Baked brie with garlic and thyme. A delicious 15 minute garlic baked brie recipe that is so easy and so scrumptious, it’s sure to become a favorite!
I remember the first time I tasted baked brie cheese.
And, let me tell you, it was a bit of a life changer.
I was in my 20s, in my first “grown up” job, and a friend and colleague had me over for a wine and cheese night.
But it wasn’t just any cheese.
No, it was a baked brie with garlic, slathered with sun dried tomatoes and olive oil, and served with crackers. Fresh out of the oven, and oozing with gooey goodness, it was nothing short of amazing!
When my friend told me how easy her baked brie recipe was, I almost couldn’t believe it.
Roasted garlic (she roasted hers separate from the brie) plus a wheel of brie. She then dumped a jar of sun dried tomatoes dumped on top of the brie, and put it in the oven to bake!
Delicious, and almost no effort. Count me in!
I’ve since made that particular roasted garlic baked brie countless times.
And as I get a bit more confident with my brie baking skills, I’ve tried different combos and flavors that work well with a baked brie cheese wheel.
Which brings me to this post, which is all about how to bake brie, with a focus on baked brie with garlic, as well as other toppings and flavors.
Once you’ve tried it, I’m convinced you’ll decide it’s the best way to serve brie cheese, hands down (except maybe brie on pizza).
Tips to Make Baked Brie
Before I get into my baked brie with garlic recipe, it’s worth sharing some tips about how to bake brie, so you get the best results.
Tip 1 – Score the Top Rind of the Brie if You’re Making a Baked Brie with Garlic
One of my best tips when making garlic baked brie is to score the top and then “stuff” it with garlic.
If you plan on making a garlic baked brie, or using garlic and other flavors, then follow this method!
Start by peeling and slicing garlic cloves, and then score the top of the brie.
Scoring the top of the brie properly will let you infuse it with plenty of flavor, while also ensuring it remains intact for the entire baking process.
Depending on how big it is and how much you want to flavor it, you can either score it with a crosshatch pattern (as we did in the photo above and below), or simply cut multiple 1 inch long slits in the brie, all running in a single direction.
The key when scoring, is to not cut all the way to the edges of the brie. This ensures the wheel keeps its shape when baking, and it comes out looking like a gorgeous wheel of brie baked and ready to enjoy, rather than a goopy mess of melted cheese.
My second tip is to only cut about 1/4″ deep from the top of the cheese. Basically, you want to cut through the rind and a little bit deeper, but don’t get close to the bottom of the cheese (or even the middle).
Once you’ve scored it, fit your garlic slices into the scored openings, effectively stuffing the brie with a bit of garlic for a nice, garlic infused flavor!
Tip 2 – You Need a Round to Make Baked Brie, Not a Wedge
When baking brie, you really need a full wheel or round of brie, not a pre-cut wedge.
Don’t try to bake a wedge of brie in the oven, because you’ll just end up with a massively gooey mess of melted cheese.
And let me tell you from experience, melted brie is really hard to get off, even with good dishwasher detergent!
Tip 3 – Choose Your Baking Dish
When it comes to baking with your wheel of brie, you need some sort of container.
A few options include:
- The wooden box it comes in
- A brie baker
- A small dutch oven
- Aluminium foil and a baking sheet
Really, the easiest option is to buy a wheel of brie sold in a wooden box.
This is a little known brie baking hack – you can actually bake the brie right in the box, no baking dish required! This makes the whole thing insanely easy, both in terms of prep and cleanup, and is the simplest option.
If, however, you can’t find one of the boxed bries, then you’ll need a suitable oven safe dish, or at the very least something to wrap it up and keep it contained.
One option is a brie baker, which are basically adorable little dutch ovens that are the perfect size to bake a brie.
Alternatively, you could use a small dutch oven or a small ceramic casserole style dish with high sides.
The trick is to choose something that’s about the same size as your round of brie, so it loosely hugs the brie while in the oven. You can then serve it right in the dish, and the tight fit means the brie can’t ooze too far from the wheel once you cut into it, making clean up easier.
If you don’t have any of the above, you can also wrap the wheel of brie in foil, and bake it on a baking tray. I’ve done this plenty of times, and it works fine! The only tricky part about this method is figuring out how to serve it. I don’t love serving a brie on aluminium foil, because of the risk of a bit of foil getting into a bite of the brie. Never pleasant.
