How to make garlic bread recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

"Once upon a time, an ex and I used to throw an annual party a non-chic affair with a recycling bin full of ice and bottles where the star, and the thing that everyone really came for, was the garlic bread: 10 or 15 loaves of the stuff, always demolished while still dangerously hot from the oven. I believe the original recipe was Nigel Slater's; this is my tweaked version."

"You can prepare this ahead of time (and you should, too, if you want to get the smell of garlic off your hands before the festivities begin) the day before, or even up to a month in advance (in which case, wrap, freeze and bake straight from frozen, though, if you do so, add five to 10 minutes to the cooking time). In both cases, wrap it well in foil before storing."

"A note on the bread While day-old bread is easier to butter, it must still be soft enough to absorb large quantities of butter (anything too dense or crisp will repel it) and robust enough to maintain its structural integrity once soaked. Brioche, for example, is usually too soft and focaccia too oily. Nigel's baguette is good for big parties, but Ina Garten's softer ciabatta is my favourite."

Prepare a loaf of slightly stale ciabatta or baguette and slice deep 2cm-apart slits without cutting through, using chopsticks as guides. Make a garlic-herb-parmesan butter by beating 80g room-temperature butter with four crushed garlic cloves, chopped parsley, and 40g finely grated Parmesan, seasoning with salt and a squeeze of lemon. Pack the butter into the slits, top with extra cheese, wrap well in foil and bake for about 25 minutes. The loaf can be prepared a day ahead or frozen for up to a month; bake from frozen with an extra 5–10 minutes.

Read at www.theguardian.com