Italian-Style Garlic Bread

Italians prefer olive oil instead of butter with their bread. Using garlic powder is preferable for this recipe. Fresh garlic can be overwhelming and give the bread a bitter taste. The health benefits of using olive oil over butter is definitely on the plus side, too.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 loaf unsliced French or Italian bread
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. Cut bread into 1-inch slices without cutting through to the bottom of the loaf. Mix the olive oil, parsley, and garlic powder. With a pastry brush, spread oil mixture it all over, inside and the out of the loaf of bread.
3. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes or until heated through. During the last 5 minutes of baking, open up the foil to crisp the bread.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.