Garlic Toast

Ingredients

• firm, thin, sliced bread (Sourdough, Baguette)
• garlic-infused olive oil
• garlic salt

Method

Heat your oven-baking|oven to 180°C. The goal is to drive out moisture from the bread and build colour without charring the garlic oil — too hot and the exterior burns before the interior dries; too cool and you end up with limp toast that'll soften within minutes of leaving the tray.

Arrange your sliced bread in a single layer on an aluminium foil-lined tray. Thin sourdough or baguette works best here because the high crust-to-crumb ratio means you get more surface area for crisping. Thick-cut bread won't dry through evenly — the edges caramelise while the centre stays chewy.

Brush both sides of each slice generously with garlic|garlic-infused olive oil. This isn't a light coating. The oil is your primary flavour vector and also your crisping agent; the fat encourages the Maillard reaction at the bread's surface, turning the starches golden and nutty. Underseasoning here with oil produces pallid, cardboard-like results. Once brushed, scatter garlic salt across each slice. Don't shy away — you want assertive seasoning that reads as garlic salt, not a whisper of it.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Watch for the bread's surface to turn a deep golden blonde and feel completely dry to the touch — this is your signal, not the clock. If the edges of the slices are beginning to buckle slightly and curl inward, they've gone a touch too far; pull them out. The moment they come from the oven, the residual heat continues the drying process. They'll crisp further as they cool.

Serve warm, while the toast still has some give in the crumb beneath the crunchy exterior. Pair with cheese, pickles, or charcuterie; alternatively, break them into shards and use as quick-preparation|quick croutons for soup. Any leftovers will soften overnight — store them in an airtight container, though reheating them in a low oven for five minutes restores crispness.