Italian Olive Oil Bread Dip

I attempted a bunch of various blends, and this one? Arms-down my favourite. The combo of spices, contemporary garlic, and that sizzling oil pour-over trick hits good. Everybody who’s tried it says the identical. It’s ridiculously simple to make at dwelling, and truthfully? Blows any restaurant model out of the water.

Pair this scrumptious dip with our Sourdough Bread or Rustic Garlic Artisan Bread.

Why My Recipe

• The right mix of spices, herbs, contemporary garlic, vinegar, and oil.
• A taste-tested, confirmed recipe for a successful mixture.
• Heating the olive oil is the key, infusing so rather more taste!

I examined an entire lineup of herb and spice blends, tweaking one factor at a time like a complete kitchen nerd. I attempted heating the oil, and I attempted skipping it. Because it seems, that additional step is 100% price it. Just some minutes makes the flavour far more intense. I additionally went head-to-head with contemporary garlic vs powdered, and contemporary garlic gained by a mile when it’s steeped in that sizzling olive oil. This model proper right here? It’s the one which got here out on prime. Candy, peppery, tangy, with simply the proper little kick.

Ingredient Notes

• Further Virgin Olive Oil: Use a high-quality olive oil for this recipe. The flavour is extra necessary as you’ll be tasting it instantly in your bread, quite than cooking with it.
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is most well-liked, adopted by frozen, then dehydrated or granulated minced garlic.
• Crushed Purple Pepper Flakes: Provides only a trace of warmth. Double it if you wish to convey extra warmth, or go away it out totally when you aren’t into spicy.
• Paprika: Provides colour and a delicate sweetness.
• Salt: I like to recommend utilizing a rough salt like kosher, sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, or a flaky salt for its gentle, crunchy texture.
• Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper is used for its spicy and pungent taste.
• Balsamic Vinegar: Provides acidity that balances the richness of the oil.

Contemporary vs Dried Garlic

Contemporary: On this recipe, I exploit contemporary minced garlic, which I extremely suggest! The contemporary garlic infuses a lot taste into the olive oil, particularly when heated. Jarred garlic also can work and is tremendous handy, however usually has a extra bitter taste.

Frozen: Not everybody needs to peel garlic and mince it each time they cook dinner, so a detailed second to contemporary garlic is frozen. You may simply discover these little trays of pre-portioned frozen garlic at your grocery retailer, or you may make your individual! I like to recommend you employ a meals processor, then fill a resealable plastic bag with the minced garlic and part into teaspoon-sized blocks utilizing a knife or bench scraper.

Dried: I do know you don’t at all times have contemporary garlic readily available or might not have the time! On this case, granulated or dehydrated minced garlic is massively most well-liked! The flavour is rather more pungent than powdered, with a delicate sweetness and a slight chew. Powdered garlic has a milder taste and is extra finely milled, making it clump extra simply when combined within the oil.

Heating the Oil

You may not imagine it, however heating your oil makes an enormous distinction and solely takes an additional 5 minutes! You could possibly merely combine the spices and garlic with the oil and let it sit, however heating the oil first aids within the infusion course of, permitting for the spices to launch a a lot stronger taste.