These garlic knots are the perfect accompaniment to any football party. They are soft and full of flavor. These are sure to be a hit for any gathering.Â
Ever walk into a room and everyone is excited to see what you have brought? This is one of those recipes. Garlic knots are such a staple for any football party or gathering of friends how can you not resist these little morsels. Plus the crispy garlic is a nice compliment to the soft knots.Â
In this recipe
I use a dough that is just like my Margherita pizza dough for this recipe. This is because it is a nice soft dough that has a great taste when cooked. The other thing about this dough is that it is tolerant to being worked. Why that is special is if you mess up a couple of time you will still have a nice and soft result when you are done.Â
One of the important things about making this dough is to not add any additional flour to your hands or counter when kneading the dough. By adding additional flour you will increase the amount of gluten and the dough will become tougher and more chewy. Also make sure that it springs back when poked. This ensures that there has been enough gluten formation to give you a nicely textured bread.Â
In the recipe is calls for 8 ropes to then either cut or create a knot. It is important to double the length of the ropes after cutting for a couple of reasons. By cutting it before stretching you will get more evenly sized pieces. Once doubled in length the ropes will start to shrink back causing unevenly sized portions. They need to be close to the same size so they bake evenly.Â
When infusing the oil with garlic you want to control the heat. low to medium heat is better to use here. Garlic has a tendency to go from toasted to burned in about 0.0003 seconds from how it seems. By keeping the temperature lower you can control how quickly it cooks to crisp up and release its flavors into the oil. Then the crispy garlic gives additional flavors to the knots.Â
The Ultimate Soft Garlic Knots
Equipment
- Lined sheet pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Small sauté pan
- Pastry brush
- Grater
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- Cling film
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups water warm
- â…“ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic grated or minced
- 3 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with dough hook attachment combine the flour, salt, and yeast and mix. Add the water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix until the dough sticks together and pulls away from the sides.
- Turn onto the counter without adding any flour. The dough should be a little sticky and that is ok not much should stick to your hands or counter. Knead the dough until smooth. It should spring back once poked. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Put a small amount of oil in a clean mixing bowl. Coat the bottom and the sides. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F or gas mark 5.
- Cut the dough into 8 equal wedges and then roll each wedge into a rope about 6 inches or a little over 15 cm. If making large knots double the length of the ropes and tie into a knot. Tuck the ends underneath. If making smaller knots cut the ropes in half or thirds. Then double the length and tie into a knot.
- Place on the lined sheet pan, brush the tops with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, and bake until browned or about 15 minutes for large knots. For smaller knots this may be closer to 8 minutes.
- While the knots are cooking heat the remaining oil and garlic in a sauté pan on medium heat. Cook until the garlic becomes crispy but not burned.
- Brush the oil and crispy garlic mixture over the warm knots and top with chopped parsley.
