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Craving homemade garlic bread without the oven and only 10 minutes of prep? This bread machine garlic loaf is tall, not dense, with a medium-golden crust, soft slices, loaded with fresh rosemary, thyme, and real minced garlic.
The Best Garlic Bread…From Your Bread Machine
Traditional Italian-American garlic bread usually starts with a store-bought baguette or Italian loaf, sliced open and brushed with garlic butter (sometimes parsley) before it's baked or broiled. My version keeps that comforting flavor but makes it simpler-and more wholesome-by starting from scratch in the bread machine. I add everything to the pan, select the Basic (1.5 lb, Medium) cycle, and let the machine do the rest. In about three hours of hands-off time (while I do laundry or clean the house), I get a soft, fragrant loaf infused with real garlic, fresh rosemary, and thyme. It delivers the same restaurant-style flavor with the cozy feel of homemade bread. This recipe is based on my super-popular basic machine bread recipe that has over 1,000 reviews and comments.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving my bread machine garlic bread with Boeuf Bourguignon, my puff pastry chicken pot pie, or sausage tortellini soup. It's the loaf I make when I want to impress-guests always ask for the recipe. It's always perfect for pasta night: try it with my creamy pesto chicken pasta, one-pot sausage rigatoni, or reader-favorite creamy shrimp orzo. Serve this garlic bread with salads like my apple spinach salad, protein-packed salmon salad, or sweet potato kale salad. You can even brush warm slices with a bit of melted garlic-herb butter.
This isn't your average bread maker recipe-it's a flavor-packed loaf that shows exactly why we all love using a bread machine: five minutes of prep, and it does all the work for you.
How to Make Garlic Bread in a Bread Machine
- Note: This is a quick visual guide with step-by-step photos; for precise measurements and full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Gather all the ingredients - this photo conveniently shows every single ingredient you need (labeled):
- In a large bowl, toss the flour with the chopped fresh rosemary and thyme.
- Add the water and oil to the bread pan, then sprinkle in the salt, sugar, and minced garlic.
- Pour the dry flour and herb mixture over the liquids.
- Make a small well in the flour (don't break through to the liquids) and add the yeast to the well, keeping it away from the salt.
- Snap the pan into the machine, close the lid, and select Basic, 1.5-lb loaf, Medium crust (about 3 hours 15 minutes).
- When the cycle ends, remove the pan with oven mitts, invert to release the loaf, and cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before slicing.
I'd love to hear from you-leave a comment, a star rating, or a question and I always do my best to reply promptly. If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram or add/share a photo under my latest Facebook post!
Herb Garlic Bread in a Bread Machine
Ingredients
- 1 cup and 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 ¼ cups white bread flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions
- Measure your flour correctly! The best way to measure flour with measuring cups is to spoon and level. Start by aerating the flour - either by sifting it or giving it a good fluff with a whisk. Then, gently spoon the flour (with a spoon!) into your measuring cup without packing it down, and level it off with the flat edge of a knife. Scooping directly from the bag (with measuring cups) packs in too much flour, which can throw off your recipe and leave you with dry dough and dense bread. So don't skip the aerating step - it really makes a difference!
- Combine the liquid ingredients: Add water and oil to the bread pan. Add salt, sugar, and garlic.
- Season the flour: add carefully measured and aerated flour into a bowl, and mix with rosemary and thyme. Add the flour mixture into the bread pan.
- Add yeast: Make a slight indentation on top of the flour and make sure it does not reach wet ingredients. Add the yeast to the indentation. Keep yeast away from the salt.
- Bake the bread: Insert the bread pan into the bread machine, and press it down to snap. Close the lid. Use Basic bread, 1.5 lb loaf, medium crust cycle (3 hrs 15 minutes)
- Remove the bread pan from the bread machine using oven mitts. Turn over the bread pan and shake it to release the loaf.
- Cool: Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
- Serve: Slice your cooled bread and serve with butter, your favorite spreads, or with desired dish.
Notes
- Make sure your yeast is not touching water or garlic. This may have an impact on the yeast efficiency.
- Cool your bread completely before slicing. I have noticed my bread loses some of its moisture if I slice it too early. This will result in crumbly bread. Leave the bread for at least two hours to cool down.
- You can use dried herbs instead of fresh ones. Use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs vs 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
- For extra flavor, add more fresh herbs or serve your bread with herbed butter.
- Make sure your yeast is fresh because old/stale yeast will not give the best results. Always use freshly opened yeast.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Tips for Success
- Measure Flour Right: Spoon-and-level your bread flour to prevent dense, squat loaves.
- Keep Yeast + Salt Apart: Salt inhibits yeast. I make a little well in the flour and add the yeast there, separately from the salt.
- Garlic Balance: Fresh garlic is potent; mince fine so it disperses evenly. For milder flavor, use 1-2 cloves.
- Herb Texture: Chop herbs very finely so they don't tear gluten strands or create wet pockets.
- Crust Control: Select Medium crust as written; if your machine runs hot, go Light to protect garlic.
FAQs (Most Asked Questions)
- Can I use instant yeast instead of active yeast? Yes. I use 2 teaspoon instant yeast exactly as written-add it to the flour well, not the liquids. No proofing needed.
- Why did my loaf sink? Usually too much liquid or overproofing. Do the 10-minute dough-ball check. If it's very soft/sticky, knead in 1-2 tablespoon flour. Also ensure salt isn't touching the yeast at the start.
- Can I add cheese? Absolutely. Fold in ½-1 cup shredded Parmesan or mozzarella when the machine beeps for mix-ins (or ~5 minutes into kneading). Too much cheese can weigh the loaf down-stay under 1 cup.
- All-purpose flour okay? Yes, but you might get a slightly smaller rise. I add an extra 1-2 tablespoons flour to tighten the dough.
- Can I bake it in the oven instead? Use your machine's Dough cycle. Shape the loaf and place it in a 9×5-inch oven-proof pan, proof until domed over the rim, then bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes (tent if it starts browning fast).
More Bread Recipes
- How to Make Basic White Bread Less Dense in a Bread Machine
- Italian Garlic Bread (from store-bought loaf)
- Rustic Seeded Rye Bread
- Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
Unbelievably good! Comes out perfect with a wonderful crisp crust and a soft inside. Flavor balance was perfect and the whole family begged for more!
Kimberly, I am so happy you tried this recipe and that it worked well! Thank you for your 5-star review! ❤️
Excellent! I doubled the amount of fresh thyme (1 tablespoon just didn't seem enough, and also added garlic powder and more salt to the flour mixture. The house smells amazing as the bread bakes.
So glad you loved it, Meja! Thank you for your lovely 5-star review. ❤️
My bread machine does not have a pan, what do I do.?
Hi Karen! Usually the bread machines do come with a pan. What brand is it and what model?