Pan Con Ajo is what garlic bread is called in Spanish, and this one is delicious. It’s a perfectly toasted bread that is crunchy on the edges with a buttery center filled with the right amount of garlic.
It doesn’t matter if you call it Pan Con Ajo or garlic bread because this is still a very delicious recipe. This is a bread for garlic lovers made with lots of garlic and butter.
This is a simple recipe; you chop the garlic and parsley and mix with the butter. Trust me, this tastes better than the store-bought version.
For the bread, you can use an Italian loaf, but as a Puerto Rican, I have to say that the best bread is a soft Puerto Rican bread.
This garlic bread can be served as the traditional side to lasagna with bechamel. But you can’t go wrong pairing it with my rotisserie style chicken.
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Why This Recipe Works
- This is a great recipe to make and freeze for later.
- A great recipe to feed your family or a large crowd!
Recipe Ingredients
- Garlic- When making garlic bread, the best way to go is by using fresh garlic. The garlic that comes in a jar has a very distinct taste that fresh garlic doesn’t have. That’s why I suggest using fresh garlic.
- Butter- I used 2 whole sticks of unsalted butter. Now, a lot of people use less, but I really think that this really depends on the type of bread you use. If you use a bread with not a lot of pulp, like a baguette, then you’ll use less butter. But if it’s a loaf like an Italian, where it has a lot of pulp, then you’ll need all that butter.
- Parsley- Parsley adds a nice touch to the butter mix.
- Seasonings- I used salt because the butter was unsalted. Also used garlic powder to give it a deeper garlic flavor.
- Bread- I use an Italian loaf because it was the loaf I had, but this works with a lot of types of bread.
Garlic & Variations
- Garlic- The flavor of the finished bread will change depending on how you use your garlic. If you use a garlic confit (cooked garlic in oil), it will give the bread a slightly sweet, smooth garlic taste. If you use a fresh garlic paste, it will have a strong garlic taste.
- Toppings- Good options are fresh thyme, rosemary, or a touch of oregano. You can also add cheese to make a cheese garlic bread. Use a mix of mozzarella and parmesano.
How to Make Pan Con Ajo
- Photo 1: Preheat your oven to 400℉. Chop the garlic into small pieces. Then peel and chop the garlic into small pieces. They don’t have to be super small because we still want them to have a little bit of texture after baking.
- Photo 2: In a small bowl, add the garlic, parsley, butter, and seasoning. You can do all of this in a food processor. Just mix everything first, and at the last moment, add the garlic and parsley so they don’t become a paste.
- Photo 3: I cut a loaf of bread in half longwise and then again to have 4 pieces. Then spread the butter between all the bread pieces.
- Photo 4: Place the bread on a tray and bake for 20 minutes on the top rack. If you like your bread just to have melted butter but not be super crunchy just cook for 15 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Stovetop garlic bread. When it’s hot or I’m in a rush, I like to make the garlic bread on the stove top. Just set a large pan on medium heat and cook it for about 8 minutes. It will caramelize the garlic, and it will be delicious.
- Airfryer garlic bread- This is also an airfryer-friendly recipe. Just preheat your air fryer to 400℉ and then cook for 5 minutes.
- Make-ahead & freezer tips. You can make this ahead and save it cooked just give it half of the time. Then let the bread completely cool, and store it in a freezer bag. I like to use 2 bags so it won’t get freezer burn, and everything else doesn’t stink like garlic.
More Recipes With Lots of Garlic
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Pan Con Ajo (Garlic Bread)
Pan con Ajo is quick, delicious, and the perfect side to any meal. It is so good you can eat it alone!
Ingredients
- 8 cloves garlic *see notes
- 2 twigs fresh parsley
- 1 pound bread loaf
- 2 sticks unsalted butter *see notes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Peel and chop the garlic into small pieces. You can use a food processor to chop the garlic faster. Or use a pilon to mash the garlic. Chop the parsley into small pieces.
- In a bowl, mix the butter, salt, garlic powder, parsley, and garlic.
- Cut the bread in half, then cut through the middle of each half. This is just a preference; you can cut the bread how you like.
- Spread the butter mix evenly between all the bread pieces (*see notes). Place the bread in a tray and bake for 20 minutes on the upper rack of the oven. Let the bread cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- *I used 2 sticks of butter because the bread I used is a fluffy bread, so it soaks up all the butter. But if you use a bread with not much pulp, like a baguette, I suggest you use half the butter and seasonings.
- Garlic- I used fresh garlic that you have to chop, but you can also use a garlic paste. Keep in mind that depending on how you use the garlic, the taste will be different. Fresh garlic paste (not the one in a jar or tube) will have a stronger taste. If you want to use garlic paste, add 2 tablespoons to the butter.
- Butter- I used unsalted butter (just because that’s what I had). But I like to use salted butter or margarine. This all depends on what I have in the fridge. So use whatever you have!
- Bread- I used an Italian loaf from the supermarket, but I love making this in a pan sobao bread.
- Salt- You only need to add salt if using unsalted butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 728IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg
*The nutrition information is automatically calculated, so this is only an approximation.
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