Simple Butter Garlic Bread
Crusty, soft, and chewy garlic bread is a must-have with any main course, soup, or salad. So quick and easy to make, this homemade garlic bread comes together in less than 10-minutes and will become a weeknight and weekend staple!
Why Grass-fed Butter?
With so many choices out there, why do I recommend grass-fed butter?
Whole Food: One of the reasons I prefer to use only grass-fed butter in my dishes and cooking is because it is a whole food. Eating whole foods means that you are eating foods that are minimally processed and are closest to the way you would naturally find them.
Nutrient Dense: Grass-fed cows are healthier cows and their beef and butter are more nutrient dense since they are eating their natural diet.
Vitamin A: Grass-fed butter is high in beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that is necessary in eye health, cellular division, and immune health [1].
Vitamin K: Vitamin K is essential in bone health and it is converted to vitamin K2 by our gut microbiome, which supports our heart health!
Higher in unsaturated fatty acids [2]
Higher in Omega-3's: support anti-inflammation pathways.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): Grass-fed butter has been show to have a much higher concentration of CLA than butter from grain-fed cows. CLA's contain Omega-6 fatty acids that are converted in the body to arachidonic acid, the building block used to support inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways [3].
Taste and Satiety: Let's just be honest, fat makes our food taste wonderful and it promotes satiety from our meals, so why not make the healthiest whole food choice like grass-fed butter.
Why Organic Unbleached Flour vs. Conventional Flour
With the industrialized food system in our country, the foods we eat today (especially wheat, corn, soy, and more) are nothing like what they used to be, even as soon as 20 years ago. The land that food is grown on no longer has the mineral composition is used to, yielding a nutritionally void food. Additionally, too many foods in our stores come from crops that have been genetically modified to be pesticide resistant and are grown with carcinogenic products like RoundUP. It's important to choose your food and ingredients wisely so let's dive into why I try to only buy organic and unbleached breads and grains for my family to eat.
Why Organic? Organic flour is milled from grains that have been grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. By buying organic breads or using organic flour in your baked goods, you are also increasing the nutrition found in the foods you eat and create. Organic grains have higher levels of zinc, magnesium and protein than their conventional counterparts [1].
Why Unbleached? Bleached flour is ultra refined, and that is enough reason to cut it out of your diet! During the processing of refining foods such as flours, sugars and oils, the key and essential nutrients get stripped away, yielding a product that is nutritionally void. Chemicals you say? Why yes! Bleached flours are full of chemicals, such as potassium bromide which has been shown to be a carcinogen linked to kidney and thyroid cancer [2].
GMOs: Many of the breads, cereals, snacks, and grains out on market shelves are derived from either hybridized or genetically modified (GM) ingredients (wheat, corn, soy), and many of these are grown conventionally and are treated with toxic chemicals like glyphosate (RoundUp.)
Environmental Impact: Across the globe, over 80% of all the GMO and conventional crops that are cultivated have been modified against herbicides such as RoundUp. This means that the crops have had their DNA altered so that they are resistant against chemicals like RoundUp allowing for these toxic chemicals to be sprayed on the crops, killing other plants and pests without harming the crop itself. The problem with chemicals like glyphosate is that they are now part of the food you eat, and have given rise to "superbugs" and "superweeds" that have become resistant to it and can now only be killed with chemicals that are even more toxic like 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D, an ingredient in Agent Orange) shown to correlate with thyroid disorders, hormonal disorders, decreased fertility, birth defects, and cancer [3].
Human Impact: In recent studies, there have been indications of the negative impact GMO foods are having when consumed. These foods are showing that they may have toxicity on organs, organ systems, and immune health [4]. Consuming foods that have been genetically modified exposes you to a slurry of toxic chemicals, like glyphosate, that has been shown to be carcinogenic [5].
So grab an organic ciabatta loaf and let's get cooking!
Simple Butter Garlic Bread Ingredients
Serves 8-12
1 loaf Italian (ciabatta) Bread, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 cup Unsalted Grass-Fed Butter, softened
1 Clove Garlic, finely minced
1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Real Salt
1/2 tsp of Ground Black Pepper
How to Make Simple Butter Garlic Bread
1. Turn on the broiler.
2. In a small bowl combine the softened butter, garlic and spices and mix well with a spatula.
3. Slice the bread lengthwise and lay on a large baking sheet.
4. Spread the garlic butter in an even layer over the top of each half of the bread.
5. Set the garlic bread under the broiler on a lower rack in the oven. Keep a close eye as this can go from “not quite” to “burnt” in a matter of a few seconds.
6. Broil for about 4-6 minutes until top is nicely browned and crisp.
7. Cut into thick slices and enjoy!
Watch the Video HERE
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FAQs
Q: I can't find ciabatta to make garlic bread, what else would you recommend?
A: You could try a baguette, or honestly, any bread you love! I will often cut my day old homemade no-knead bread into thick slices and toast them up that way.
Q: If I don't have fresh garlic, how much garlic powder should I use?
A: I would use about 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder if you don't have fresh garlic available.
Q: Could you use fresh herbs in the garlic butter mixture?
A: Yes! I often use my garlic herb butter as a shortcut when I have it on hand, but feel free to add some fresh herbs!
I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. - Amy
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