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This easy ciabatta garlic bread is my favorite way to bring the spirit of spring to the table, no matter the season.
Sweet, savory, and cheesy, it pairs well with everything, making for a fun appetizer or side dish that looks impressive but uses just a handful of simple ingredients.
Recipe Tip
Be sure to season the mozzarella flowers!
Crisp around the edges with soft centers, this bread is perfect for dipping or using to scoop up sauces. Pair it with your favorite pasta dish or soups, like sausage pasta or roasted tomato soup, for a complete meal.
Ciabatta Garlic Bread Ingredients
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Ciabatta: A ciabatta loaf or French baguette.
- Garlic butter: With fresh garlic cloves, butter (I use salted), Parmesan, chopped flat leaf parsley, and sea salt.
- Mozzarella: Make sure it’s the firm kind you can slice.
- Mango: Choose a firm mango with slight give.
- Fresh basil and parsley stems: To garnish. Choose similarly sized leaves.
How to Make Ciabatta Garlic Bread
- Prepare the herby garlic butter: Halve your bread, and combine room-temperature butter, minced garlic, chopped parsley, Parmesan (save half of the cheese), and sea salt. Top both sides with the garlic spread. Add the remaining Parmesan on top.
- Broil at 190 °C (375°F) until golden and crisp.
- Top the slightly cooled garlic bread with beautiful mozzarella and mango daisies.
Possible Variations
- Ciabatta: Use any bread you prefer. Sourdough, toast, soft rolls, etc.
- Parmesan: Swap or add any other cheese that melts well, such as feta, cheddar, gruyere, Emmentaler, Gouda, or shredded mozzarella.
- Parsley: Or other fresh herbs such as oregano,
- Mozzarella and mango flowers: Try cherry tomatoes, radishes, olives, green onions, or jalapeños instead.
How to Store Leftovers
Remove the mozzarella and mango flowers before storing, and keep the garlic bread in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy within 2 days.
FAQs
You can halve the bread and top it with garlic butter and cheese. Cover and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving. Bake and then top with the flowers once slightly cooled.
Remove the mozzarella and mango flowers, then reheat in a 100°C (212°F) oven until warm. You can broil for a few minutes if you want the cheese bubbly, but do keep an eye on it. Replace the mozzarella and mango flowers.
Sure. Arrange halved grape tomatoes into flowers, with sliced olives as centers. Or try edible flowers.
More Sides
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Ciabatta Garlic Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ciabatta
- 100 grams butter, softened
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 50 grams Parmesan, grated
- 3 mozzarella balls
- 1 mango
- 12 fresh basil, leaves
- 6 parsley, stems
Instructions
- Turn the oven on the grill to 190º C (375ºF).
- Halve the ciabatta.
- Mix the softened butter, half of the freshly grated Parmesan, minced garlic, chopped parsley, and sea salt.
- Spread the garlic mixture in equal parts on both ciabatta halves.
- Top with the remaining grated Parmesan cheese (use more if you like).
- Bake the ciabatta in the oven until bubbly and golden brown (about 5 minutes), but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
- Take the garlic bread out of the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Slice the fresh mozzarella widthwise.
- Halve the slices into ‘petals’.
- Cut the mango thinly and use the round cutter to make discs.
- Place six mozzarella petals in a flower pattern onto the garlic bread and top with a mango disc.
- Arrange mozzarella flowers to cover the entire ciabatta halves.
- Decorate with parsley stems and fresh basil leaves.
- Season the mozzarella flowers.
- Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
