Brazilian Cilantro Garlic Bread
This is a dish I had never heard about. When I think of Brazilian dishes, I’m thinking beef grilled to perfection with herb-rich chimichurri.
I stumbled upon this style of cooking garlic bread by accident and I’m so glad I did. It actually feels really decadent when eating it. It has a super-rich flavor, with the cheese, and the silkiness of the butter and mayonnaise.
Now I know, the cilantro may have already turned off a few people but fear not, I’ll give you an easy substitute.
Brazilian garlic bread
Be warned, this is heavy on the garlic and this is due to one Brazilian ingredient or mixture that is required to make this garlic bread.
I’m sure it could be toned down just a little bit but when I was looking for an authentic Brazilian side dish, I wanted to create it as close to the original as I could. Most of the authentic recipes I found called for even more garlic, I have actually toned it down already.
On the bright side, once you’ve eaten this garlic bread you will not catch a cold all winter, for the next decade or two.
This recipe calls for Brazillian sofrito but before you start hunting for this mystery ingredient you should know it’s easy to make from some basic ingredients. Onion, garlic, and oil.
Sofrito is a Brazilian staple used in many dishes and going by the amount of garlic in this, it will outlive me on the shelf. Well don’t hold me to that but it sure does pack a massive punch.
What bread to use?
The beauty of this is you can use any loaf of bread. I opted for a white crunchy loaf. Nothing flash, just a plain old white cob loaf.
You want to keep the loaf intact when you slice it.
I chose to keep the slice at a half-inch thick, this is a nice thickness that holds its shape once you start separating the bread after it has been turned into garlic bread.
I decided to cook this in my BBQ because I was already making Rump Cap (Picanha) steaks, but there’s no reason you couldn’t do this in the oven.
Brazilian Cilantro Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of white crusty bread
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- â…“ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- â…“ cup mozzarella cheese grated
- 2 tbsp Brazilain Sofrito (ingredients and method below)
- â…“ cup cilantro or basil
Brazilian Sofrito:
- 1 white onion roughly chopped
- 2 heads garlic cloves separated, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
Brazilian Sofrito:
- Add all ingredients into a blender.
- Pulse until a smooth consistency.
Brazilian Cilantro Garlic Bread:
- Preheat BBQ to 250°F-300°F.
- Slice bread, making sure not to cut all the way through.
- Put remaining ingredients into a food processor and whizz until combined.
- Spread mixture into each slice of the bread.
- Spread any left over on top.
- Place some baking paper inside a large sheet of foil and wrap the bread in it.
- Bake for 10 minutes, open foil and check the bread. If it needs it, leave it open for a couple of minutes to allow the top of the bread to get crunchy.