I was sitting and staring at my computer screen yesterday, zoned out, and all of a sudden two words appeared in my head clear as day: garlic knots.
“Garlic knots!” I actually spoke the magic words aloud.
“Garlic knots? What’s that?” asked Halley.
Halley, our Web project manager, sits across from me. She keeps me on track when I start to wander towards the far boundaries of Baking World. I might be ruminating dreamily about what would happen if you rolled out dough and sprinkled it with diced onion and rolled it up and sliced it like a cinnamon bun… Wouldn’t that be an awesome hamburger roll?
All of a sudden, I’m snapped out of my reverie.
“PJ, where are you on that list of guaranteed recipes?” That’s Halley’s nice way of saying “Get a move on, girl!”
“Oh, uh, almost done. Really. They’ll be done tomorrow, I promise.” I fumble my answer like a butter-fingered fullback, and get back to work. Dream time will have to wait.
But garlic knots… well, for whatever reason, they got Halley’s attention.
Halley is a budding yeast bread baker. She’s worked her way through whole wheat bread, cinnamon bread, sticky buns, and is an expert at white dinner rolls. She asked if garlic knots used the same dough as dinner rolls. I said, yeah, almost…
“So maybe I could make them,” she ventured.
“You sure could. They’re easy, honest,” I reassured her. I explained that you usually find them at pizzerias, but they’re simple to make at home. And, like nearly all yeast breads, much, MUCH less expensive.
“Well, why don’t you do a blog on them, then?” That’s Halley: Woman of Action. And like so many of you, she likes the step-by-step photos.
Uh… yeah, why not?
So, several hours later, this blog post was born. I made the knots. They’re incredibly garlicky. I mean, over-the-top, DON’T-breathe-on-me garlicky. Halley took a bite.
“Wow. These are awesome. So… garlicky.”
And buttery. And soft. And just plain… awesome.
Why I thought of garlic knots yesterday, I have no clue. Perhaps they were an idea whose time had suddenly come. But without Halley, they would have remained just that: an idea. So, I guess that’s what project managers are for, huh? Making dreams come true… within budget, and right on schedule.
I usually grab my King Arthur Flour Unbleached (11.7% protein), but when I’m making soft rolls, I sometimes turn to Mellow Pastry Blend instead. At 10.3% protein, it’s drifting down towards the pastry flour/Italian flour level. These lower-protein flours are perfect for stuff that doesn’t have to rise quite as high as a loaf—e.g., pizza, breadsticks, rolls, etc. Mellow Pastry Blend makes a soft, rather than chewy bread.
This is what we call a straight dough: no overnight starter involved. Simply combine all of the ingredients…
…and mix till a rough dough forms. At this point, squeeze some in your fingers and see what it feels like. It should be cohesive, but not totally stick-to-the-bowl, gluey/sticky/wet.
Knead the dough till it’s smooth. I used my KitchenAid stand mixer; a bread machine will also do a fine job. If you love kneading by hand, go for it. Your goal is dough that looks like this.
Place it in your favorite dough-rising container…
…and let it rise till it’s doubled, or at least very puffy. This took a little over an hour for me, but then, there’s a lot of yeast floating around the test kitchen here. If you seldom bake yeast bread, your rising time may be longer.
While the dough is rising, prepare the garlic butter. First, separate some cloves. I love garlic, so I use a lot.
To peel the garlic easily, crush it with the flat side of a knife, the bottom of a measuring cup, or some other strong surface.
Voilà! Just grab the clove and pick it up; the skin will stay behind.
And there you have it: six peeled garlic cloves.
Next you need to chop the garlic. Easiest way: in a mini food processor, with the melted butter. Or with a garlic press or pair of scissors, if you don’t have a mini processor.
Ah, garlic butter!
Roll the dough into a 16” strip, about 8” wide.
Notch the long side of the dough in 1” intervals.
Use a knife, a bench knife, or a rolling pizza wheel to cut the dough into strips.
Like this. Isn’t this easier than dividing the dough into 16 balls, then having to roll them out?
A few gentle back-and-forths under your cupped fingers is all it takes to round off the strips and lengthen them a bit, to about 11”. Lower-protein flour doesn’t “fight back” like a higher-protein flour would.
Next, tie each strip of dough into a knot. Watch closely now, sports fans..
