Garlic Knot Recipe
From the shadows of the Italian kitchen into the spotlight of our heart. Garlic knots aren’t just a piece of leftover dough anymore. Tasty, garlicky, Yummy!
The kitchen is a wonderful place. It is the true birthplace of human creativity. Afterall, we wouldn’t need to do anything if the nourishment of our body wasn’t a priority. In essence the human race has done everything in fact still does to satisfy the basic human needs.
If we don’t count two of the modern age achievements, the WiFi and battery then there are five basic needs according to Abraham Maslow who was an early XX. Century psychologist.
The Maslow hierarchy of needs are organized into a pyramid with the basic, most essential needs being at the bottom and the rest building on the previous level going upward.
None of the needs on the upper levels are important or even exist until the needs underneath are not fully satisfied. Only after, we have fulfilled our needs on the given level let our brain step us up a level and pursue satisfaction on the new one.
Somewhat similarly to the tiny atoms that crave for electrons to complete their outer shells to be in harmony with themselves. Not many can do it on their own. Apart from a few noble gases most of them have to team up with other atoms and create a bond to be as one whole.
How fascinating is that the life we live, is governed by the tiny invisible forces of nature and all of the decisions we make are underpinned by atoms pursuing electrons in the hope of perfection.
But back to Maslow now. Food is at the bottom of the pyramid among the most important aspects of human needs, getting creative with it, needs four more steps to climb. We can’t reach our full potential without first satisfying our physiological and psychological needs.
That completely makes sense. Just imagine who would take the risks of experimenting with new flavors and ingredients when there is no abundance of food available. Equally no-one would cook up something hardly edible if there was a chance of getting beaten for it or cast out of the family entirely.
Doing something new always requires a certain level of confidence in ourselves. The feeling that we have achieved something propels us to explore new ways around us that needs to be trodden and explored.
This is why garlic knots have come to life or rather baked to life, not so long ago. Garlic knots are the brainchild of Amir Zamani from Ozone Park Queens.
Nowadays, it sounds unbelievable but before 1973 pizza dough scraps were thrown away contributing nothing to the pizza industry but waste. When the first knot was made then dipped in a garlic sauce everything was changed forever.
Garlic knots are now common items in pizzerias slowly carving out a special corner in the heart of pastry fans as it is not only can be brushed with garlic and oil but all sorts of herbs and spices too, making them truly stepping out of the shadow of pizza.
Our garlic knot recipe goes a bit further in seasoning the knots by applying a folding technique used with the croissants and fluffy cheese scones as well, providing a more intensive flavor profile.
As originally garlic knots were made from leftover pizza dough the best time is to make them when we prepare pizza or in fact any other yeast dough but of course we can make them just for the sake of it.
Pizza knots can be enjoyed as snack, accompanying some cheese, act as sandwiches or best of all dunk them into stew or soup.
Ingredients:
Dough:
- ½ cup / 100ml Milk or water
- ½ oz / 15g Fresh yeast
- 3½ cup / 600g Flour
- 7 tablespoon / 100g Butter
- 3 Eggs
- ⅞ cup / 200ml lukewarm water
Filling:
- 4 cloves Garlic (pureed or diced)
- 4 tablespoon / 50g Butter
- 1 tablespoon Basil (diced)
- 1 tablespoon Oregano (diced)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Covering:
- 1 clove Garlic (pureed or diced)
- 1 teaspoon Basil (diced)
- 1 teaspoon Oregano (diced)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
If in doubt how to bake with fresh yeast check out our KnowledgeBase.
How to make garlic knot:
- Dissolve fresh yeast in a half cup of lukewarm (not hot!) milk. Set it aside whilst preparing the other ingredients.
- Get a big bowl and put flour, sliced room temperature butter, egg and the lukewarm water in it.
- Pour the dissolved yeast into the big bowl on top of the other ingredients.
- Knead the mixture well until it’s even and there’s no flour left on the edge of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for about an hour to rise.
Filling:
- Crush or dice up the garlic.
- Mix the garlic with the room temperature butter and the rest of the filling ingredients in a small bowl.
Cover:
- Prepare an egg wash by beating up an egg with a crushed garlic, basil, oregano and salt.
Assembly:
- After an hour waiting take dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured work surface.
- Roll it into a square. Flouring underneath the dough is important as this coating will prevent it to stick down.
- Spread the butter with the herbs onto half of the dough.
- Fold it in half so the butter creates a layer between the dough.
- Then fold it again horizontally.
- Leave it in a warm place under a kitchen towel for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.
- After about 20 minutes when the dough have risen somewhat depending on the temperature.
- Put it on a well-floured work surface to roll it in an approximately 10″ x 10″ / 30cm x 30cm square.
- Cut about 1″ / 2cm wide stripes. Before cutting up the whole dough experiment with sizes. Find the length and with that is comfortable to make knots with.
- Make knots out of the stripe and place roll into the the baking tray.
- Give an egg wash to each roll before putting tray into the preheated oven.
- If making knots gets boring just twist the stripes and make garlic twists.
- Bake it for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
- Eat them warm or cold with some melted cheese for more pleasure.
Enjoy!
Garlic Knot Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
- ½ cup / 100ml Milk or water
- ½ oz / 15g Fresh yeast
- 3½ cup / 600g Flour
- 7 tablespoon / 100g Butter
- 3 Eggs
- ⅞ cup / 200ml lukewarm water
Filling:
- 4 cloves Garlic pureed or diced
- 4 tablespoon / 50g Butter
- 1 tablespoon Basil diced
- 1 tablespoon Oregano diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Covering:
- 1 clove Garlic pureed or diced
- 1 teaspoon Basil diced
- 1 teaspoon Oregano diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Dough:
- Dissolve fresh yeast in a half cup of lukewarm (not hot!) milk. Set it aside whilst preparing the other ingredients.
- Get a big bowl and put flour, sliced room temperature butter, egg and the lukewarm water in it.
- Pour the dissolved yeast into the big bowl on top of the other ingredients.
- Knead the mixture well until it’s even and there’s no flour left on the edge of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for about an hour to rise.
Filling:
- Crush or dice up the garlic.
- Mix the garlic with the room temperature butter and the rest of the filling ingredients in a small bowl.
- Cover:
- Prepare an egg wash by beating up an egg with a crushed garlic, basil, oregano and salt.
Assembly:
- After an hour waiting take dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured work surface.
- Roll it into a square. Flouring underneath the dough is important as this coating will prevent it to stick down.
- Spread the butter with the herbs onto half of the dough.
- Fold it in half so the butter creates a layer between the dough.
- Then fold it again horizontally.
- Leave it in a warm place under a kitchen towel for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.
- After about 20 minutes when the dough have risen somewhat depending on the temperature.
- Put it on a well-floured work surface to roll it in an approximately 10" x 10" / 30cm x 30cm square.
- Cut about 1" / 2cm wide stripes. Before cutting up the whole dough experiment with sizes. Find the length and with that is comfortable to make knots with.
- Make knots out of the stripe and place roll into the the baking tray.
- Give an egg wash to each roll before putting tray into the preheated oven.
- If making knots gets boring just twist the stripes and make garlic twists.
- Bake it for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
- Eat them warm or cold with some melted cheese for more pleasure.
Notes
Pin now, Enjoy later!
