Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread

Roasting the garlic in olive oil is what truly makes this cheesy bread more delicious than any you have ever had. It may take a little bit of time and planning but it is well worth the extra effort as you will get a sweet, richly flavored garlic to pair with your bread. Mozzarella cheese is a perfect cheese for this recipe as it browns and melts easily for a perfect bread topping and it has a more subtle flavor that won't overpower or compete with the roasted garlic. Make this garlic bread immediately before you plan on eating it as it is best when straight out of the oven!

How to make roasted garlic bread

– Cut the tops off of the garlic keeping the garlic head whole. Place the garlic in a small ramekin and cover with the olive oil. Cover the ramekin with foil and bake in an oven at 300 ̊F for one hour.

– Remove the garlic from the oil when browned and let cool. Pop out the roasted garlic cloves by pushing them up and out, squeezing the bottom of each clove.

– Slice the Italian bread lengthwise and smear the garlic infused olive oil on each side.

– Spread the roasted garlic cloves on each side of the bread.

– Slice the mozzarella cheese into thin slices, about 1/8th of an inch thick, and place on top of both pieces of the garlic bread.

– Place the bread under a broiler set on high heat to melt and slightly toast the cheese. When the cheese begins to bubble and turn slightly brown, remove from the broiler and slice into pieces and serve!

Tips

-For a bruschetta style cheesy garlic bread, place thinly sliced tomatoes and diced fresh basil on top of the garlic bread before adding the cheese. Place the cheese on top of the tomato slices and continue on with step 5. This makes a great appetizer or side dish on its own!
-If you prefer a French baguette to a soft Italian bread, that will work perfectly with this recipe as well!
-While you definitely want to make this cheesy garlic bread right before you are ready to eat it, you can roast the garlic up to two days before. Store it in the fridge in the oil it was roasted in then simply take it out when you are ready to make the cheesy garlic bread