The Secret to Life is Garlic Bread
Make Magic Happen at the Dinner Table, Whole Wheat Garlic Bread is Your New Best Friend
Garlic bread is said to have its roots in Ancient Rome and made its first appearance in Italy during the 15th century. It comes from the Bruschetta, which is a type of French baguette toasted and glazed in olive oil with minced garlic cloves. A variety of cheeses are used as toppings for garlic bread, and nowadays, whole wheat is used as the base. Garlic bread enthusiasts who go the gluten-free route swear by sourdough and active yeast for baking their own delicacies.
Shaped like flatbread, it is serve d in upscale trendy bars, bohemian eateries, and posh Italian restaurants. Garlic plants were grown for over thousands of years in South Europe, and it is believed many recipes were born from this origin. Italian immigrants first introduced garlic bread to the public when they served in American restaurants with pasta and fish recipes.
Homemade garlic bread preparations involve cutting loaves of bread, toasting it, and generously coating both sides with olive oil or clarified butter. Minced garlic cloves are rubbed on the bread, and it is then topped with cheese, veggies, and an assortment of other delicious ingredients.
The bread is then served as an accompaniment to Italian delicacies such as pizzas, risottos, pastas, etc. Soaking garlic bread in tomato juices and slathering it with salt, paprika, and parmesan cheese imparts a medley of flavours. Those who are striving for perfection in the kitchen bake it with crusty and angular edges. If you’re feeling fancy, you can brown the bread and to make it restaurant-style. Restaurants usually stuff it with cheese, meats, and season the dough with spices before serving it fresh from the oven.
If you’re having a bad day, a slice of garlic bread at home will cheer you up!
Health Benefits of Whole Wheat Garlic Bread
Garlic bread’s benefits depend on the type of bread used to make it. Wheat garlic bread is loaded with healthy fibre and nutrients that regulate blood sugar levels and boost metabolism. Most garlic bread recipes are high in fat, but a few minor adjustments can make this tasty appetizer very healthy.
Fibre from whole wheat promotes regular bowel movements and good digestion overall. One clove of chopped garlic gives up to 2% of the RDA of Vitamin C. This means if you add more garlic to your bread, it’s more powerful to your health and wellbeing!
Here’s a list of the top health benefits of whole wheat garlic bread:
Contains Unsaturated Fats – Saturated fats are bad for your heart and clog arteries. However, garlic bread uses olive oil in most recipes which means it has unsaturated fats. Using butter in recipes can also contribute to better cardiovascular health and not damage the blood vessels.
Boosts Immune System – Garlic is an anti-inflammatory ingredient and great for boosting immune system health. In ancient Chinese medicine, this ingredient was used for treating conditions such as worm infestations, colds, and mood disorders like sadness and depression. A clove of garlic may not look like much, but add a few, and you’ve got some powerful stuff!
High in Nutrients –Garlic bread made from whole wheat is a rich source of key nutrients and reduces chronic inflammation. B-vitamins, trace minerals, antioxidants, and protein. Popular garlic bread ingredients that add nutrition to your slices include veggies, mushrooms, olives, and deli meats!
Garlic has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties, and today we’re garnishing our bread with it. Whether you serve a slice of garlic bread as a snack or dunk it as croutons in soups, it’s undoubtedly clear that it makes every meal, not just delicious but nutritious too.
Garlic Bread is the future, and its past is riddled with ancient secrets.
Fun Facts about Garlic Bread
There are many secrets that lie within the history of garlic bread. Here are some fun facts:
Traditional Italian chefs prefer lightly toasting garlic bread and serving it to guests.
There are two ways of preparation for garlic bread recipes – cutting the loaf into slices and adding toppings to them, and making a cut into the bread and coating it with a blend of herbs, spices, and olive oil.
Garlic bread was considered peasant food and was passed down through generations by the ancient Romans!
The Italians brought to America the garlic bread as Bruschetta. When they couldn’t get their hands on olive oil, they started using butter to flavour it and turn it into a different dish!
You can cut your garlic bread down diagonally, end-to-end across the length, partially slice it, or even straight across.
Italians love their garlic bread crusty, while some restaurant preparations call for a soft texture. The appetizer is wrapped in aluminium foil and baked in the oven.
Don’t know how to make garlic bread? You can buy frozen garlic bread in supermarkets and reheat it at home. But the true taste of garlic bread shines when you freshly bake it using artisan dough.
Garlic was originally used as a performance enhancement during the Olympics by athletes from ancient Rome. Today, there are companies manufacturing supplements from its extracts. Who knew the secret to peak performance lay hidden in a humble homemade garlic bread recipe?
A Timeless Appetizer
Pizzerias are catching on to the trend of using whole wheat flour for baking garlic breads in different continents. The scent of garlic lingering from the kitchen windows and the flavorful texture is enough to win hearts at any happy gathering. If you’re trying to get your veggies in, you can top your bread with tomatoes, lettuce, and rosemary sprigs.
The best part about whole wheat garlic bread is that you can combine it with various Italian recipes. If you’re making garlic bread at home with
white sauce pasta, you can serve the two together as complements.
Italian seasoning and herbs spruce up garlic bread recipes, and there are infinite ways you can add it to your
bread pizza and
chicken lasagna.
We prefer pairing wheat garlic bread with
homemade pizza and love drizzling it with oodles of cheese. Kids love it that way too, and there’s no reason why you can’t pamper yourself on every occasion with this Italian delicacy.
Want to learn how to make garlic bread at home? There are tons of recipes online, and the good news is that no garlic bread is baked the same.
Hands-down, garlic bread is a winning entrée for every culinary occasion.