Take the end of the knot that’s lying on top (the end on the right in the previous picture), and tuck it underneath and into the center.
Then take the end that’s lying underneath, and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center and squeezing it to the other end.
You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to figure out this simple knot. I had to resort to asking Susan, my fellow blogger and real live CIA-trained chef, to come show me how to do it. Several times. And then I had to practice. The last few I did were actually pretty good; you can see them in the foreground here. The others are unsuccessfully trying to hide in the background. As I’ve said MANY times, I simply don’t have that Martha Stewart gene.
Cover the rolls, and let them rise till they’re very puffy, probably another hour or so.
Then bake for about 17 minutes in a 350°F oven. Just till they’re light golden brown, and feel set. You don’t want these to darken too much; they’re supposed to be soft.
Brush with the garlic butter (which you’ve reheated briefly in the microwave, if it’s solidified). Be sure to dredge the chopped garlic up from the bottom.
Sprinkle with a little pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning, and there you have it: 16 soft, garlic butter-drenched, luscious garlic knots. I gave half of these to Halley to bring home. She said they disappeared immediately. Hey, Halley—bet I know what YOU’RE baking this weekend!
Read our complete recipe for Soft Garlic Knots.
Buy vs. Bake
Buy: Garlic knots, Ramunto’s Brick & Brew Pizzeria, Hanover, N.H.: 25¢/ounce.
Bake at home: Garlic knots, 10¢/ounce
June 10th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Wow. Those look amazing. But tell me – why is the garlic on the top? Wouldn’t the garlic be sweeter and taste stronger if the garlic butter were brushed on the bread before it was knotted and rolled?
Rebecca, the garlic is actually much stronger if it’s added afterwards; that way the flavor doesn’t bake out. Plus, if you brush it on first, you lose that soft, oozing-butter effect. Plus you run the risk of burning the garlic; burned garlic is very bitter. That said – give it a try and report back! – PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Wow! My husband will thank you forever
. I have to try these.
June 10th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Looks great and I can already smell it from here. Is this the same method for shaping Kaiser rolls?
Jude, yes, this is the way Susan shapes Kaiser rolls. They look really good, once you get the process nailed… PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 10:20 am
OMG, they look fabulous! Anything with yeast and garlic will capture my attention! Those knots would be very successful at my place…
Cheers,
Rosa
June 10th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Evil woman
Now, all I can think about is running home and making these ASAP versus doing any productive work at the office.
Oh well, just another excuse to order more flour and play with yeast!
Can’t thank you all enough. With all the yummy yeast goodies you always post about, I have plenty to bake and keep this bread-head happy, happy, happy!
June 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am
These look absolutely heavenly! I have been loving all the blog posts recently and have even posted about some entries on my own blog (and on facebook I created a “Fan of King Arthur Flour group” and plan on baking some Fudge Drops for Father’s Day with my two little ones!! You are doing an EXCELLENT job! And I really appreciate the cost comparison too! It’s always useful to show my husband this after going to the store and spending $30 on flours and chocolate!! Keep up the great work!!
June 10th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Wow… “Making dreams come true… within budget, and right on schedule.” You couldn’t pay a nicer compliment to a PM!
But really PJ, your creations make my dreams come true, and my husband’s, and my children’s, and everyone else who gets to enjoy what I bring home at the end of the day. I will absolutely definitely be making these this weekend. And, I think I’m going to take a little leap of creativity and add parmesan cheese on top as well.
June 10th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Hmmm….I am a garlic fiend. Would love to give these a try. Can I use cake flour instead of the mellow pastry blend flour?
Mark, no, cake flour has too little protein. Use regular all-purpose rather than Mellow Pastry, OK? Have fun, garlic fiend! – PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
If I wanted to use whole wheat flour, can I do that or do I need to do part ww and part ww pastry flour? I really don’t want to use white.
Btw…I love the fact that I can add the step-by-step to the original recipe. I print all my recipes to adobe pdf files, and it’s great to pull up one totally comprehensive recipe! Thanks!
Sure, Jenise – try a combination of whole wheat and whole wheat pastry. If you’re used to the taste of whole wheat, you should be just fine with this substitution. You may need to experiment with the amount of liquid a bit; just add less than you think you need at first, because its always easier to add liquid than to remove it! – PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I don’t have potato flour on hand and want to try these tonight! Can I use 1 cup of potato water (water in which I have boiled potatoes) in place of the plain water? That should give me the potato starch this recipe needs. Then, I will replace the 3 T. potato flour with the all-purpose flour. What do you think?
