Place the peeled garlic cloves in a small, heavy saucepan or ovenproof dish. Add the 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil so that the cloves are fully submerged. Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf and 1/4 tsp salt.

Heat gently over low heat (or in a 275°F / 135°C oven) until the garlic is very tender and can be mashed with the back of a spoon, about 45–60 minutes. The oil should not bubble vigorously—keep it at a bare simmer. Remove from heat and let cool in the oil. Discard bay leaf and thyme stems if desired. Reserve garlic and the flavored oil.

You can mash some cloves into a paste for spreading, or leave whole for spreading intact on bread. Keep the confit in oil and refrigerate up to 2 weeks; bring to room temperature before using so oil is soft.

Roasted red pepper topping

If using jarred roasted peppers, drain well and pat dry. If using fresh peppers, roast them over a gas flame or under broiler until charred all over, place in a bowl covered with plastic to steam 10 minutes, then peel, seed and stem.

Coarsely chop the roasted red peppers and place in a blender or food processor. Add 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

Pulse until you have a chunky purée — still a little textured so it sits on the bread. Taste and adjust seasoning with a touch more vinegar or salt if needed. Transfer to a bowl and keep at room temperature until assembly.

Bread & assembly

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) or prepare a grill pan. Arrange the 8 slices of country bread on a baking sheet. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil (about 1 tbs total for brushing) and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Toast the bread in the oven 6–8 minutes, flipping halfway, until crisp and golden. Alternatively, grill on a hot grill pan 1–2 minutes per side until charred marks and crisp. Remove and allow to cool slightly.

If you prepared whole garlic confit cloves, press a clove onto each toast and spread gently to release the soft garlic into the crumb. If you made garlic paste, spread about 1 teaspoon of paste onto each slice.

Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of the roasted red pepper purée onto each slice, spreading slightly but leaving some bread visible, or arrange as a small quenelle on each slice.

Drizzle a little of the reserved garlic-infused oil (about 1 tsp per slice) and the finishing extra-virgin olive oil (total 1 tbs) over the topped bread. Sprinkle chopped parsley evenly over all slices and add microgreens or arugula if using.

Taste one piece and adjust finishing salt or pepper as needed. Serve immediately while toasts are still slightly warm.