National: Buca Di Beppo’s Ridiculously Delicious Garlic Mozzarella Bread

For all its kitsch and national ubiquity, we remain dedicated fans of Buca Di Beppo, the family-style redsauce Italian chain known for their planet-sized meatballs and overwhelming wall decor.

The chain was recently bought by the folks behind Planet Hollywood, and it’s like Spiderman says: With new management comes a massive menu overhaul. Out go the vats of corporate redsauce, in comes made-fresh-daily pots of marinara, alfredo, and bolognese.

The one thing we were particularly concerned about when we heard about the Buca menu overhaul was the fate of the garlic bread. This artery bomb of sliced garlic, gooey cheese, and fluffy bread is singularly the thing that keeps us coming back. For all our attempts at a refined palate (pass the salsify) or good health (more quinoa?), this is perhaps the only food we have ever consumed that we have actually had dreams about. Salty, cheesy dreams.

So we got in touch with the folks at Buca, who not only assured us that the garlic bread recipe would not be changing, but as a show of goodwill passed along method to us, for you. Seriously, folks, this came on a PDF that says “Confidential - Do Not Duplicate” in the lower right corner.

It’s written for a restaurant kitchen, so we’ve adapted it for home use. After the jump!

Buca Di Beppo’s Garlic Bread with Mozzarella
adapted from the official recipe by MenuPages.com

1 loaf Italian bread, fresh-baked if possible
2oz Garlic Olive Oil (you can buy this at most grocery stores, or make your own)
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (or more to taste)
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 450°. Cut the loaf of bread horizontally so you end up with two pieces—a top and bottom. Place the halves on a sheet or cookie pan and brush the top of each half generously with the garlic olive oil. (Make sure that the edges are well oiled to keep it from burning.)

Spread the sliced garlic evenly over the loaf. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese followed by mozzarella cheese, and bake in the 450° oven until lightly golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and cut into 8 equal pieces. Refrain from consuming it all immediately, yourself, and place in a napkin-lined basket and serve.

Buca Di Beppo [MenuPages]
Buca Di Beppo [Official Site]

National: Buca Di Beppo’s Ridiculously Delicious Garlic Mozzarella Bread