Laurie, sure, go ahead and use potato water. I don’t think you even need to replace the potato flour with AP… Go for it! – PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
LOVE your blog. Every post makes me want to run downstairs and start baking. (Combine that with me being pregnant and craving baked goods and you can imagine how my body will morph in the next few months….)
One question…what is pizza dough flavoring? I’ve never heard of it. Is it a seasoning?
Hi Natialie – it’s this WICKED good flavoring we sell at bakercatalogue.com; I don’t think you can get it anywhere else. A few teaspoons just gives your dough that “pizza parlor punch” – it’s this kind of cheesy flavor, but more… PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Once it isn’t 90+ outside…I am going to make these!!
June 10th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I have been baking for years and am familiar with sourdough starter,cake yeast.active dry and quick rise and rapid rise yeast
Now a lot of your recipes call for instant yeast.
Would you please explain a little about it and what I can use instead as my local stores do not carry much of a selection.
AW
Anne, instant yeast is yeast that’s been prepared a bit differently than active dry. It’s dried at a lower temperature, so more of the yeast cells stay alive. Active dry yeast includes a lot of dead yeast cells, and they surround the live ones; in order to get the live ones going, you need to dissolve the yeast in water (“proof” it) before using. This sloughs away the dead cells. With instant yeast, you don’t need to do that. You simply add it, as is, to your recipe along with the other dry ingredients.
We prefer SAF instant yeast here in the test kitchen; it’s reliable and very reasonably priced, much less expensive than supermarket active dry yeast. (Check it out at bakerscatalogue.com.) You may find the equivalent of instant yeast in your market in a bottle labeled “bread machine yeast” – that’s what Red Star (actually owned by SAF) calls its instant yeast.
You can certainly use active dry yeast instead of instant; just be sure to dissolve it in water first, and allow for longer rising times.
Hope this helps you out. – PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
In the photo where you have rolled out your dough into the first long wide strip, the edges are almost perfectly straight! Whenever I try to make any sort of scrolls which need a square or rectangle, I end with an odd shaped mess. I would absolutely love it if you could do a post with some photos showing exactly how to roll out the dough to get such a good looking squares!!!
Thankyou for one of the best blogs on the net!
Good idea – Basically, I start out with a piece of dough that’s oblong, and then roll it as long as I need it, and THEN roll it to width. And I do “oonch” it around with my fingers to get a straight edge. But I’ll see if I can get someone to held a camera and take pictures of me doing it sometime. (And thanks for your kind comments!) – PJH
June 10th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
These look fantastic! Can I use instant mashed potato flakes and process it in my food processor to substitute for potato flour
Rose, no need to process – just use 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes in place of the potato flour. Enjoy! – PJH
June 11th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
When I read this recipe, I could smell the bread baking in my mind. I can’t wait to try it. I would also like to thank you for adding the “Buy vs. Bake” at the end of your recipes. A friend that I share recipes with has a booth at the local farmer’s market on weekends and this really helps her determine what she uses for the prices of her breads. Thanks again!
June 11th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Ooohh yum. Can anyone else see these kaiser sized, and made into sandwiches?
BTW, we have a store called Cash and Carry here in WA state (not sure where else in the country) and they carry instant yeast. It comes in a big pouch, and you’re pretty much set for the year! And fans of the supermarket pouches will faint at the cost comparison.
There are, on average, 64 packets worth of yeast in a one pound package. It is a huge savings, and much more eco-friendly as well!
Happy Baking!
MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline
June 12th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
These rolls look absolutely delicious! I love garlic, but sometimes raw garlic has a bitter taste. Any thoughts on roasting or pan toasting all or some of the garlic cloves in their skins before making the garlic butter?
You certainly can use roasted garlic in the recipe. Delicious, mellow garlic flavor~mmmm
Happy Baking!
MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline
June 14th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I’m glad you explained the difference between instant yeast and active dry (because I have wondered about that for a long time too). But I have to tell you that I use active dry, and stopped proofing it years ago. I add it into my dry flour mixture (which helps protect it from the hotter water I use) and I never have a problem with my rising. If it ever doesn’t rise, I guess I’ll know why. I also store my yeast in the freezer to keep it fresher longer. These rolls look awesome, and even though it is 90+ degrees here, I’m thinking of company and lasagna and these rolls!
