I hesitate to call any recipe with only four ingredients a recipe, but this garlic ciabatta bread has become family AND friend favorite at our house. (Thank you Giada De Laurentiis)

I make it alongside soups, stews, pasta—or anytime I need an easy bread to put on the table. It’s crispy and salty with plenty of olive oil, and the fresh garlic rubbed over the bread while it’s still hot is what makes it so good.

Best of all, it couldn’t be easier.

Garlic Ciabatta Bread

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15–20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 loaf ciabatta bread
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 clove garlic

Instructions

1. Prepare the bread.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the ciabatta into approximately ¼-inch-thick slices and arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

2. Add the olive oil and salt.
Drizzle each slice generously with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

3. Bake.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and crisp.

4. Add the garlic.
While the bread is baking, take one peeled garlic clove and slice off one end to expose the fresh garlic.

As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, rub the cut end of the garlic clove directly over each warm slice. The heat from the bread brings out the garlic flavor without needing to add anything else.

5. Serve.
Serve warm if you can—although it’s still really good once it’s cooled!

The Secret Is the Fresh Garlic

Don’t skip that last step. Rubbing the raw garlic onto the bread after it comes out of the oven is what makes this different from regular garlic bread.

It takes about thirty seconds and gives the bread so much flavor.

We especially love it alongside a big bowl of Black Bean Pork Verde Stew, but it works with just about any soup, stew, or pasta we’re having for dinner.

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