Pane Criminale

A parmesan garlic bread that is so good it may land you in jail.
#sides  #breads 

Ingredients⌗

  • 10 large cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil, parsley, and/or chive leaves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • Salt, to taste
  • Finely ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb loaf rustic country bread

Instructions⌗

  1. Set an oven rack in the center and preheat to 400.
  2. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add the oil. Mince 8 of the garlic cloves and add them when the pan is hot. Cook, very gently, until the garlic is fragrant, about 7 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to brown at all – if the pan gets too hot, remove it from the heat and stir in a few drops of cold water. Pour into a small heatproof bowl when done and set aside.
  3. Finely grate the remaining 2 garlic cloves in a medium bowl. Stir them together with the butter, herbs, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. When the cooked garlic has cooled somewhat, stir it in too.
  4. Deeply score the bread into one-inch slices (if you want to be fancy) or just slice it all the way through (if you want to be practical). Shmear your garlic butter mixture generously onto every slice. Wrap in aluminum foil and place on a sheet pan.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes. Take the bread out, unwrap the top of the foil, and return to the oven. Bake until the top starts to brown and get crispy, about 5-7 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven, unwrap from foil, and let cool slightly. Serve warm.

Makes roughly 12 servings (but you probably can’t feed that many people with it, because someone will eat 5 slices straight).