Deb, good to know about the active dry – I’ve done rapid rise without dissolving first, but haven’t tried the active dry without rising. Now I have to experiment with that, too – COOL! – PJH
June 14th, 2008 at 11:37 am
PJ
Is potato starch same as potato flour? I often use potato starch in my Chinese pastries and it make them very tender. Do you think I can use that in this recipe? Can I also use 1 cup of fresh milk instead of milk powder? I can’t wait to make these knots. I can taste them in my mind. Please reply quickly. Thank you.
Doris
Doris, yes, go ahead and use potato starch. As for the milk, just leave it out – or substitute about 1/3 cup milk for 1/3 cup of the water. Have fun – sorry if I didn’t reply quickly enough, I was on the road… PJH
June 16th, 2008 at 9:13 am
I made these over the weekend and they were fabulous! And SO easy! I had never used dough relaxer before and it made a big difference in how easy it was to roll out. My only question is, what would you recommend when I need to prepare the dough a few hours before baking? In other words, let’s say I’m going to be baking them at 6:00 but will be tied up from 3-6. Can I get them ready for the second rise by 3:00 and then just let them sit for two or three hours instead of just one? Or if they rise for too long will that be a problem?
Thanks for your question. If you were to leave the rolls out at room temperature to for that extended period of time, they would over proof and collapse. If you need to slow down the rise, just put the pan of rolls in the fridge. They will still rise, just more slowly. This is called ‘retarding the dough’. Another benefit to this longer, cool slow rise is that more flavor will develop. When you are near ready to bake, take the rolls out, and finish proofing at room temp, and then bake as usual.
Happy Baking!
MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline
June 16th, 2008 at 9:40 am
That’s very helpful, MaryJane. So when you say “near ready to bake,” how long are you talking about? A half hour? Or less? And can this ‘retarding the dough’ process be used for any yeast dough that’s on it’s second rise? Thanks!
Hi Emilie,
Yes, you can retard almost any yeast dough after the kneading process. You can retard the first rise, the second, or both.
There is no hard and fast time for taking the dough out before baking. If you only need to retard the dough for an hour while you run to the store, it may need time at room temperature before it is fully risen and ready to bake. If you retard the dough overnight, it may be fully risen and ready to go in the oven with no additional time at room temp.
Hope this helps!
June 16th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I just want to say I love this blog! I’ve been a KAF customer for years but I just discovered the Baker’s Banter. I learn best by seeing how things are done than by just reading a recipe.
I would like ask about a comment made by Jenise. Could she comment or explain how she saves the recipes and step by step photos in pdf format? I hope this is allowed.
Thanks.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
PJ,
Love the blog and all thing King Arthur!
As soon as you said garlic knots and pizzeria I knew you were talking about Ramuntos! We used to live in the Hanover area while my hubby was a med student. Boy does that bring back memories –just might have to give these a try
June 17th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
As an expat of the Upper Valley, I was happy to see your recipe for garlic knots! Now I’m going to tinker about to see if I can clone Ramunto’s garlic knot pizza (I’m really trying not to squeal with excitement – I’m at work, shhhhhhh!!)
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
I grew up in S. Fl and the garlic knots I know are made w/ pizza dough. Mostly every NY style pizza place sells a garlic knot. They’re fab made with good pizza dough.
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
This is, for me, the most perfectly explained baking tutorial… ever, probably. C: I’m not quite good at yeast-related baking yet, but I’ve mastered most everything else. This is next on my “To Bake:” list.
Thanks, Steph – Did you know that King Arthur Flour is the single largest educator of home bakers in the world? This blog is just another example of working towards our goal – sharing the creative joy of baking. Trust me – you’ll become a crackerjack yeast baker in no time. To me, yeast baking is easier than anything else, because it’s so flexible. Want it to rise faster? Warm it up. Slower? Put it in the fridge. Once you become familiar with it, I’m sure you’ll love baking with yeast… – PJH
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:10 am
A pizza place in Colorado Springs called Borriello Brothers sells something very similar with the same name. They are really good with pizza sauce.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:57 am
mmm, i love garlic knots! these look fun to make and would be delicious with some homemade marinara sauce
June 27th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Could this dough also be used for pizza crust? I make pizza once a week for my family for our family night. I like my recipe but it is lacking something. Perhaps just switching to the flour with less protein. Also, do you have any tips on making a crispy, thin crust pizza crust? Thanks and I love your blog and King Arthur Flour!
