These fragrant and warm garlic crostini are crisp, chewy and the perfect crunch to enjoy with a creamy baked brie and balsamic fruit or to add to your beautiful charcuterie board.  There is nothing better than serving up warm bread, especially when it boasts of earthy garlic and a generous sprinkle of sea salt.  These little babies are so good and are a family favorite for almost every dip I make. I am sure you will love them too!

What to Serve with Garlic Crostini

Simple, versatile, and perfect with so many dishes, garlic crostini are the easiest addition to you appetizers, snacks and dinners.  These are so simple and delicious you may even make these for a weeknight “garlic bread” like I do!  Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy these tasty, garlicky bites:

• Serve with Salads
• Serve with Soups
• Hummus
• Baba Ganoush
• Mackerel Salad
• Charcuterie
• Marinated Tomatoes
• Cheese Board
• Tapenade

Anyway you choose, you can’t go wrong with these crusty, chewy bites of bready goodness!

Why Organic Unbleached Flour vs. Conventional Flour

With the industrialized food system in our country, the foods we eat today (especially wheat, corn, soy, and more) are nothing like what they used to be, even as soon as 20 years ago.  The land that food is grown on no longer has the mineral composition is used to, yielding a nutritionally void food.  Additionally, too many foods in our stores come from crops that have been genetically modified to be pesticide resistant and are grown with carcinogenic products like RoundUP.  It’s important to choose your food and ingredients wisely so let’s dive into why I try to only buy organic and unbleached breads and grains for my family to eat.

Why Organic?  Organic flour is milled from grains that have been grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.  By buying organic breads or using organic flour in your baked goods, you are also increasing the nutrition found in the foods you eat and create.  Organic grains have higher levels of zinc, magnesium and protein than their conventional counterparts [1].

Why Unbleached? Bleached flour is ultra refined, and that is enough reason to cut it out of your diet!  During the processing of refining foods such as flours, sugars and oils, the key and essential nutrients get stripped away, yielding a product that is nutritionally void.  Chemicals you say?  Why yes! Bleached flours are full of chemicals, such as potassium bromide which has been shown to be a carcinogen linked to kidney and thyroid cancer [2]. 

GMOs: Many of the breads, cereals, snacks, and grains out on market shelves are derived from either hybridized or genetically modified (GM) ingredients (wheat, corn, soy), and many of these are grown conventionally and are treated with toxic chemicals like glyphosate (RoundUp.)

Environmental Impact: Across the globe, over 80% of all the GMO and conventional crops that are cultivated have been modified against herbicides such as RoundUp.  This means that the crops have had their DNA altered so that they are resistant against chemicals like RoundUp allowing for these toxic chemicals to be sprayed on the crops, killing other plants and pests without harming the crop itself.  The problem with chemicals like glyphosate is that they are now part of the food you eat, and have given rise to “superbugs” and “superweeds” that have become resistant to it and can now only be killed with chemicals that are even more toxic like 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D, an ingredient in Agent Orange) shown to correlate with thyroid disorders, hormonal disorders, decreased fertility, birth defects, and cancer [3].

Human Impact: In recent studies, there have been indications of the negative impact GMO foods are having when consumed.  These foods are showing that they may have toxicity on organs, organ systems, and immune health [4]. Consuming foods that have been genetically modified exposes you to a slurry of toxic chemicals, like glyphosate, that has been shown to be carcinogenic [5]. 

So grab a delicious organic french baguette and let’s get cooking!

Easy Garlic Crostini Ingredients

Serves 6-10

1 Organic French Baguette, ¼” slice

2-3 Tbsp EVOO

1-2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled

Flaked Sea Salt (opt)

How to Make Easy Garlic Crostini

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2.  To a small prep bowl, add hot water and soak the garlic for 5-10 minutes to soften the peel.  This makes it a lot easier to remove the peel so you get a nice perfect clove.

3.  Slice the baguette and place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. 

4. Brush each slice with some EVOO or avocado oil.

5.  Bake until lightly golden brown, about 3-6 minutes.

6.  While the crostini are baking, peel the skin off the clove of garlic.

7.  Remove the crostini from the oven and while still warm, gently rub the garlic clove over the toasted top.

8.  Sprinkle with flake sea salt* and serve!

* You can sprinkle with salt before baking as well, I just prefer to do it after I’ve rubbed the garlic on

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FAQs

Q: Why are my crostini so hard?

A: Your oven temperature may not be high enough, the crostini should be crisp on top and chewy in the center, if the temperature is too low the crostini with dry out.

Q: How long do crostini stay fresh?

A: As with most fresh bread, it is always best the day of. If you have leftovers store them in an airtight container or bag in the freezer and then reheat in a 350 degree oven for 7-10 minutes when ready to eat!

Q: What type of salt can I use in place of a flaked sea salt?

A: You can try kosher sea salt, kosher real salt, or coarse sea salt instead!

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