Garlic Knots

Photo by Lane Fricke

One of the favorites from our first ever Foodie Meet Up from a few weeks ago happened to be the garlic knots. Delicious! It was a group effort that brought them into being, with special thanks to Kitte and Lane for their creativity and playfulness with the dough. Both are awesome companions in the kitchen.

My friend Kitte happened to bring some leftover dough she had, I believe Navajo fry bread dough with sesame seeds added for goodness. This led to two different batches, always a plus in this group of eaters.

The added bonus came when Kitte realized her creativity wasn't limited to shaping the garlic knots as KNOTS, and instead she used her ingenuity to make some uh, rather "fun" creations.

The batch of dough made especially for the event was based on a recipe I found on FoodMayhem.com. Our changes included using tons more garlic (love the garlic, folks) and different shapes, sizes, forms of knots. Lane made one concoction that was amazing! He made the garlic/parsley mixture and layered it on one side of the rolled out dough, then cut triangles like crescent rolls, and rolled them into crescent shape. My mouth is watering just thinking about them...

Photo by Lane Fricke

Enjoy!

Garlic Knots
~12-13 knots

• 3/4 cup +1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/3 cup water at room temperature (70 to 90 degrees)
• 5 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 packed tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions -

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Whisk in salt last (preventing direct contact with yeast). Make a well in the center and pour in water. Stir together to moisten the flour, just until dough begins to form, about 20 seconds. The dough will look shaggy and bumpy, not smooth.

2. Pour 4 teaspoons oil in a 2-cup sized bowl or cup (bigger if you are increasing recipe size). Place dough in and turn to coat. Cover tightly and rest on the counter until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F at least 30 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, stir together 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, garlic, and kosher salt in a large bowl (you’ll see why later). Set aside.

4. When the dough is ready, place it on a board and gently press into a 10″ x 6″ rectangle. There will be left-over oil in the cup/bowl that the dough was rising in. Spread that oil over a baking sheet.

5. Spread half of the garlic mixture across the rectangle dough. Cut into 3/4″ strips (6″ long).

6. Tie any type of knot and lay on baking sheet with about 2″ space in between. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and parsley to the garlic mixture. Stir.

7. When garlic knots are done baking, toss in the garlic and parsley mixture and serve immediately.