Garlic Knots

Sometimes, you just have to have garlic knots for dinner.  Not with dinner, but for dinner.  Why bother making an entire dinner to serve alongside garlic knots when what you really want to eat are the garlic knots.

If you aren't familiar with garlic knots you obviously haven't spent enough time in pizza parlors.  To those deprived souls, a garlic knot is soft dough wrapped in a knot and then topped with melted butter and plenty of garlic.  They are addictive, so it's a good thing this recipe makes just a little over a dozen.

While they seem impressive, these were actually much simpler to make than I imagined because the dough was the easiest dough I've ever handled.  I can't explain why, but the dough is not the least bit sticky to hands or surfaces, so you don't need to flour or oil surfaces in order to roll it out or tie to dough in knots.  The texture is probably due to the potato flour and milk powder, two ingredients that are not optional.  I read recently that milk powder is used in baking instead of going through the milk scalding process you have in other recipes.  Works for me!

If you want tips for how to tie the knots, see the King Arthur Flour blog where I got the recipe.  If you have coordination issues, don't fret, these taste just as good when they aren't pretty as when they are.

Garlic Knots
From King Arthur Flour

Dough:
3 cups (12 3/4 oz.) unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 oz.) dry milk
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 oz.) potato flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup lukewarm water

Glaze:
4 tablespoons melted butter
2-6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon pizza or Italian seasoning

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (to keep the potato flour from clumping) - flour, dry milk, potato flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 cup lukewarm water.  When fully incorporated change to the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or 4 cup measuring cup and wait an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

On a clean surface, roll out your dough until it is a rectangle that is 8 inches by 16 inches.  Using a pizza cutter, places notches about one inch a part and then cut the dough into 8-inch strips (mine only yielded 13, but it should yield 15).  Using your hands lightly roll the strips (one at a time) into 11-inch "snakes."  Tie into a loose knot and then press the two ends into the center as seen here.  Place the knots on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Allow the knots to rise (under a towel) for 45 minutes to one hour, until very puffy.

Bake the knots at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter and mix in 2-6 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon pizza or Italian seasoning.  When the knots are done cooking, use a brush to apply the glaze, being sure to scoop out plenty of the garlic pieces for each knot.  Top with a sprinkle of kosher or sea salt.  Eat warm.