Garlic Knots (with Homemade Dough)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rising Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 12 buns
Description
Homemade garlic knots with an easy dough from scratch, olive oil, spelt flour, and big garlic flavour from plenty of fresh garlic.
Ingredients
- 250 ml (1 cup) non-dairy milk or dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or ½ cube fresh yeast
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 400 grams (2 ⅔ cups) light spelt flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
Garlic Topping
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon rosemary minced, or oregano, or Herbes de Provence
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Prove the yeast: heat the milk until just warm, about skin temperature (around 35°C or 95°F). Add to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the honey, then sprinkle the yeast over top.250 ml (1 cup) non-dairy milk, 1 teaspoon honey , 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Set aside for ten minutes to allow the yeast to bloom. If using instant yeast, you can skip this step and add the yeast with the dry ingredients.*
- Make the dough: whisk in the olive oil. Add the flour and salt, and stir to combine into a rough, shaggy dough.3 tablespoons olive oil, 400 grams (2 ⅔ cups) light spelt flour, 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- Knead the dough until it forms a soft, smooth ball. This will take about five minutes with a handheld electric mixer with the dough attachments, or around eight minutes by hand. Spelt flour dough will not pass a windowpane test but it should be smooth and fairly elastic when ready. The dough will slowly spring back when poked with a fingertip. Don't add more flour when kneading. If using all-purpose flour, knead for double the time and do a windowpane test.
- First rise: place the dough back into the mixing bowl and cover well. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes in a warm, draft-free place. I recommend an enclosed space like an oven or microwave if your home is very dry. Once proved, the dough should very slowly spring back to fill the indent when gently pressed with a fingertip.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Shape the knots: Once the dough has risen, gently punch it down to deflate. Dust a work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Divide into 12 approximately equal pieces.
- Roll the pieces of dough into 20cm (8-in.) ropes. The dough will want to spring back and will be tricky to roll to the full length. Roll the dough partway, then set aside and do the same with the next piece before coming back to the first piece and rolling it to the full length. This allows the gluten to rest, making it easier to roll.
- Tie the ropes into knots, just as you would tie string into a knot. Fold one end over the other, leaving a loop in the middle. Put one end through the loop and gently pull to form the knot. Tuck the ends under the knot, pressing to make sure the ends are secure.
- Place each knot onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 6cm (2-in.) between each.
- Second rise: cover the shaped knots with a damp tea towel and set in a warm, draft-free enclosed space like your (cool) oven with the light on to rise again until almost doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Once the buns are almost done rising, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Make the topping: whisk the olive oil, garlic, and optional herbs in a mixing bowl. The garlic will sink to the bottom, that's normal.4 tablespoons olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon rosemary
- Brush the tops of the risen buns with the garlic mixture, making sure each knot is topped with approximately the same amount of garlic. Optionally sprinkle with salt.Sea salt
- Bake the knots: bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden. Cover the knots loosely with foil during baking if you notice the garlic browning too much. Serve warm.
Notes
I recommend unsweetened soya milk for this recipe, but any unsweetened milk will work (not canned coconut milk).
Optionally add another clove or two of minced garlic to the bread dough, but note that it can cause uneven rise.
* Modern yeast doesn't need to be bloomed, but this step is helpful to know that your yeast is still active before continuing.
Measuring: as always, I recommend using weight measurements for accuracy (cups aren’t reliable). Cup amounts for flour are based on the typical home baker measurement of scoop and level.
Storage: keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days. Refrigeration will dry them out quickly.
Freezing: transfer fully cooled garlic knots to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature. Freeze the same day of baking for best taste.
Flour: If you choose to use whole grain flour, reduce the amount by about 20 grams or add an extra splash of milk and let the dough rest (autolyse) for about ten minutes before starting the kneading process to let the flour absorb the liquid.
Heat until just warm: the milk should be just over skin temperature. If it’s too hot, it’ll kill the yeast. Test by touching the milk with your finger – if it feels the same temperature as your skin or just a little warmer, it’s perfect. If it’s too hot, set it aside to cool before stirring in the yeast.
Rising: the rising time of your dough will depend on a few factors, mostly temperature. Look for the dough to be doubled. If it hasn’t doubled after an hour, you need to give it more time to prove until it has. Rising times are always estimates.
Nutrition
Serving: 1knot | Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.