Jamie Oliver's 'sumptuous' garlic bread is the perfect weekend recipe - great with pasta

You can buy garlic bread in any supermarket across the country but there's something fun - and impressive - about making it from scratch yourself.

Jamie Oliver's sumptuous homemade garlic bread with parsley, lemon and cream cheese is a delicious side dish to whip up this weekend.

Speaking about his creation, Jamie said: "Who doesn’t love garlic bread? And this tear and share style is always a winner.

"I’ve written the recipe for 12, because it’s an easier quantity of dough to work with. What I like to do is make up both trays of bread, then whack one in the freezer, ready to bake another day – you won’t regret it."

Jamie's garlic bread goes perfectly with your classic spaghetti, or with a creamy, decadent dip. Alternatively, use it to mop up a heart bowl of soup - the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

• One 7g sachet of dried yeast
• 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• Olive oil
• 50g white or wholemeal bread
• One big bunch of flat-leaf parsley, (60g)
• Three cloves of garlic
• One lemon
• 200g light cream cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Get ahead

• You can do this on the day if you like. Pour 325ml of lukewarm water into a big bowl. Add the yeast and mix with a fork for two minutes. Add the flour and a generous pinch of sea salt. Again, use your fork to mix. Keep going until you can’t move it any more. Next, use your hands to bring it together to form a ball of dough.
• You can add more flour if you need to, to stop your hands and the dough sticking. Knead the dough on a flour-dusted surface for five minutes, or until it is silky and elastic. Shape into a ball (it doesn't have to be perfect) and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with a clean, damp tea towel and keep in a warm place for an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
• At the same time, tear the bread and chuck into a blender, then blitz into crumbs. Rub two 20cm x 30cm trays with olive oil, then scatter over the breadcrumbs so they're evenly spread out. Tear the top leafy half of the parsley into the blender. Peel and add the garlic and blitz until fine. Squeeze in the lemon juice and pour in the cream cheese, then blitz again until smooth. Season to taste.

• Use your fist to knock the air out of the dough, then divide into two halves. One at a time, stretch out on an oiled surface to 30cm x 50cm. Spread over half the cream cheese mixture, leaving a 5cm border along the longer side that’s farthest away from you.
• Carefully roll up the dough, starting in front of you, to form a long Swiss roll shape. Cut the roll into 18 pieces with a sharp knife, then place in the tray, swirl-side up. Put them fairly close together. Cover and prove in the fridge overnight. If you're making your garlic bread on the day, 45 minutes - or until doubled in size - is fine.

To serve

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas seven. Uncover and bake on the top shelf for 20 minutes, or until golden. To finish, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.