Chilli Cheese Garlic Bread
by Nigella. Featured in AT MY TABLEIntroduction
Garlic bread — a damp-centred, often bendy, stick of it — was a dominating feature of my eating life in the '70s and '80s. This is a more robust version, gooey with cheese and warmly, rather than fierily, flecked with chilli.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Garlic bread — a damp-centred, often bendy, stick of it — was a dominating feature of my eating life in the '70s and '80s. This is a more robust version, gooey with cheese and warmly, rather than fierily, flecked with chilli.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: approx. 10 slices (depending on the dimensions of the loaf)
- 100 grams soft unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes
- 4 fat cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- ⅛ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 ball mozzarella (well drained and finely chopped)
- 1 small (approx. 400g) white sourdough loaf or other good chewy bread
- 7 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 fat cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 ounces mozzarella (well drained and finely chopped)
- 1 small (approx. 14oz) white sourdough loaf or other good chewy bread
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC Fan/425ºF.
- Beat together the butter, salt, garlic and chilli flakes, then duly beat in the mozzarella.
- Cut the bread on the diagonal into slices 2-2.5cm / 1in apart, taking care not to go all the way through to the bottom.
- Spread the garlic butter mixture generously and evenly between the slices, and then smear the last scrapings down the middle of the top of the loaf.
- Wrap the bread in foil with a fold at the top so that it can be opened easily, and bake for 30 minutes. Open the parcel carefully; if the bread is still soft on top, put it back in the oven, with the foil pulled back a little, and cook for another 5 minutes until the top is crisp. Remove from the oven, lift the bread out of the foil (without burning your fingers) and place the crisp bread on a board. Using a large serrated knife, cut through to separate the slices.
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC Fan/425ºF.
- Beat together the butter, salt, garlic and chilli flakes, then duly beat in the mozzarella.
- Cut the bread on the diagonal into slices 2-2.5cm / 1in apart, taking care not to go all the way through to the bottom.
- Spread the garlic butter mixture generously and evenly between the slices, and then smear the last scrapings down the middle of the top of the loaf.
- Wrap the bread in foil with a fold at the top so that it can be opened easily, and bake for 30 minutes. Open the parcel carefully; if the bread is still soft on top, put it back in the oven, with the foil pulled back a little, and cook for another 5 minutes until the top is crisp. Remove from the oven, lift the bread out of the foil (without burning your fingers) and place the crisp bread on a board. Using a large serrated knife, cut through to separate the slices.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The loaf can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate, wrapped in the foil, and bake for an extra 5-10 minutes.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The loaf can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate, wrapped in the foil, and bake for an extra 5-10 minutes.
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What 2 Others have said
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Posted by 2pennybit on 14th October 2021
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Posted by Rossbeigh on 26th March 2021
Show more commentsI have experimented with using homemade garlic mayonnaise instead of butter with lots of extra minced garlic of course. Also combining mascarpone and Monterey Jack cheese works very well
Happy that this is published now for everyone to enjoy. For me, the key here is the garlic/butter/red chili flake combination. After that, quite honestly, you could add any cheese you like. The mozzarella listed here is great and wonderfully gooey, but Parmesan works too, even if it doesn’t melt as well. You could enter other countries with Manchego or even goat cheese (although that doesn’t necessarily melt - still tasty, though!). Cheddar is good as well for a British pub vibe with a pint. Great recipe!