![]() |
My garlic bread butter blend, made using unsalted butter, garlic and onion powder, seasoned salt, Cajun seasoning, dried minced onions and parsley. |
Garlic Bread Butter Blend
Okay, yes. It's only garlic bread. Melt some butter, brush it on some bread, sprinkle a little garlic powder on top, pop it in the oven and you're done. True.But, this is the butter blend that I've been using for my basic garlic bread for years. I've made it more times than I can count since I started this recipe site, but recently I actually remembered to get some final shots for once! You know how it is. You've got everything going, the meal is just about ready, so you get the bread going and you pretty much have to stand over it or else, if you're like me, you burn it. You sit down, dig in and, if you're a food blogger, you realize you got all the shots of the bread in - except for the end product. I finally remembered, so thought it about time to share.
It's the perfect bread for spaghetti or lasagna and many other "red sauce" pasta meals, and also for many soups. I even like to use it with my Hasselback Cheesy Garlic Bread. This is so easy to make that I haven't bought the pre-made garlic bread from the freezer section in the store for years. The amounts given are widely variable, so if you find you like a lot of garlic or less seasoned salt, or more butter... go for it! Make it your own.

I hope you'll give it a try it and let me know what you think. Here's how to make it.
There are many ways to prepare the bread part, but it all starts with the butter blend. For an entire pound loaf of French or Italian bread, take a stick of unsalted butter and mix it with the seasonings - garlic and onion powder, seasoned salt, Cajun seasoning, dried minced onions and parsley. If you use salted butter, you'll want to eliminate the seasoned salt.
This is the cooking method I use the most when I serve this bread with spaghetti, baked spaghetti, baked ziti or any other kind of red sauced casserole or spaghetti. Just split the French bread in half lengthwise and spread the butter blend on both cut sides. Put the halves back together and wrap tightly with the foil. Place into a preheated 350 degree F oven. Heat for about 15 minutes, remove, carefully open foil, open bread and set oven on broil. Return bread to the oven, leaving the oven door ajar, and allow the top of the bread to lightly brown, monitoring constantly, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, turning tray around at least once.
Cut into slices to serve.

This is the method I like to use for more wet dishes, like soups and stews. Lay a large piece of aluminum foil on a heavy baking pan. Slice the bread into 1 inch pieces, smear each piece with butter blend and place in a preheated 350 degrees for 5 minutes to warm the bread through.
Turn oven up to broil and leaving the oven door ajar, allow the top of the bread to lightly brown, monitoring constantly, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, turning tray around at least once.
Recipe: Garlic Bread Butter Blend
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 5 min |Cook time: 15 min | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt (like Lawry's)
- 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, optional
- 1/2 tablespoon of dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 large (1 pound) loaf of French or Italian style bread
Combine all of the spread ingredients until well blended. Spread on bread and bake using your favorite method.
Method #1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Split the bread in half lengthwise and spread butter mixture evenly on both cut sides of the bread. Place edges of bread back together and wrap entire loaf tightly in foil. Heat in oven for about 15 minutes, remove, carefully open foil, open bread and set oven on broil. Return bread to the oven, leaving the oven door ajar, and allow the top of the bread to lightly brown, monitoring constantly, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, turning tray around at least once. Cut into slices to serve.
Method #2: Lay a large piece of aluminum foil on a heavy baking pan. Slice the bread into 1 inch pieces, smear each piece with butter blend and place in a preheated 350 degrees for 5 minutes to warm the bread through. Turn oven up to broil and leaving the oven door ajar, and allow the top of the bread to lightly brown, monitoring constantly, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, turning tray around at least once.
Method #3: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut slits in the bread about an inch apart, but don't cut all the way through the bottom of the bread. Place the bread on a large piece of aluminum foil with enough excess to wrap the bread tightly all the way around. Smear 3/4ths of the butter blend in between all of the slits, then spread the remaining blend on the top and sides of the bread. Add thin slices of cheese in the slits if desired. Seal the entire loaf up tightly for soft bread, or wrap the foil up around the sides and leave the top exposed to give it a slight crisp on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Slice all the way through to serve.
Cook's Notes: If you use salted butter, eliminate the seasoned salt. Use leftover hot dog buns to make garlic bread minis - they are the perfect vehicle and it's a great way to use them up. Use any leftover garlic bread to make homemade croutons. Cube bread, toss with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
Requires Adobe Reader - download it free!
©Deep South Dish
☛ Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.
Hasselback Cheesy Garlic Bread
Old Fashioned Biscuit Bread
Catch of the Day Crab Bread
Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, please do not copy and paste to repost or republish elsewhere such as other Facebook pages, blogs, websites, or forums without explicit prior permission. All rights reserved.

