag.
From frozen, you can place it directly into a pre-heated 400°F oven on a baking sheet for about 6-12 minutes.
Serving Your Homemade Texas Toast
This Texas Toast from scratch is delicious as is, but especially good dipped in this marinara dipping sauce. You can also top it with Parmesan, mozzarella, or any other cheese of choice.
If you want to melt the cheese, you can add it when you take the bread out of the oven halfway through to flip it.
This homemade Texas Toast makes for a great appetizer or side dish, especially with a pasta dinner like this Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake or Meatless Lasagna!
5-Ingredient Homemade Texas Toast Garlic Bread
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Food Processor optional
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup softened unsalted butter (½ cup butter = 1 stick)
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 6 slices thick cut sandwich bread of choice (the original is made on white bread)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel your garlic and rinse and remove the parsley leaves from the stems, discarding the stems and chopping the leaves until you have roughly ¼ cup.4 cloves garlic, ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Add the peeled garlic to a food processor and blend on high until minced (or mince it by hand with a sharp knife).
- Add the softened butter and garlic salt to the food processor and blend again on high until well-combined and butter is easily spreadable (or you can mix the minced garlic, softened butter, and garlic salt with a fork).½ cup softened unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- Remove the blade from the food processor (if applicable) and use a spoon or spatula to fold in the chopped fresh parsley.
- Generously spread the butter on both sides of the bread and line them up on a large baking sheet.6 slices thick cut sandwich bread of choice
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway until crispy. If you want it extra crispy, you can turn your oven up to broil (500°F) until you get the crispiness you desire (watch it closely! This may only take 30 seconds). Serve immediately or store in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months and reheat at 400°F for 6-12 minutes when you're ready to enjoy. (*see notes for more details).
Pro Tips
- *Both the initial and reheating toasting time will vary greatly depending on the thickness of your bread. It’s worth checking on it every 5 minutes or so to avoid burning!
- Try it dipped in this Marinara Dipping Sauce.
- You can use this same garlic butter recipe to use on a French baguette or Cuban Bread to make garlic bread, but the thick cut sandwich bread will give it the Texas Toast feel.
- Cheesy Texas Toast is delish! You can add shredded cheddar, mozzarella, or even parmesan when you take the bread out of the oven to flip it halfway through.
1 thought on “5-Ingredient Homemade Texas Toast Garlic Bread”
I\’m so happy you have good memories of some of the food I made when you were a little girl! Even I can make this recipe !! I\’m going to try it.
(Review provided by a family/friend of marleysmenu.com)