Chewy and delicious Homemade Garlic Knots! This yeasted dough recipe is straightforward and sure to be a big hit with your family and friends! And the dough is freezer-friendly!
Garlic Knots Recipe from Scratch
As an Italian woman, and carb lover, I am a HUGE fan of garlic knots. So learning to make garlic knots from scratch was one of my top priorities this year. And guess what? I learned and perfected this recipe way faster than I thought I would. Turns out making bread knots is NOT hard. Like, at all. And they’re made with super basic ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now!
They’re delicious on their own, but I love serving them with penne arrabbiata and a big batch of easy baked meatballs!
How to make Garlic Knots
Alright, it’s time to get down to business! And today’s business is teaching you exactly how to make homemade garlic knots. If you’re new to making homemade bread recipes, don’t fret!!!
Working with yeast is not super complicated! But there are quite a few steps, so make sure you take the time to read through the entire recipe before getting started. I also recommend reading through the ingredient list to making sure you have everything on hand!
How to Shape Garlic Knots
- You’ll want to divide your dough into 2 equal pieces. After you divide the dough, let it rest for 10 minutes before you begin shaping.
- Next, sprinkle the top of each round of dough with a little flour. Slice each round into quarters.
- Press each quarter into a rectangle, then slice in half again. You should have 16 pieces of dough. Dust each piece with a little flour and quickly shape into individual balls.
- Roll out each ball into a long rope then tie it into a knot. Place the knots on the prepared baking sheet, covered loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for 30 minutes.The knots will rise a little more during this time.
Once the dough has been shaped, you’ll place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until golden brown. Then you’ll brush them with a delicious garlic butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. If you want extra flavorful garlic knots, you can brush them with melted butter and herbs before and after baking. Just note they’ll be a little darker in color if you do this. But will taste even more like garlic bread!
This recipe calls for bread flour.
Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has a tiny amount of barley flour and vitamin C added. The barley flour helps the yeast activate, and the vitamin C increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes. Bread flour is typically used in pizza dough and garlic knot recipes because of the chewiness that the extra gluten provides. I did test this recipe with all-purpose flour and unfortunately the results were tough, dry, and utterly disappointing.
Moral of the story? If you want soft, chewy, and incredibly delicious garlic knots, don’t skip the bread flour!
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes! If you’re in a time crunch, I suggest making the dough ahead of time and freezing it. Then simply thaw and continue with the following steps as directed in the recipe. I always keep a batch of this dough hidden in the back of my freezer for when a garlic knot craving strikes!
These garlic knots are super delicious on their own – especially straight from the oven – but also go great with a side of marinara sauce. You can check out my homemade marinara sauce here.
Next, try my Soft Pretzel Garlic Knots!!!
If you try this garlic knots recipe from scratch, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on Instagram! ♥
Homemade Garlic Knots
Ashley Manila
Homemade garlic knots made with simple, everyday ingredients! Delicious on their own, or dipped in zesty marinara sauce.
4.92 from 24 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Inactive Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 16 large garlic knots
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 and 3/4 cups bread flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water, 110 - 115 degrees (F)
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
For the garlic coating:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
For the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook add the bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt; gently whisk to combine. Turn mixer on low speed and add the warm water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; beat until the dough forms a ball around the hook. If the dough is super sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the bowl in a warm area to rise for 90 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Place each round of dough onto a piece plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes. Dust the top of each round of dough with a light sprinkling of flour and, using a sharp knife, slice each into quarters. Press each quarter into a rectangle, then slice in half again. You should have 16 pieces of dough. Dust each piece with a little flour and quickly shape into individual balls. Roll out each ball into a long rope then tie it into a knot. Place the knots on the prepared baking sheet, covered loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for 30 minutes.The knots will rise a little more during this time.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F). When the 30 minutes are up, remove the plastic wrap and place the garlic knots in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until knots are golden brown and firm.
Cool for 5 minutes, then brush the freshly baked knots with the garlic coating. Sprinkle with cheese and serve warm!
For the garlic coating:
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add in the garlic and simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant (be sure not to over cook it here). Add in the parsley and garlic salt and stir to combine. Taste to season (add more salt, if needed), then remove from heat. Set aside until needed.
Notes
- For darker and more flavorful garlic knots, brush garlic coating on knots before and after baking.
- To freeze: Make garlic knots as instructed, but preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Bake garlic knots for 16 minutes. Don’t worry that the rolls look pale in color and slightly undercooked. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Then flash freeze on a sheet pan until they are frozen solid, about 3 hours. Transfer frozen garlic knots to a freezer safe bag and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to warm and serve, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then bake the frozen garlic knots until they are lightly golden brown and warm in the middle, about 10 to 15 minutes. Brush with garlic butter and serve.
Tried it and loved it?Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @Bakerbynature and by using the hashtag #BakerByNature
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