Buttery garlic knots made with homemade or store bought pizza dough brings everybody to the table ~ they’re yummy dinner rolls, or an appetizer with marinara sauce for dipping!
buttery garlic knots tonight!
Buttery garlic knots are the first thing anybody grabs for on any table, that’s just a fact. So why not make your friends and family happy and give them what they crave ~ soft, pillowy, fragrant garlic knots fresh from your oven. They are not difficult, promise! Garlic knots are nothing more than knotted strips of pizza dough bathed in a heavenly garlic butter sauce. I’ll take you through it step by step.
what you’ll need
- pizza dough
- homemade or store bought. I use my easy homemade pizza dough that I whip up in the food processor in literally a minute.
- butter
- I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt, but if all you have is salted butter, just leave out the added salt.
- garlic
- fresh raw garlic is used in this recipe, but it is pungent. Use less if you prefer.
- salt
- parsley
- Parmesan cheese
my 60-second pizza dough makes the best garlic knots
Talk about easy ~ my special pizza dough recipe is done from start to finish in the food processor and it takes about a minute or so. No kneading, no messy hands, just perfect pizza (or garlic knot!) dough ready to rise. And while I’m all for shortcuts that make life easier in the kitchen, sometimes homemade is just best. If you need to resort to store bought dough, try to find something fresh, many grocery stores now sell it next to the prepared pie crusts, etc. Dough in a can would be my last choice.
step by step instructions for making garlic knots
When I started testing this recipe I noticed that other recipes get unnecessarily complicated and have you rolling out the dough into measured rectangles and cutting strips of specific sizes, etc. I’ve streamlined all that with my easy method ~ so put away the measuring tape and get ready to have some fun!
1. start with a batch of pizza dough
You can use homemade pizza dough (my recipe is insanely easy, so go for it!) or use a readymade dough from the store. You’ll need 1 lb of pizza dough that’s been risen once and punched down. Store bought dough is ready to use, but you’ll want to leave it out on the counter to come to room temp before using.
2. divide the dough
Cut the ball of dough into 4 equal parts using a bench scraper or knife.
3. divide each section into 4 more equal parts
Divide each quarter into 4 more equal parts, so you’ll have 16 total. I like to keep my dough covered in plastic when not working on it so it doesn’t dry out.
4. roll each piece of dough into a rope
Roll each piece out into a rope about 6 inches long (or just long enough to knot.) I love the old Italian trick of lightly oiling my surface which helps the dough stretch easier.
5. tie each rope into a single knot
The dough is very flexible, so stretch it as needed to form a single knot. Don’t worry about being super precise. Place your garlic knots on a parchment lined baking sheet and lightly brush with olive oil.
6. cover loosely with plastic and let rise for an hour in a warm spot & bake
The plastic keeps the dough from drying out. When the surface of dough is allowed to dry, the rolls will not rise well.
7. brush liberally with garlic butter
When the garlic knots come out of the oven immediately brush them with the garlic butter. This is where the magic happens, so be generous! Give them a final shower of Parmesan cheese.
make garlic knots ahead
You can make the garlic rolls up through step 6 in the recipe and then refrigerate them (well covered in plastic) for several hours or overnight. When ready to bake, proceed with step 7.
can you freeze garlic knots?
Yes! You can freeze the baked or unbaked rolls. To freeze unbaked garlic knots, make the recipe up through step 6 and freeze the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet until solid. Then transfer to heavy duty freezer bags or other freezer container. Thaw them overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to proceed with the recipe. To freeze baked garlic knots, just let them cool completely and then pack them into a freezer container. I like to separate layers with waxed paper.
we love easy bread recipes
If you’re a fan of quick and easy bread recipes like these garlic knots you definitely should try my pita bread, it’s one of those things you probably never thought about making homemade, but once you do, you’ll be hooked on it. And good fluffy homemade pita bread can be used in so many ways ~ scooping up hummus is only the beginning!
Even easier than that is Irish soda bread ~ without yeast it’s ready in a snap. Same with my Beer Bread, it’s crazy how quickly it comes together.
Perfect Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- 1 lb batch homemade pizza dough that has been risen and punched down. You can also use store bought pizza dough., recipe here.
- olive oil, for brushing
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely minced
garnishes
- Parmesan cheese
- coarse salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- You can use homemade pizza dough (my recipe is insanely easy, so go for it!) or use a readymade dough from the store. You'll need 1 lb of pizza dough that's been risen once and punched down. Store bought dough is ready to use, but you'll want to leave it out on the counter to come to room temp before using.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and cut the ball of dough into 4 equal parts using a bench scraper or knife.
- Divide each quarter into 4 more equal parts, so you’ll have 16 total. I like to keep my dough covered in plastic when not working on it so it doesn’t dry out.
- Roll each piece out into a rope about 6 inches long. I love the old Italian trick of lightly oiling my surface which helps the dough stretch easier.
- The dough is very flexible, so stretch it as needed to form a single knot. Don’t worry about being super precise. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and lightly brush with olive oil.
- Cover loosely with plastic and let the rolls rise for an hour in a warm spot. The plastic keeps the rolls from drying out, so make sure you use it. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400F.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.
- While the knots are baking, melt the butter, garlic, and salt in a small saucepan and simmer briefly to combine. Turn off the heat and add the parsley.
- Brush knots liberally with garlic butter immediately after they come out of the oven, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little coarse salt, if using.
- Go ahead and dig in, you deserve it!
Nutrition
Make sure to start about 2.5 hours before your meal. Very good, crispy outside and soft inside. Big hit at my house. Would make again! Next day and I had family wanting recipe. Dough very easy, and this was my first attempt using yeast and making ‘bread’. Loved it!!
Wow, I’m honored to be “your first” lol! I’m so happy these were a hit, thanks for the review!
I had been poking around trying to make garlic knots. I was close, but not quite right. Then I saw your recipe and it just made sense. I haven’t gotten brave enough to try the dough yet. But I made a double batch for a potluck and the next day had requests for the recipe.
This was the first recipe I ever made! Really delicious… Thank you so much!
These WERE very easy to make, even for a novice baker like myself. I added a twist and decided to put the garlic in the dough. I roasted a whole head and added the delicious creamy garlic along with the water and olive oil and processed. Of course the addition of the garlic required more flour to the mix, but they turned out great and the smell is heavenly. We are going to have them with our Thanksgiving dinner.