Do You Cover Brie When Baking?
No! Bake the brie uncovered, even if you’re using the wooden box or a brie baker. Bake with the lid off, and then you can put the lid on after baking to keep it warm before serving. The exception to this is aluminum foil method, which you can loosely wrap around the brie to cover when baking.
What About Puff Pastry?
Baked brie in puff pastry is a thing, but it’s just not a thing I’m going to cover in this post.
While I may write about how to make baked brie in puff pastry in the future, this post is all about easy baked brie, and to be frank, there’s nothing about puff pastry that I find particularly easy.
Tip 4 – Make it Easier to Clean Up
If you’re baking your brie in a larger dish (and plan to serve it in the same dish), here’s a tip to make it easier to clean up once you’ve indulged!
Before place the brie in the dish, crumple up some parchment paper or wax paper. Then uncrumple it and lay it at the bottom of the baking dish, placing the brie on top.
The idea here is to create slight resistance with the paper. When you cut into the molten brie and its cheese rivers begin oozing out onto the parchment, the ever so slight crumples and wrinkles will stem the flow.
This makes it easier to scoop up onto your cracker or baguette (less wastage), but also reduces the crusty and dried brie remnants stuck to your dish at the end of the night.
What You Need for A Basic Garlic Baked Brie Recipe
Ingredients for a Classic Baked Brie with Garlic and Thyme
Baked brie with garlic and thyme is a fairly classic garlic baked brie combo. Here’s what you’ll need
- 1 wheel of brie (ideally in the wooden box)
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- ~ 2 tablespoons olive oil
You’ll also need some cheeseboard accoutrements to serve it with, such as
- Sliced fresh baguette or crostini
- Nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, etc.
- Fresh fruit, like grapes, apple slices, etc.
- Jams, jellies, and chutneys, such as fig jam
How to Make my Roasted Garlic Baked Brie
Before Getting Started
Start by preheating your oven to 375F, and unwrapping your wheel of brie.
Remove the brie from any plastic or paper it’s wrapped in. Make sure all packaging is removed, so you’re left just with the naked wheel of brie and the wooden box (if applicable), and all the plastic has been removed.
Score the top of the Brie
Put your naked brie back in the wooden box, or whatever container you’re going to use to bake it in.
Using a sharp knife, score the brie with either a cross hatch pattern or long slits. Don’t cut all the way to the edges, and only go about 1/4″ deep.
Infuse the Brie with Garlic
Peel and thinly slice 1 to 2 cloves of garlic (depending on how large the cheese is, and how garlicky you want it to be).
Working a slice at a time, stuff the garlic slices into the openings of the cheese made via scoring it.
Dress the Brie
Once the brie has been stuffed with garlic slices, mix up a basic herbed olive oil mixture.
In this recipe, I washed and stripped a few sprigs of thyme, finely chopping them until I had around 1 to 1.5 tablespoons.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the thyme with ~ 2 tablespoons olive oil, and then drizzle the brie with the thyme and olive oil mix
Bake the Brie
Place the brie on a baking sheet (for easier handling), and into the oven, baking uncovered for around 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
What to Serve with Baked Brie with Garlic?
My garlic baked brie works well on its own as a standalone appetizer, or it can be a beautiful feature on a cheese board.
If you need a few ideas when how and what to serve it with:
- Nuts – Nuts always go well on a cheese board! I like Rosemary candied walnuts or pecans for fancy nuts, but almonds or walnuts are always a crowd pleaser, too.
- Crackers – Go for small, bite sized crackers that are strong enough to not break when dipping into the oozing hot brie.
- Bread – I like to offer crackers and bread. A fresh loaf of French bread is always a good choice. To ensure it’s fresh, slice the bread right before serving, while the brie is in the oven.
- Jam, Jelly, Chutney – A citrusy jam, such as fig or apricot jam is a great choice to serve with brie.
- Fruit – Fruit is always appreciated on a cheese board, or with cheese appetizers. You can go with grapes, sliced or chopped apples,
Final Thoughts About My Baked Brie with Garlic
I hope you love this baked brie recipe as much as I do! If you know another cheese love, please share!