Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe

This is the cheesy garlic bread recipe to beat all cheesy bread recipes. We make this at least once a week in my house. My kids love it. This cheesy garlic bread makes a great snack or a great accompaniment to soups or Italian food.

If you are familiar with making yeast bread, this will be a cinch for you. If you have never made yeast bread before, do not be too concerned ...it is pretty easy, just a bit time consuming as your bread needs to raise for about one hour the first time and 20 minutes or so the second time. So you must allow a couple of hours before you can serve this bread.

I would strongly suggest you use a stand mixer with a bread dough attachment.

Since I make two or three loaves at a time, I use the cheapest cheese that I can find and for whatever reason, Colby is the cheapest right now. Other cheeses that would work well are: cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, parmesan, even a pepper Jack...

You can bake your bread on a greased cookie sheet. Personally, I like putting it on parchment paper...it makes for a super easy clean up.

As for the yeast, I use Red Star which I buy in bulk but you should be able to find it at any grocery store - deserving of the name - in small quantities.

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Cheesy Garlic Bread Ingredients

1 cup warm - not hot - water

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - EVOO

1/2 cup butter - melted

1 to 3 garlic cloves - minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

Cheese of your choice

Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe

In a big bowl - or your stand mixer bowl - place the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit until it gets foamy and bubbly looking.

Add the salt, EVOO and 2 1/4 cups of the flour. Mix with either your dough attachment or a wooden spoon until you can no longer do so and then with floured hands. Your dough should not be sticky, it should be smooth and should spring back when gently pushed in.

Cover your bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise - in a warm place - until it doubles in size- or about 1 hour.

Punch your dough down and form it into a loaf. You can also make a long piece of bread, double back on itself and twist it, or a third option would be to braid your bread. I go for ease so I make the loaf - or I also make two loaves - and the twist when I want to be "fancy."

Place your loaf onto a greased - or parchment lined - cookie sheet and let it rise for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, set your oven for 425 degrees.

After 20 minutes, place your cheesy bread loaf in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

While your cheesy garlic bread is baking, melt the butter with the garlic and the basil. Set aside. Cut some slices of cheese.

Take your loaf out of the oven and with a sharp serrated knife makes some cuts every 3/4 to 1 inch apart.

Take a pastry brush and dip into your garlicky butter. Brush butter all over the bread and into each cut. Repeat until all the butter is gone. Place some cheese into each cut.