Angela in VA
Hi Angela,
Yes, you can use this for a tender pizza crust.
Check out the other blog posts on Pizza. Just log on to the blog, and type ‘pizza’ in the search window. Matt’s Meat Lover’s Pizza has a great crust as well! We have several pizza crust recipes online as well.
Happy Baking!
MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline
Angela, try “P.J.’s Thin Crust Pizza” at kingarthurflour.com – that’s my favorite. The key is our Italian flour, which allows you to roll crust REALLY REALLY thin. “Now or Later” Pizza is my favorite thicker-crust recipe. And I’m doing a focaccia recipe this ocmoing Monday that could easily double as a pizza crust… stay tuned. – PJH
June 29th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Might be delicious but definately not good for health is consumed frequently. Ocassionally its ok.
June 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
OMG – I just finished making these rolls, and that had to be the most bread-making fun I’ve ever had. The dough is just beautiful, and thanks to your detailed pictures, it only took me 3 tries to make perfect knots (thanks for sharing that secret
. Seriously, that dough makes me want to quit my day job and bake knots for the rest of my life….
Baking is like that… Sometimes when I have a new idea I just can’t wait to go to work and get some dough going. I guess that’s why I find myself in the test kitchen on Sunday… Glad you liked those knots. Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan on top of the garlic butter and you’ll REALLY think you’ve died and gone to heaven. PJH
June 29th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
nice healthy blog.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I’m confused. I came to one of your baking seminars a few years ago when your reps were in Ohio and was told to not use instant yeast because the bread doesn’t develop flavor as well as proofed yeast. It seems most of your recipes call for the instant, without proofing.
Thanks for your email. Yeast and it’s various titles can be confusing at times. We prefer active dry yeast, or instant yeasts. They are the same strain of yeast, but active dry is processed at a higher temperature so it is about 65% ‘alive’ and active and needs to be proofed to wake up the yeast. Instant yeast is processed at lower temps, so it is 95% alive, and doesn’t need the proofing step.
Rapid rise yeasts or quick rise yeasts are a different strain, and are formulated for one rise usually, so you do miss out on the flavors that develop during the rising periods. We do not currently carry Rapid Rise yeast for this reason.
PJ has been trying out Rapid Rise yeast lately for different things, so maybe she will have a post at a later date. I hope this helps!
MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline
Yes, I’ve been using “highly active” active dry yeast (a.k.a. RapidRise, which is Fleischmann’s trademarked name) in some of my breads that don’t need to rise for very long. You’ll see one of these fast-risers on this blog Thursday, as a matter of fact: Blitz Bread. And the highly active yeast works very well. The downside is, as MaryJane noted, a nice, long rise develops bread’s flavor; so without the long rise, you need to beef up the flavor another way, e.g., by adding herbs, cheese, making the dough into pizza crust, etc.
I prefer instant yeast, in general, because it works quickly, but also works for a long time; it doesn’t poop out as quickly as fast-rising yeasts. So if I’m just going to have one kind of yeast in my fridge or freezer, it’s going to be SAF Red instant. – good in the short run, good for the long haul. – PJH
July 6th, 2008 at 5:50 am
what can i use instead of pastry flour since this is not available here in manila
Debbie, as you can see in the recipe, King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour is offered as a choice (as is Mellow Pastry Blend). Either is just fine. Since you probably can’t get either in Manila, except by mail order, use whatever flour is between 10.5% and 11.7% protein, and while it may act differently in the recipe, it should come out OK. Good luck – PJH
July 16th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Where can I find that container you use for rising your dough? I’ve seen it in a couple of pictures on the blog, but have yet to see it in the catalog. Looks so handy to have!
Jenny, it’ll be available in our catalogue at the beginning of August, and online probably a bit before that. It’s an 8-cup measuring cup. Thanks for asking! – PJH
July 19th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I made these last week and they were so good! I had to make a few changes, because Easy-Roll Dough Improver and Pizza Dough Flavor are not available in The Netherlands.
