Tuscan Grilled Garlic Bread Recipe
The world’s foremost BBQ identity, Steven Raichlen, shares his Tuscan Grilled Garlic Bread recipe from his book, The Barbecue Bible.
As published in The Barbecue Bible
A slice of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil – bruschetta – is the ancestor of American garlic bread. Most of us have grown up with baked or toasted versions, but real bruschetta, cooked over coals, comes as a revelation. To be strictly authentic, you’d use Tuscan bread, which is remarkable for its dense, slightly crumbly texture and its curious lack of salt. This makes the bread taste rather insipid – until you pair it with fruity Tuscan olive oil and a generous sprinkling of sea salt.
Note that there is no need to soak the wood chips. Unsoaked, the chips will give the bruschetta more of a wood flavour than a smoky flavour. Use them with a charcoal grill only.
Ingredients
- 8 slices Italian bread (preferably unsalted Tuscan bread), cut ½ inch thick
- 1-2 cloves garlic, cut in half
- 2-3 tablespoons of the best cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil you can find, preferably Tuscan
- coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
Also…
- 1 cup unsoaked wood chips, preferably oak (optional)
Method
Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high.
When ready to cook, throw a cupful of unsoaked wood chips on the coals (if using). Arrange the bread slices on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides, 2-4 minutes per side, rotating the slices 60 degrees after 30 seconds or so to create an attractive cross hatch of grill marks. Don’t take your eyes off the grill for a second; grilled bread burns very easily.
Transfer the bread slices to the cool edge of the grill or to a platter. Rub the top of each bread slice generously with cut garlic. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and generously sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Serve at once.
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