Cut whole bulbs of garlic in half through their middles (going from side to side, not top to bottom). Discard only the loose papery outer layers, leaving them mostly unpeeled so that each bulb half holds together. You'll have a few individual cloves that separate and that's ok, don't peel them either.

Place prepared garlic in a shallow baking dish just wide enough to hold it in a single layer. If you'd like to add a few sprigs of fresh herbs this would be the time to do it. Pour enough olive oil into the dish to just cover the garlic. You want all the garlic submerged.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in a 200°f oven. Let the garlic cook for 2-3 hours, until it's lightly colored and the cloves are very soft when poked with the tip of a sharp knife. Ovens vary, as will the size and variety of your garlic, so start checking it at the 2 hour mark.

Once your garlic is cooked, uncover and let it stand until it's cool enough to handle. Remove the garlic from the oil and squeeze the cloves out of their skins into another bowl. Place the cloves into a glass jar. Pour the oil through a mesh sieve over the cloves. The sieve will keep any papery skins out of the final confit. Store in the refrigerator.