I translated the recipe into Dutch for the readers of my weblog Uit de keuken van Arden/In the Kitchen with Arden: http://uitdekeukenvanarden.blogspot.com/2008/07/knoflookbroodjes.html
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
OMG! These look great! We went to an New York style pizza place earlier this year and had some great garlic knots before getting our pizza. Killed off about a dozen of the knots before the pizza arrived, so the pizza had a temporary reprieve before it got eaten later that night. Thanks for the great post and the pics, provided me with the courage to try and make some myself.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
These look incredible- better than the ones served at our local pizzaria!
October 14th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
These look phenomenal.
So…in honor of my celebration of garlic meal (we’re garlic fiends here and decided to have a very garlicky evening tonight)
White wine and garlic chicken pasta
and garlic knots.
So I started making these and the significant male in my life’s nose kept poking into the process. The garlic butter has made us both super impatient for when these can finally be baked. But it’s probably a good thing that they aren’t done before the food, or else I’m pretty sure that they would take the place of dinner.
Garlic and a good episode of House. Some wine… this will be a good night.
Thanks for the recipe!
December 28th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
WOW! I can almost taste these just looking at them! Stumbled in an now this site is in my favourites list. I showed this page to my wife (who is currently not well) and it is the first time she has showed interest in food for the past few days! I am gonna explore the rest of the site now, having been tempted by this great page.
Amazing recipe…thank you for sharing this.
December 30th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
So today I am sitting at my computer at work, goofing off looking at the King Arthur Flour website when I exclaimed “Garlic Knots!” It was then that my co-workers knew I was not working on the year end report.
These look absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to get home so I can make some this afternoon. I doubt there will be any left over when we ring in the New Year!
Ah, well, you may have been busted, but it’s probably nothing a few warm knots won’t cure! Susan
December 30th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
These sound wonderfully tasty! I’m wondering, would a southern ‘soft winter wheat’ flour (Such as White Lily or Red Band) work for these? I know it’s lower in protein than regular all-purpose flour, but I haven’t got a specific number. I keep a lot of it in the house because I make biscuits fairly regularly, here in Virginia, and while I use KA flours for most everything else, (I buy the All purpose in 25lb increments), I just have to have White Lily on hand for biscuits!
Thanks for sharing such a tasty-sounding recipe!
This is a pretty high-moisture dough, and those doughs need the protein in stronger flours to help hold them up. The difference in protein is almost 3 full percentage points: White Lily is around 8 and KAF all-purpose is 11.7%. I wouldn’t recommend White Lily for a bread like this; you’ll end up having to add much more in order to have a dough that you can use. Best to keep the KA as called for. Susan
December 30th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Can I use Garlic Oil (mixed with the butter) instead of cloves?
Sure, go for it – just won’t be as garlicky… PJH
December 30th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
A picture is worth more than a thousand words here.
Can’t wait to try the Garlic knots.
Do they freeze well to serve later?
Irma
Irma, I’d rather freeze them shaped and partially risen, then thaw, let finish rising, bake, and brush with garlic butter. They’ll taste fresher that way. But you can certainly try freezing them fully baked and “bathed” – reheat, loosely covered with foil, for about 10 minutes in a 350°F oven. PJH
December 30th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I will be looking for this flour in the store to make those wonderful knots. YUM
December 31st, 2008 at 6:46 am
Yeast, flour, garlic…what’s KNOT to LOVE! I just came upon the “Baker’s Banter” today! It’s wonderful with the INCREDIBLE step-by-step photos….they really do help! I’m a yeast-dough baker (all self-taught) and would rather be elbow-deep in dough than anything else in the world! There are times when I can’t spend time with my beloved flour & yeast…and I kind of go into baker’s “withdrawl”! I even tell my husband, “I have to get my hands into some dough today!” To me, baking is really “addictive” and I’m going to make these garlic knots for our New Year’s dinner! (I’ll probably only eat these and nothing else!!!!) It’s also nice to hear the comments from other bakers just like myself! Whodathunkit! A whole cyberworld of baking friends I’m just finding out about! Keep up the good work, KAF! I LOVE all your products and have even purchased my “Zo” from you in the past…it’s the BEST bread machine on the planet! I also want to give credit to your order operators & staff…always SOOOOOO helpful and kind to the customer…that means alot in today’s crazy world! Wishing you all the best in 2009……God’s blessings of good health, happiness and wonderful friends and food!
