Parmesan Garlic Knots
This recipe makes 16 knots.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook (or see information above)
- Rolling pin
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 (1/4 oz) packet active dry or instant yeast*
- 3/4 cup warm water (95 to 110 degrees F)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil split + some for oiling your mixing bowl
- 2 1/4 cups bread or all-purpose flour + more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the garlic coating:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley finely diced or minced
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- sea salt or Maldon sea salt flakes for garnish; optional
Instructions
For the dough:
- Combine the sugar, yeast, water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Wait about 5 minutes to ensure the yeast is activated*.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine with flour and salt. Add in your wet yeast mixture and mix on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes, until the dough is sticky but still pulls away from the bowl. Alternatively, do this by hand: Add in the flour and the salt, and starting with a rubber spatula, use it to combine everything together. Then, use your hands to mix and shape the dough. You just want to do enough to combine everything and form and shape the dough. Your dough might still look a little shaggy but that's ok. Pour a little olive oil into the bowl on the bottom and leave your dough ball there and cover with saran wrap and a kitchen towel. Set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size (usually 2 to 3 hours depending on initial water temp and warmth of proofing area). When ready, uncover the bowl and punch down the dough in the center to release the air.
- Set up your knotting station: Prep two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Put out a large wooden cutting board lightly floured, or simply lightly flour your countertop. Roll out your dough, and using a pizza cutter or bread knife, cut out the dough into strips (see photo). Alternatively, you can split your dough into 4 and then work with a little at a time. Roll out the dough and cut; each quarter of dough should yield 4 knots.
- Make knots: Oil your hands to help keep the dough from sticking if you need to. Tie each strip into a knot (over, under, and through) and place on your prepared baking sheet until all of the knots are finished. Place knots about an 1 1/2" apart. Brush the knots with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover each baking sheet with a dry, thin kitchen towel, and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise; for at least one hour.
- Preheat your oven to 400° F. After knots have doubled in size, remove the kitchen towel and place sheet pans in the oven. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. (I wouldn't bake more than 20 minutes).
For the garlic coating:
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the garlic coating: Gently warm the butter, olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley and set aside.
- After removing knots from oven, while still warm, either brush with the garlic coating, or drizzle over the top. Sprinkle and garnish with the freshly grated parmesan cheese and a little salt if desired. These are best served warm, enjoy!
Notes
*If using instant active dry yeast, you don't have to wait a full 5 minutes. You should start to see the yeast activating pretty quickly