This Soft Garlic Bread is soft and infused with homemade garlic and herbs oil. A great bread to go with soup, salad, main dishes and even just to enjoy it on its own. This recipe includes both measurement for small and big batch so whether you are making it for one, two or more people, I got you covered.

I used to disliked the idea of making bread at home because it is time-consuming with all the knead and rise cycle that needs to happen. From my previous experienced , most often than not, the more I disliked it, the more I ended up liking it.

It is always scary to try something new, something that is out of our comfort zone. This is how I felt about making bread and cake before. This feeling changed when I realized and I came to accept that it’s fine to fail when you are starting something new. The important thing is to keep trying and to learn from previous mistakes. I had tried baking bread several times before, not all turned out well, but there are some that turned out perfect and for sharing to you guys.

Some of my for keep recipes are my  Whole Wheat Bread and Focaccia Bread, and now I am adding this Soft Garlic Bread in my collection. It is not as difficult as it seems, you just have to prepare it ahead of time. The smell of freshly baked bread alone is worth it. Believe me, once you get the hang of it, you will not want to buy your bread outside.

The texture of this bread is like the one you can buy in the bakery. It’s so soft, and the garlic and herbs flavor made it even better. Nice to eat with soup, chili or just have it on its own with coffee or tea. Let’s get started!

Tips for a Successful Soft Homemade Bread

• Liquid Temperature – Yeast grows in temperature between 105 – 110F, so its important to have the water that you are using to “proof” it in this range. If you go lower or higher, the yeast might not proof properly. That means the bread will not rise as much, resulting to a flat and tough bread. 
• Check Yeast Expiry a Date – you might be wondering how come the bread did not rise when you followed exactly the recipe. Well, first thing first, make sure the yeast is not yet expired. Expired yeast is the common reason for flat and dense bread. If your bread did not expand or rise during the rest period, it is most likely that the yeast is not fresh or the water temperature is too hot or cold.
• Amount of Yeast – Just because you want a tall bread doesn’t mean you have to put as much yeast in the mixture. Sometimes adding too much yeast can cause the bread to collapse during the rest period. Just imagine putting more air than what is needed in a balloon, the balloon will explode. The same case with bread. 
• Right Type of Yeast – We’ve discussed the 3 types of yeast above. Make sure to use the right one for your recipe, and make necessary adjustments if you want to swap one from another. 
• Rest Period – Yeast bread needs time to rise. There are bread that uses less yeast but requires more rest time, the likes of No Knead Bread or Artisan Bread which usually require 8- 16 hours rest period to get the volume and to develop the flavor. There are 1 hour bread like my Rosemary Dinner Rolls which used this same bread dough. The point is, give it time to rest, don’t touch it just leave it in a warm place. The first rest period will normally tell you if your dough is good or not. If it rise and almost double in size, then your on the right track.  
• Expiration and Quality of the Flour – The quality of the flour greatly affect the texture of the bread. All-purpose flour could differ from country to country although they are all called as all-purpose flour. Sometimes it depends on the brand too. The closer the flour to expiration date or if it is already expired, the flour could tend to be drier, which means it would require more liquid than mentioned in the recipe. This is a common issue of way sometimes the dough tend to be tough and dry. This is why sometimes you have to add few more tablespoon from the suggested flour measurement to get the right texture. The dough should be soft, smooth and elastic. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour until it is no longer to sticky to handle. If it is too dry, a small amount of liquid helps provide moisture to the dough. A clean side of the bowl, with the dough slightly sticking at the bottom, a soft, smooth and elastic dough is what You are aiming for.

Why is My Dough too Wet or Too Dry?