December 31st, 2008 at 7:17 am
How gorgeous and delicious these knots look – and I am so glad to have found this baker’s blog!
I’m not sure if you’re still fielding questions on this entry…but how well would these rolls ship? Say….going overnight from FL to IL? I would love to surprise a dear friend with some and was just wondering. Thanks – and great job!! They would ship just fine. When they have cooled, put them in a ziplock bag to ship and reheat wrapped in tin foil in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes. Molly@KAF
December 31st, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Is there anything that can be substituted for the Pizza Dough Flavor? It’s a delicious addition, but you can leave it out. Molly @ KAF
December 31st, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Just discovered this blog – I love it! I’ve been baking bread for more than fifty years and still enjoy trying new recipes.
FYI, in the Northwest (Washington and Oregon, maybe other states), we buy SAF yeast by the pound at Winco Stores and save an incredible amount over single envelope prices.
Yeah, we figure it’s about 75% (or more) cheaper to buy SAF instant yeast by the pound, as we sell it, than the packets or small jars. – PJH
December 31st, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I have a question. What is “lukewarm” temp on the water added? Is it 80 degrees or room temperature? I can never figure out what lukewarm means!!
By the way, I can’t wait to make these. My family loves garlic.
Hi Gwyneth – “officially,” lukewarm is about 105°F. Have fun with these – PJH
January 1st, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Happy New Year! I am making these today to eat with our fabulous New Years Day dinner–my whole family saw your blog and the pictures and are anxiously awaiting the results! Please keep your blog going because I absolutely love trying out your recipes (and my family appreciates it as well)!
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
These garlic knots are the best. And we agree that more garlic is better than less. Use the maximum amount listed.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:58 pm
I can’t wait to make these! I’m going to serve them with some nice homemade 3-cheese ravioli. One question: Can I use KA Italian Style flour? Or would all-purpose work better? Thanks!
Hmmm… Italian might produce a slightly flatter knot, but it would certainly be very tender. I say give it a try. You may need to cut back the water some wo watch it – start with a little less. Sounds good, Jennifer! – PJH
January 6th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
They look amazing and I can’t wait to try them out! I have fond memories of Ramunto’s from college… these do look just as delicious!
January 6th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
What an awesome way to enjoy garlic and to have comfort food!
January 11th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
This dough is rising in my cold house 62F. It is setting under the light on the cook top with a linen towel over it. It will take longer to rise; I put the whole package of instant yeast which was 1/4 teaspoon more than needed.
I used part whole wheat pastry flour and all purpose. I used Better Than Milk powder which is soy; I am allergic to dairy.
I will eat a few and the rest will go to school Monday. They will go nicely with soup.
January 11th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I want to go make these now, but I have to go make dinner. I was wondering if there was a way of working in some mozzarella cheese into the dough, biting into this and finding the nice gooey cheese would be the best. What do you think?
Sure, Betty, I think you could tuck a cube right into the middle of the knot, somehow. Sounds delicious – go for it! – PJH
January 11th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
The rolls are done and they are excellent. I used half all purpose and half whole wheat, left out the potato flour (it is on my grocery list). I patted the dough out on parchment, let them rise, and used a peel to slide it onto the pizza stone. I think 325F would be better. I ate the 2 that seemed extra dark on the bottom.
I made the garlic butter as soon as I mixed the dough and was horrified that I just had 2 cloves of garlic! I slivered them and the butter was nice and garlickly. Cooks treat to eat mine sopped in the left over butter.
I have a big Square Dance this week end and I can see me taking a triple batch. Guys go crazy over home made bread and rolls.
Sounds like the perfect treat for a square dance, Marcia – so long as you’re all garlic lovers! Glad they worked well for you – PJH
January 24th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Made them…loved, loved them. Had to make a few changes didn’t have all the ingredients. Substituted mashed potato flakes for the potato flour. My question is, what does the potato starch do for the dough and/or the finished rolls??
You said it in your question Loretta: starch. Starch holds water molecules in the dough, which makes the bread soft, and keeps it soft longer – in other words, it keeps bread from getting stale. Potato flour is a wonderful all-purpose bread add-in, whenevr you want a soft, sandwich-type loaf; generally 1 tablespoon per cup of flour in the recipe makes a nice difference. PJH
January 24th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Thank you so much for the info. So glad I found this place, love experimenting with yeast doughs. These rolls were spectacular. We’re visiting my daughter. My five grandchildren couldn’t get enough…so soft and delicious, Can’t wait to make them again when I get home.
