Classic Buttery Garlic Knots Recipe

Garlic bread and breadsticks are both common pasta or pizza pairings, but what about garlic knots? There's a good chance you've at least heard of the bready little bites, which get their name from being quite literally little knots of garlicky bread, but there's less of a chance that you've elected them as your side carb of choice on pizza night. Well, thanks to this recipe from developer Jessica Morone, buttery garlic knots just might become your family's favorite bread side dish, whether it be pizza you're having for dinner or grilled chicken, fish, steak ... the list goes on and on because these knots pair well with just about any main course. 

"Garlic knots are one of my favorite things to order when I order a pizza," Morone tells us, also highlighting the fact that garlic knots are something of an NYC specialty, though as she puts it, "They should definitely be a thing everywhere." You can make sure that they become a thing in your kitchen, at the very least, especially because they aren't too difficult to whip up from scratch. Yes, making any type of homemade bread can be nerve-wracking, but even those prone to bread-baking mistakes can master this garlic knots recipe and keep it on standby every time pizza night rolls around.

For the knots themselves, you'll need an expected combination of all-purpose flour, a packet of instant yeast, sugar, salt, garlic powder, olive oil, and some warm water. To give the bread an ultra-rich, buttery, and garlicky topping, you'll need some more olive oil, melted butter, minced garlic, dried parsley, and grated Parmesan. Finally, for serving, you can't go wrong with a classic pairing of marinara sauce, though your sauce of choice (if any) is purely optional.

Add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and garlic powder to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook attachment to mix everything together.

Add the olive oil and water to the bowl.

Use the dough hook to combine everything and knead the dough until it forms a ball that has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be tacky but not sticky.

Move the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 400 F.

Use your hands to punch the dough and gently deflate it.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and form a 16-inch log.

Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into 16 even pieces.

Roll each dough piece into a rope about 8 inches long, then form a "U" shape with it.

Pull one end of the rope over the top of the other end of the rope.

Then, push that end through the hole to tie it into a knot.

Tuck each end of the rope underneath the knot, then place the knot onto a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Let the baking sheets sit on top of the warm oven while you prepare the topping.

Make the topping: In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley.

Brush the knots evenly with the topping. You should still have some left; set aside for after baking.

Bake the knots in the preheated oven for 14–16 minutes, until they become a light golden brown.

Once the knots are out of the oven, brush them with the remaining topping and sprinkle the Parmesan on top.

Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping, if desired.

One of the biggest challenges of making bread is ensuring that the yeast properly activates and rises — Morone herself admits that, even as a seasoned baker, she worries about the yeast activating properly and the dough rising. Luckily, she assures us, this is a pretty easy bread recipe, thanks largely to the fact that we're using instant yeast instead of dry yeast. "Instant yeast makes things super easy because it can go right into the dough without having to 'activate' first, and you are only waiting about 30 minutes for rise time," Morone says.

Even if you're working in a cold kitchen, which can make it take a long time for your dough to rise, Morone has a nifty hack for avoiding any temperature-related pitfalls. "You can turn your oven on and get it up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off, make the dough, and then put it into the cooled oven to rise," she tells us. 

One final tip that Morone provides is to not overthink the knotting process — though it may seem like a tricky shape to make at first, it comes down to a few simple maneuvers similar to tying a standard rope knot. Even if not all of the knots look perfect, they'll taste good all the same.

There's something about bready dinners like pizza that call for even more bread— so, naturally, you can't go wrong pairing pizza with garlic knots, and Morone agrees wholeheartedly. She says, "I think because I've always grown up with these being sold at pizzerias, I would serve these anytime I was making Italian food and wanted a side dish to that." More broadly speaking, however, "They can be good for a casual dinner or even a side at a fancier one." The garlic knots are also similar to garlic bread or breadsticks, so anytime you'd be so inclined to serve either of those sides, be it with a salad or with a hearty pasta dish, garlic knots will fill the void all the same. 

Let's say that you want to enjoy these garlic knots on their own, either as a snack or appetizer, so all you really need is a dipping sauce. We've already mentioned marinara as being the obvious pairing option, though there's no stopping you from enjoying these garlicky bites with your favorite pasta sauce. As Morone says, "Marina is kind of the classic thing served on the side of these, but you can eat them without a dipping sauce at all, or switch it up and try vodka sauce or Alfredo sauce."