Garlic Knots Recipe

Stir the yeast and sugar into a small bowl with the warm water and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes, until it starts to foam.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil, then the yeast-sugar-water mixture.

Mix this together to form a soft dough and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. The dough should be soft and tacky. If it is too dry, add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.

With well-floured hands, shape the dough into a ball and lightly coat with olive oil. Put it in a large bowl, top the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a sunny spot to rise to double its size. This should take anywhere from 90 minutes to several hours.

When the dough has doubled in size, cut it into fourths.

sSet out 2 large baking sheet and line them with a silicone liner or parchment paper (spray parchment paper with some baking spray). Working with one piece at a time, flatten into rough 4×5-inch rectangles.

Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, slice each dough rectangle into 4 long strips (1 x 5-inches). Cut these strips in half in the middle. There should now be 8 (1 x 2.5-inch) strips.

Take one piece at a time and work it into the shape of a snake. Then tie it in a knot. Set each knot down on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Remember that the dough will rise, so leave some space between each knot.

Once all the knots are tied, paint them with a little olive oil. Loosely cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise again until doubled in size. This will take anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours or so. Toward the end of this rising period, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Uncover the knots and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until nicely browned on top.

While the garlic knots are baking, melt the butter in a small pot and cook the garlic gently in it for 1 to 2 minutes over medium-low heat just long enough to take off that raw garlic edge. Add the salt and parsley and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.

When the knots are done, take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Paint with the garlic-butter-parsley mixture and serve.