Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) salted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 demiloaf Italian bread, cut in half lengthwise
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the smashed garlic and reduce the heat to low. Cook the butter for 5 minutes to infuse it with a strong garlic flavor. You don’t want to brown the butter, though the garlic may start to turn golden brown around the edges by the end of the 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the garlic.
- Brush the garlic butter on the cut side of the bread, dividing it evenly between the two halves. Put the halves together and wrap the loaf in aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes before sprinkling the parsley, if using, on the cut side of each half-loaf and cutting into serving-size pieces. Serve immediately.
- Remove the bread from the oven and set the broiler to high. Very carefully open the foil, separate the halves, and lay each half on a baking sheet, cut side up. Top with the mozzarella and broil the bread until the cheese just melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow the bread to cool, sprinkle with parsley, if using, and cut into serving-size pieces. Serve immediately.
