Garlic Knots
I fully recognize that claiming homemade pizza dough is super easy and then posting 27 stories detailing each step may appear highly suspect at first glance. I can literally feel the tenuous grip of every last bit of insta-trust that you generous souls place in my expert hands slipping from my fingers as I type...but HAVE I EVER STEERED YOU WRONG BEFORE? Nope. I swear on my pantry: the place I go to escape my family and snack without shame, that making your own dough is something you are fully capable of not only learning, but mastering.
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Sure, you could buy your own dough at the local pizzeria to make these homemade garlic knots, but having this go-to dough recipe courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction in your back pocket is straight-up self-rising freedom. It not only broadens your recipe repertoire to create my buttery garlic knots ON DEMAND without a trip to the store, but also to pizza, calzones, cheesy bread, Stromboli, flatbread, deep dish and more. And like everything else in life, practice makes perfect...and honestly: when have you ever had THIS MUCH time on your hands to practice? I’ll wait.
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Ok. Pizza Dough TEDTALK over. My kids beg for these Garlic Knots. One batch of the dough will feed you twice, which is convenient since the minute your family houses these buttery, herbaceous, garlicky baked balls of dough they’ll be asking you to make them again TOMORROW. And now you have a recipe everyone loves...how EASY was THAT?!?!
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup lukewarm water
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet’s worth)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 ½ cups flour
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 large cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Scant ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup warmed marinara sauce
Instructions
- Place the lukewarm water, yeast & sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and cover with a kitchen towel. Let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to ferment.
- Remove towel and add olive oil, salt, garlic powder and half the flour. Turn on low and mix until flour is just incorporated. Add the rest of the flour and beat on low for 2 minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for a minute or two. Divide into two equal balls and place in two separate bowls. Rub a small amount of olive oil over the balls of dough and cover both with a kitchen towel. Let sit at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours to let rise.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, place one ball of dough in the refrigerator and reserve for a pizza or a second batch of garlic knots later. Turn the second ball onto a lightly floured surface and roll into an even rectangle about 16” long and 6” wide. Cut the rectangle into 14 even strips about 1” wide each. Knot each strip and then knot again. Essentially, you are double knotting each rope of dough. Place onto the sheet tray lined with parchment or silpat mat, tucking the ends tightly underneath each knot. Repeat with the rest of the dough, making sure they are well spaced as you arrange them on the sheet tray.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil on low. Add the minced garlic and let sweat in the butter mixture on low for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add garlic powder, kosher salt & minced parsley.
- Lightly brush the garlic butter onto the tops of the knots, making sure to reserve about half to brush on after they finish baking. I try to leave most of the minced garlic at the bottom of the bowl for the second coat so it doesn’t burn in the oven.
- Bake in the 400°F oven for 17 minutes. Remove and douse with a second coat of garlic butter, a sprinkle of grated parmesan and serve alongside warmed marinara sauce.
Equipment:
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- Small saucepan
- Sheet tray lined in parchment or silpat mat