Homemade Garlic Knots

Hi
Hope you're having a good night!
In the past few years, I've taken to making homemade rolls and bread. I’ve tried several types of rolls, from Samoan coconut rolls, to honey yeast, to shokupan, brioche, hoagie rolls, and buttermilk or herbed biscuits.
Tonight, I’m making garlic knots to go with dinner, and thought I’d share a recipe I’ve had success with. It’s a work in progress, and I’ll try to upload pics as I go. So far, my dough is on its first rise.

Despite not using fresh garlic (though there's certainly nothing stopping you from modifying the recipe a bit for your own taste) or parmesan (the latter of which is in most recipes I found, but not this one, and which I don't have at the moment), this is a solid recipe!
tastesbetterfromscratch.com...

Ingredients
1/3 cup
very warm water
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup +1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/3 cup milk , warmed
5 tablespoons butter , softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Garlic Topping
1 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoons butter , melted
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Marinara sauce , for dipping (optional)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
*Combine warm water, yeast, and 1/4 tsp sugar and stir--allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
*Pour yeast mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer (or into a large bowl if you plan on kneading by hand). Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, warm milk, butter, egg and salt. Blend mixture until combined.
*While mixing on low speed, slowly add the flour, mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 - 6 minutes. You may not use all of the flour called for!
*The dough should be soft, very slightly sticky when touched with a clean finger. It should be pulling away from the sides of the mixer.
*Grease a large bowl with cooking spray or a tiny bit of oil. Place the dough in the bottom of the bowl and turn it over once to coat all sides in oil (this helps keep it from drying out.)
*Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
*Gently punch the dough down. Add a little flour to your countertop or work surface (or spray it lightly with cooking spray).
*Grab a ball of dough, about the size of a golf ball, and roll it out into a long rope (about 1/2 inch thick and around 9 inches long). Tie the rope into a knot and place it on prepared baking sheet.
*Cover garlic knots loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise again in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
*Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
*Bake for 10-12 min. or until lightly golden on top.
*While they're baking, make the garlic sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.
*After removing knots from oven, while still warm, brush them lightly with garlic sauce.

Hope you give this recipe a shot--it's really good!

a reply to: zosimov

That recipe looks tasty. Looking forward to seeing the results. I've done a lot of cooking but not a whole lot of baking. I've always found it a bit intimidating. Hope those turn out delicious. I'm pretty jealous to be honest.

a reply to: zosimov

I do garlic knots using the same recipe for pizza dough in my bread maker. About 2 lbs of dough

Water 1 1/3 cups - might need more water
Sea Salt or kosher 2 tsp
honey/sugar 1 tsp
EV Olive Oil 2 tbsp
flour 3 1/4 cups
Whole wheat flour 3/4 cup
yeast 2 tsp

I melt some butter in a bowl, add olive oil, italian seasoning, pinch of salt and parmesian cheese. Then dip the roll in that as a topping.

a reply to: dug88

I was always intimidated too, until I gave it a shot!

I have always enjoyed working with my hands (clay, etc), so baking turns out to really be up my alley after all.

Here are shots from the next step--look how crudely the dough is rolled, but it doesn't matter in the long run





These have to rise another hour before going in the oven. I'll post more pics soon.

Have a good one! I hope you try your hand at baking one of these days!

a reply to: grey580

Sounds great
Thanks for sharing!

a reply to: zosimov

When I started to make my own bread, I learned it is all about the rise and to be patient.
Let it rise a few times and it might come out better....I say might, because I have never made garlic knots before so I might be talking out of my butt when it comes to making them.
I did learn with bread though that it was all about the rise.

Good luck and I hope they turn out.

a reply to: DrumsRfun

Success!

Got some pics (admittedly not a pro at taking food pics) to show the results
Here are the rolls before cooking, after that second rise:

Cooked and coated (ok, maybe went a bit overboard with the butter, lol. I froze half the recipe but forgot to halve the topping) with the garlic butter/oil:

Nice and soft in the middle, too.

They were way to late to have with dinner, unfortunately.

Spontaneity and baking don't always go well together.

a reply to: zosimov

The second pic looks amazing and delectable.

Spontaneity is a great thing, don't get frustrated about it, just keep trying new things and try to not think you failed.
Can't translates into.

Certainly
Am
Not
Trying

It seems like you did fine and they look great.

originally posted by: DrumsRfun
a reply to: zosimov

The second pic looks amazing and delectable.

Spontaneity is a great thing, don't get frustrated about it, just keep trying new things and try to not think you failed.
Can't translates into.

Certainly
Am
Not
Trying

It seems like you did fine and they look great.

What a wonderful mindset.


They were good, and thanks for the smile!

a reply to: zosimov

Nice job, Zos, soon you will open your own pizzeria and slave away 12-14 hours a day dealing with the public.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: zosimov

Nice job, Zos, soon you will open your own pizzeria and slave away 12-14 hours a day dealing with the public.

Thanks Augustus! But who will I call when I'm lazy, hungry, and need my pizza?

a reply to: zosimov

Wow, those looks absolutely delicious. With a side of garlic butter to dip them in like a restaurant here, I might have to try them.

originally posted by: zosimov
Thanks Augustus! But who will I call when I'm lazy, hungry, and need my pizza?

Me, duh.

a reply to: Liquesence

Sounds good I just opened a jar of marinara I had in the fridge (don't let Augustus see this--pretty sure that a mortal sin in Italy) and microwaved it for dipping. It was great!

a reply to: zosimov

The next recipe I teach you will be on homemade marinara.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I'll have tomatoes to use from the garden (hopefully) come mid August. Gratzie!

originally posted by: zosimov
I'll have tomatoes to use from the garden (hopefully) come mid August. Gratzie!

Lucky you, rat bastard squirrels ate mine. 2020 continues....

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Noooo, not the tomatoes!?



The little freaks take a couple of bites and then realize they still don't like them and discard them in plain sight, don't they?
I've had lots of squirrel woes in the past. This year one was eating the flowers off my echinacea plants until I drenched it in cayenne.

It's actually been a terrible year here for tomatoes. We had a two-three week hot streak early June that dried up most of the blossoms on our plants, so they're all still in recovery mode.

But surely there will be enough for some marinara! In fact, if I have anything, I'll have a late crop this year which is much better suited for sauce.

For anyone interested in making garlic knots, fyi, this is a very rich kind of recipe (the sugar/butter/milk).
Lots of people (as mentioned above) use a pizza dough recipe for their knots, and I'd just say it's a matter of taste. The recipe I posted made delicious knots, but I'll post the recipe I use here for pizza dough in case you want less richness in your garlic knots.


153 grams 00 flour
153 grams All-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon Active dry yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sugar
200 grams warm water (around 110 degrees fahrenheit.)

To make, combine water, yeast, olive oil, and a pinch of sugar and let sit 5 minutes to activate yeast.
Mix flours and salt in large bowl.
add the liquid to the bowl and stir, knead about 5 minutes, let it sit for 15 then knead again about 4 minutes.
Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour and proceed with recipe above!





I'm sure both kinds of garlic knots would be delicious.