This looks great! I pay $4-5 a loaf for it premade at the store. I could make this for $1 or less a loaf. I don't know why in the world I didn't think of making my own before.
ReplyDeleteWould love to hear what you think if you try it Deana!
DeleteOh my. I can't decide what I'm making for dinner tonight but I think garlic bread needs to be a part of it no matter what. This looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks Janet!
Delete"Okay, yes. It's only garlic bread." - I have to say this is more than only garlic bread; it sounds delicious and will be tried here at the first opportunity. I like your cooking methods as well - thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteThank you Larry!
DeleteWhy don't you just toast the bread and rub it with fresh garlic? Any chef will tell you powdered ANYTHING is a cardinal sin.
ReplyDeleteWow Brandon! Really? Well, Bless Your Heart... to answer a rather rude question, I would tell you that A) I am NOT a chef, B) This is MY website, MY recipes, MY way and C) garlic powder is a perfectly acceptable ingredient to use in any home cook's kitchen. It's just simply more convenient and easier to use for a blend like I use here.
DeleteSure hope you feel better about yourself having visited a recipe website for the first time & be insulting. I would invite you to come back again sometime, but I'd ask that you mind your manners next time please!
I don’t know any professional chef who doesn’t use garlic powder or onion powder in some recipes, not as a substitute for fresh garlic or onion, but as its own ingredient. Paul Prudhomme himself uses powders all the time. Read his recipes. This kind of “no powders” snobbery is usually found among people who are just starting to cook, and aren’t sure enough of themselves as cooks yet. Over time, Brandon, as you gain more confidence as a cook, hopefully you’ll relax a little more, and enjoy ALL the ingredients available to us. Keep up the good work, Mary. My wife and I love your recipes.
DeleteThank you!
DeleteI cannot resist garlic bread...ever. I can make a meal out of it and a glass of iced tea! You take the best photos.. those slices of garlic bread look so delicious...perfectly browned and golden. I already told my husband we're having this tonight.
ReplyDeleteAs for the previous post....I'm always amazed at the number of people who are slaves to what some perceived "expert" says instead of going by what tastes good. It's a shame because they're missing out on some really good food.
Usually I would ignore that but I'm under the weather with the flu & grouchy LOL!! Thanks for your sweet comment - made me smile.
DeleteI always do options one or two, never tried the third one. Doing half a loaf to go with dinner tonight, maybe I'll try that.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Mary, for this recipe! Went to Pinterest (as usual *rolling eyes*) to find a recipe for garlic bread and very quickly stumbled across yours. Very easy to make, loved the different options AND it was delicious! It was so pretty coming out of the oven I had to dance with joy. My sister was impressed (wow, made your own garlic bread) and now I have a reason to leave the Texas Toast in the freezer aisle! Thanks again and kudos to you for being so generous and sharing with all of us. People like you make the internet worth playing on.
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome Sonia - thanks so much for the uplifting comment too!
DeleteHi, Mary
ReplyDeleteI love your web site keep up the great work and recipes coming.
Cloteal
Thanks so much for the encouragement!! That's always appreciated.
DeleteThis recipe is the best that I have ever tasted. I tried this garlic bread butter mix last week and from now on this will be the one that I use. Thank you for postng this!
ReplyDeleteIt's been my favorite blend for years - thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed it too!!
DeleteMary, There was no place I saw to comment on your biscuits. You stress everything being cold and the need to keep it that way while making....my tip is to grate the cold butter....it mixes faster and is awesome in biscuits or cornbread. I hope you will give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that!
DeleteQuick question-can I go ahead and slice the bread, top it with the garlic/butter spread, flash freeze then package in portion sizes in a freezer safe bag for future meal uses? Can't wait to give this a go, they look wonderful! Thank you for your help in advance.
ReplyDeleteI always make it fresh but mostly because my freezer is full of sale meats!! You should be able to freeze the slices and exactly the way that you mention. Flash freeze them until frozen solid, then bag them. Try to use them up within a few months though!
DeleteAwesome thank you. I will definitely let you know how it all turns out, as with the countless recipes of yours I've made, I'm sure it will be great, 100% confidence here as usual!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
You're welcome!
Deletejust saw this and can't wait to try it with your ziti recipe, but it will have to wait, as stomach flu is going through the household.
ReplyDeletewhich brings up an interesting question. Mary, do you know of any old southern recipes for the sick room? I know bone broths were common, and are supposedly very healing. My Nana was a teetotaller, until it came to a cold, then it was a hot bourbon toddy if you had a sore throat.
Oh gosh, sorry to hear that. My husband has been fighting off some kind of bug & I keep praying that I don't get it. Nothing as serious as tummy bugs though (thankfully!). First thing that came to mind of course was a hot toddy but then also drinking custard. That was what the old folks used to soothe the belly!
Delete