Preheat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with foil.
Slice baguette into 1” slices.
Make the garlic butter spread by mixing together olive oil, butter, garlic, parsley, salt and parmesan cheese (if using).
Spread the butter mixture onto both sides of each slice of bread. Wrap loaf in the foil, leaving the top exposed so it gets toasted in the oven. Pour any remaining garlic butter over the top of the loaf.
Bake until golden brown on top, about 9 to 10 minutes.
Serve warm.
Video
Notes
The olive oil mixed with butter gives this a good, spreadable consistency, as well as adds a little depth to the flavor. You could make this with just butter - use ½ cup, or one stick, and omit the olive oil.
Can you use a different type of bread? Sure you can - any French or Italian, rustic loaf style bread will work.
Can you substitute garlic powder for the minced garlic? Yes, if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, you can use garlic powder. I like the jarred minced garlic for convenience. Here’s how to substitute: 1 clove = ½ teaspoon minced = ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder. So for this recipe that would be ⅝ teaspoonful (½ + ⅛ teaspoon). Or use ½ to ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder, depending how garlic-y you like it.