Throughout the years, we made simple garlic bread, and there was always a dipping sauce on the table, which is included in our recipe card below.
As a child, I still can remember the aroma of her baking homemade bread, and it was dense and thick.
Day-old dense Italian bread, like Restaurant Italian American Bread, Ciabatta or Artisan bread, was always the best to use and served warm was like a banquet.
The dipping oil consisted of assorted dried herbs all mixed together, then added to a serving bowl with oil poured over the herbs. That sauce was the best with any bread!
Bread with dipping sauce is so addictive, and the flavors that meld together are an amazing part of the Italian meal, especially with Sunday Tomato Sauce. The bread is how we test the sauce!
We all love a good-tasting olive oil to dip the homemade bread in; it's a banquet all by itself, and those who grew up in an Italian home totally understand.
We still have our bread on the table, and it's still served with every meal, especially Italian Stew, pasta fagioli, and Greens and Beans were delicious over stale bread.
Scroll down to the recipe card for both recipes to dip your favorite Italian bread in!
Why You Will Love Dipping Oil for Italian Bread
- Quick and easy: Ready in just a few minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
- Full of Italian flavor: Basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and garlic create a delicious herb-infused oil.
- Perfect for entertaining: Serve it as an appetizer for dinner parties, holidays, or family gatherings.
- Easy to customize: Adjust the red pepper flakes, herbs, and seasonings to suit your taste.
- Restaurant-style at home: Pair it with warm, crusty bread for a simple but impressive starter.
Variations and Additions
- Fresh garlic: Add a small amount of freshly minced garlic for a stronger garlic flavor. For food safety, serve immediately and discard leftovers containing fresh garlic in oil promptly; do not store them at room temperature.
- Grated Parmesan cheese: Sprinkle a little freshly grated Parmesan into the serving dish just before serving.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Finely chop a few oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for a sweet, savory addition.
- Rosemary: Add a small pinch of dried rosemary for a woodsy, aromatic flavor.
- Italian seasoning: Replace some of the individual dried herbs with your favorite Italian seasoning blend.
- Lemon zest: Add a little finely grated lemon zest for a fresh, bright flavor.
- Balsamic glaze: Drizzle a small amount over the oil for a sweeter, tangier finish.
Best Bread to Use
- Italian bread: A classic choice with a soft interior and a lightly crisp crust.
- French baguette: Slice it thinly and toast it for a crunchy, restaurant-style appetizer.
- Ciabatta: Its airy texture and open crumb are perfect for soaking up olive oil.
- Garlic bread: Adds extra garlic flavor and makes a delicious savory pairing.
- Pita bread: Cut into triangles and toast until lightly crisp for easy dipping.
- Sourdough bread: Provides a pleasant tangy flavor that complements the herbs.
Tips for Dipping Oil
- Choose quality olive oil. A flavorful extra virgin olive oil makes a noticeable difference in this recipe.
- Use fresh dried herbs. Dried herbs lose their flavor over time, so replace older jars for the best results.
- Let the flavors mingle. If you have time, prepare the oil about 15 to 30 minutes before serving to allow the herbs to release more flavor.
- Toast the bread lightly. Warm, crusty bread is especially delicious when dipped into the seasoned oil. Add balsamic vinegar just before serving.
- You can drizzle it over the oil or serve it in a small separate dish. Adjust the heat.
- Reduce the red pepper flakes for a milder dipping oil or add a little extra for more spice.
Pin for later
Perfect Accompaniments
We love to use it to spread olive tapenade. shown in the first photo. It's the perfect spread for this easy and quick garlic bread. We also love her White Tuscan Bean dip, which is also wonderful on this bread.
Making homemade bread (as Grandma always had a loaf baking) was a double treat.
The bread hardly made it to the table, or turned into garlic bread, unless she made many loaves.
The next day, she would make it into garlic bread.
Yield: 4
Tuscan Garlic Bread and Dipping Oil
This is how to make delicious Tuscan garlic bread. The bread is toasted and is slathered with a good grade olive oil and fresh garlic along with herbs. There is also a delicious dipping oil recipe to try with freshly made Italian bread.
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 3 MinTotal time: 8 Min
Ingredients
- 4 slices of day-old bread or more (here is an Easy Homemade Bread recipe)
- Below is a dry herb mix ( add 1 tablespoon of mix to 1/4 cup of olive oil when serving)
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder (minced garlic will not keep well a day after, but you can use it instead)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Olive oil ( add as much as you want in the dish with herbs)
- Optional: a dash of aged balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Toasted Tuscan Bread Instructions:
- The quality of the oil is a must with this recipe.
- Toast the bread under the broiler on both sides to light brown.
- While still warm and crisp, rub the smashed garlic cloves all over both sides of the bread.
- Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper and salt.
- Herb Mix for Dipping Bread in the Dipping Sauce Instructions:
- In a mason jar mix all the dried herbs and shake with the lid on.
- Place 1 tablespoon of dried herb mix in a dish and add 1/4 cup of olive oil to the dish, then dip the garlic bread ( and, if preferred, add the vinegar; we prefer just olive oil)
- Serve immediately.
- Here is a Copycat Recipe from a Popular Restaurant with olives and nuts in it"
- Dipping Oil
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds or roasted pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 Kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- additional olive oil and bread for serving
- Using a food processor, combine the basil, cheese, pumpkin seeds or nuts, garlic, salt, and olives.
- Process until ingredients form a paste Add the 1/4 cup of olive oil until well combined.
- Place a tablespoon of this paste into a flat serving dish. Pour olive oil ( around 4 tablespoons or more) on this paste in your dipping plate and stir, dip your bread into it and enjoy! Makes a little more than 1 cup
Grandma's Tuscan Bread Pin for later
Recipes We Love:
No-Knead Bread
Pizza Dough
Foccacia
Garlic Knots
Panzerotti
Runza
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2014. It was edited and re-published in 2020.
