Garlic Knots
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These Garlic Knots are soft, fluffy, and full of buttery garlic flavor and aroma. They are brushed twice to make sure the bread absorbs the delightful savory sauce.
I had been making a lot of sweets lately. This made me craving for making simple savory foods so badly. Hence, these Garlic Knots came to mind suddenly and I took no time to execute them into delicious treats.
What are they like? They are crispy on the outside with a soft and fluffy interior. The knots are super fragrant and the garlic does not taste that overwhelming. You will find yourself reaching for another without thinking and these Garlic Knots will be one of your family’s favorite.
How to Make Garlic Knots
I know that some garlic knots recipe use the pre-made dough. You can use it if you are in rush, but I believe that homemade bread tastes better.
1. Make the dough
We start with a simple yeast dough. Combine the bread flour, sugar, warm water, yeast, egg, olive oil, and salt together and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky when touched.
2. Rest the dough
Grease a large bowl with a tiny bit of oil and place the dough inside. Cover and allow to rise in a warm temperature until double in size.
3. Make dough strips
After the dough has doubled, gently punch the dough down. Add a little flour on top of the work surface and drop the dough on it. Divide the dough into two and flatten each into 8×4-inch / 20x10cm. It does not need to be precise. Just use the measurement to help you how much you need to flatten the dough.
Then using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide each flattened dough into 8. Now you will get 16 strips of dough at the end.
4. Make knots
Take a strip of dough and stretch it into approximately 8-inch / 20cm. The dough should be very stretchy and slightly sticky. Make a knot like the picture below. You can tuck the ends below the knots or just simply leave them be.
5. Rest the knots
Cover the knots and allow them to rise again in a warm place until double in size for about 30 minutes.
6. Brush with garlic butter
While waiting for the knots to double, make the garlic butter. It is simply the combination of melted butter, minced garlic, dried herbs, and salt. Then just before baking, brush the knots with garlic butter. Refrain from using all the garlic butter because we need to use half of it for brushing the knots after baking.
7. Bake and brush the garlic butter again
Bake the knots until the top is golden brown. The garlic on top should also be golden brown and crunchy. Then, take them out of the oven and brush them with the remaining garlic butter. The garlic butter will absorb into the garlic knots as they cool down.
For extra savoriness, sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese and dried parsley. Now they are ready for you to dig in. Enjoy!
More Bread Recipes
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups (440 gr) bread flour
Garlic Butter
- 5 tbsp (75 gr) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
Topping
- 1/4 cup (25 gr) grated parmesan cheese
- Dried parsley
Instructions
Bread
- In a big bowl, combine all of the bread ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Then, knead the dough with your hands until smooth. It takes about 10-12 minutes by hand or 8-10 minutes in a stand mixer. Form dough into a ball.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and place the dough inside the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise and double for 90 minutes at a warm temperature.
- While waiting, line two baking sheets with two silicone mats or parchment papers.
Garlic Butter
- In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, minced garlic, dried basil leaves, dried parsley, and salt.
Assemble
- After the dough has doubled, punch down the dough. Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough to release the gas.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into two balls. Flatten each ball into 8×4-inch/20x10cm. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, slice each into 8 even strips.
- Stretch a strip into 8-inch/20cm and tie into a knot. Tuck the two ends of the knot underneath or you can leave them out. Place the knot carefully on a baking sheet. Continue with the remaining strips.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest and double for 30 minutes at a warm temperature.
- Preheat oven to 400F/200°C. Brush the knots with garlic butter. Reserve some sauce after the knots are out of the oven.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the top is golden. Remove from the oven and brush the knots with the remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and dried parsley.
