Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce loaf of Italian bread or French bread
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

1. For Method 1, get the oven set to 350 degrees F. Split the loaf across the middle lengthwise, so you have a top half and a bottom half.
2. In a small bowl, stir the butter, garlic, and parsley until combined. Cover both cut sides of the bread with that mixture.
3. Move the bread onto a sturdy baking pan that can take serious heat, so skip the cookie sheet here. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
4. Take the pan out of the oven. Add Parmesan over the bread, if you want it, then slide the pan back in on the highest rack.
5. Switch the broiler to high and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until the bread starts to toast around the edges and the cheese, if you added it, is bubbling. Keep your eyes on it the whole time, because broiling can take bread from pale to burnt in a hurry.
6. Pull the pan from the oven and give the bread a minute to settle. Transfer it off the pan, cut it into 1-inch thick pieces, and serve immediately.
7. For Method 2, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together the butter, garlic, and parsley mixture the same way.
8. Cut the loaf into 1-inch thick slices without cutting all the way through; stop at the bottom crust so the loaf stays together. Tuck a teaspoon or 2 of the butter mixture into each cut, or fill every other cut if you want the garlic mixture on only 1 side of the bread.
9. Cover the bread in aluminum foil and warm it in the oven for 15 minutes.