Soft and fluffy garlic knots that you can make easily at home! Perfect with a bowl of pasta or a slice of pizza! You can dial the garlic up or down depending upon your tastes.
My 5-year old daughter is a little sponge. She soaks up everything she learns at school and can memorize all the books she reads. One of her latest recitations is telling me about tastebuds. “Mommy, you know those little bumps on your tongue? Those are tastebuds. They can change when you get bigger.”
How right she is. As a child, I could not stand garlic. I am talking about full-on hissy fits and cry-fests. My mom got smart and started hiding garlic in dumplings, wontons and other foods she’d make. I would be the kid that picked out every visible bit of garlic I found and put them on my napkin to throw away later.
As I grew older, I started appreciating garlic more. I liked the aroma, but the bits of garlic I could see in food still detracted me a bit. Now I am at a stage where I don’t mind it as much. Addie was right – my tastebuds changed.
One food item that I have grown to love are garlic knots. I have fond memories of trying these for the first time at a local pizza place in college. Every time I went there, I would always order the spinach pizza with a garlic knot as my dinner. I especially enjoyed the soft, fluffy roll with the buttery garlic sauce on top.
When Nicole of Seven Ate Nine announced that this month’s What’s Baking theme was baking with garlic, I knew I had to make these. The knots are a great way to get my little girl to try garlic at a young age. Plus, the garlic knots go great with one of her favorite foods – pasta.
So whether you’re a garlic hater or garlic lover, I’m sure you’ll enjoy these soft garlic knots. They’re not too heavy on the garlic, and remember that you can always pick off the bits of garlic or just use garlic powder.
Be sure to visit Nicole’s blog to see what the other ladies baked this month!
Soft garlic knots
Ingredients
Garlic knots
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 and ¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons warm water
Garlic butter glaze
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or chopped (I used 1 teaspoon of garlic powder since I didn't have any garlic on hand)
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if mixing by hand), mix together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt with a rubber spatula. Add the dough hook and continue to mix the ingredients on low speed. Slowly add in the olive oil, milk and warm water (if kneading by hand, simply make a well in the middle of your large bowl and mix in the liquid ingredients and knead well). Keep mixing until a soft dough forms. You may need to add more flour if the dough is too sticky - it should not stick to your bowl.
- Stop the mixer, remove the dough, and transfer it to a large bowl. Cover and allow it to rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into ten equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope.
- Tie each rope in a regular knot. Tuck the ends into the top and bottom of the knot to hide them. Press down slightly so they don't stick up.
- Transfer the knots to a parchment-paper or silicone lined baking sheet (a baking stone works too).
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rise for another 45 minutes or until they are puffy.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- To make the glaze, mix the garlic with the butter and Italian seasoning together. Brush each roll with the garlic butter mixture.
- Bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes or until they are slightly golden. Allow the rolls to cool slightly before serving.