Don’t get frustrated if your dough did not turn out immediately as what you see in the photo or video. Most likely It is not because you did not follow the recipe. When it comes to bread making, the amount of flour and liquid is not always 100% precise. This is way often times you will encounter recipes that says, if your dough is dry, add a bit more liquid. If your dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour. This instructions are not meant to confuse you, they are meant to guide you on how to adjust as you work through your dough. The reason for this is that although the measurement of water and flour are specified in the recipe, it still could slightly vary depending on many factors. For instance, all-purpose flour could very from country to country, or even from brand to brand. Don’t be surprise if you find that some brand tends to require a bit more liquid as the others. On top of this, the amount of liquid is also affected by the state of your flour. How old is the flour that you are using? Older flour nearing expiry tends to be drier and this requires more liquid. Then there is humidity, the more humid it is, the more likely the dough will be sticky than usual. Bread making requires patience, and practice. Once you learn how to feel the right texture of the dough, everything will be quick and easy. You can instantly tell if you need to add more water or flour o get the dough in right state.

Big Batch Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoon lukewarm Water (110F)
• 1 tablespoon granulated Sugar (Divided: 1/2 teaspoon for Yeast, rest for the flour)
• 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoon Garlic Oil (Divided between the dough and for brushing the top)
• 1/4 cup Milk – lukewarm (110F)
• 3 cups Bread Flour
• 1 teaspoon fine Salt
• pinch of Coarse Salt

Small Batch Ingredients (Makes 6 Sticks)

• 1/4 cup lukewarm Water (110F)
• 1 tablespoon granulated Sugar (Divided: 1/2 teaspoon for Yeast, rest for the flour)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Oil (Divided between the dough and for brushing the top)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon Milk
• 1 1/4 cups Bread Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine Salt
• pinch of Coarse Salt

Garlic Oil:

• 2 clove Garlic – minced
• 3 tablespoon unsalted Butter or Olive Oil – melted
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or any herbs you have like Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary will work too. Mix them together.)
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. Make the Garlic Oil: Transfer the minced garlic, butter or oil, salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper in a pan and heat for about 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant and before the garlic starts to brown. Set aside to cool completely before adding in the dough.
2. Activate the Yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add water and sugar then manually stir until sugar slowly dissolve. Add the yeast and let sit for 10 minutes until it starts to foam up on top.
3. Add Wet Ingredients: Add the garlic oil and milk to the water and yeast mixture. Avoid adding too much of the minced garlic when you scoop out the oil. Too much garlic could kill the yeast.
4. Add Dry Ingredients: Add flour and salt. If making large batch, add half of the flour first, mix for 1 minute then add the remaining half of the flour. This makes the mixing easier. Start by using the paddle attachment and mix until just combined. This is even more important if you are making the small batch. Change to the hook/dough attachment and add the remaining flour. Knead until it formed into smooth, soft and elastic dough (around 15 minutes).
5. First Rest Period: Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. It is best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).
   • Trick: To help the dough rise well, Pre-heat the oven to 110F then turn it OFF. Put the dough inside the oven. DO NOT forget to turn it OFF, you only want the oven to warm up for the dough to rise, you do not want to dough to be bake. Some oven has a proofing setting, mine doesn’t, so this is my trick.
6. For Small Batch: Divide the dough into 6 portions. I used kitchen scale to do this, you can also just eyeball it. Roll each piece lengthwise like a rope, then fold into half and criss-cross or twist it. Arrange each piece side by side in a parchment line baking sheet.
   • For Big Batch: Divide the dough into 14 portions
7. Second Rest Period: Let the dough rise for another 20 more minutes (again, using the trick in step 4) until it puffs. No need to cover.
8. Brush the top with the garlic oil mixture. Sprinkle some coarse salt on top. You will have a lot of remaining garlic oil, reserve it for later when you serve the bread.
9. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. If you are using the oven to rest the dough, do not forget to remove it before pre-heating the oven.
10. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes or until top starts to brown.
11. Cool: Transfer garlic bread to a cooling rack to cool.
12. Brush with remaining garlic butter before serving.

Feeling Like A Crunchy Garlic Bread Stick?

I have just that recipe for you, no need to look around. Soft or Toasty, this Homemade Garlic Bread Stick can be made either way. Great to serve with pasta, soup, salad or as an appetizer. VIDEO coming soon!

Looking for more homemade bread recipes? I got you covered! I have here 10 of my favorite homemade bread recipes, all with VIDEO or MORE bread recipes HERE

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