Glad to hear you had a good time with these, Loretta. I was thinking of “lemon love knots” or hearts with a sugar glaze today… watch for them in a couple of weeks! PJH
February 21st, 2009 at 2:22 am
I am like drooling over here! I’m making these this weekend. Oh yum!!! Thank you for the recipe.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Hoping you are still answering questions about this…I’ve had this marked as a “must make” for a while and am going to make them this weekend when our neighbors come over for spaghetti & meatballs.
1. I couldn’t find KA Pastry Blend, but have “pastry flour”, will that work? Or should I use all-purpose?
2. And 1/2 c potato flake replaces 3 TBP potato flour?
Thank you, thank you! I bought a back-up loaf of ciabatta in case I mess it up!
Bridget: hi there. This is Susan (PJ is in a meeting for a while). You can come very close to our Mellow Pastry Blend by using half all-purpose and half pastry flour. Potato flakes are much lighter and take up much more space than potato flour, which is ground to a powder, and that’s why the substitution has a larger volume. Hope this helps. Susan
March 6th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Thank you, Susan!
It DOES help & I can’t wait to try them tomorrow. Thank you so much for the quick reply!
March 8th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Can I used KA Italian Style Flour instead of the mellow pastry blend? I just made these using traditional KA flour but then realized I had purchased the italian style for pizza dough.
Also, while living in Upstate NY, I frequented a bakery that sold pizza knots (pepperoni), pesto knots and Asiago Garlic knots. Any idea how could I incorporate other ingredients into the dough to add to the flavor?
Can’t wait to try them when they come out of the oven!
Jennie, I think the pizza flour might make them a little flat, as its protein level is quite low (so lower-rising), but give it a try; cut back on the liquid by a couple of tablespoons, adding more if you need it. Add whatever you like to the dough, once it’s risen the first time; chopped pepperoni, grated Asiago, etc. Enjoy! – PJH
March 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I made these the other night, my knots came out beautifully. My daughter has nicknamed them ‘flower rolls’. Amazing flavor, and I will definitely be experimenting. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Glad the recipe did you proud, Jenna. Enjoy – PJH
March 19th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
My favorite way to make these is to incorporate a few cloves of roasted garlic before kneading. I then baste with a raw garlic, butter, parsley mixture.
Oh, boy… I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks, Stephen- PJH
June 21st, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Wow, they look great – thanks for sharing!
July 13th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
As an exiled New Yorker, I really miss garlic knots. One slice, two knots.
Nowyou can get started working ona recipe for zeppoles.
Lilly, try our zeppole recipe – it’s a savory version, but you can leave out the filling and drizzle with honey, if that’s what you prefer. This anchovy version comes from my grandmother-in-law, Julia Zampine, whose family was from the Genoa area – so it might be different than what you’re used to. PJH
July 30th, 2009 at 8:19 am
OMG these look to-die-for! Gosh, I can almost smell them!
July 31st, 2009 at 5:54 am
Now I know how to make this shape
I always had a weird feeling about making this.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
When I bake them, I let them touch so they have to be pulled apart, and the sides soak up the mixture. Also, I use olive oil and no butter – matters not I guess. Typically they are dipped in the mixture and reheated (making them crispy), but I like the just drowned in raw garlic.
January 29th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
I don’t have pastry flour but do have KA Italian/00 style flour. Can I substitute that for the pastry flour? These look fabulous and my husband is a huge garlic knot fan. Cant’ wait to try ‘em. Thanks! That should work fine as a substitute. Have fun with it. Mary @ KAF
February 6th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Beautifully and apparently tasty. Thank you.
February 28th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
These are gems! Just made two batches and they came out perfect. Recipe is a breeze. It was helpful having the pictures to show in detail how to shape them. On the second batch I cut only 12 strips making the rolls a little larger, which I liked better. Also I didn’t have potato flour on hand so used potato water and it worked well. These will go in the permanent recipe file!
Good show, Mindy – glad they were a hit for you! PJH
July 22nd, 2010 at 3:32 am
Those look so delicious.. thank you for such detail into how to make them..
July 24th, 2010 at 8:21 am
There is a local Italian restaurant in my home town that serves these as the bread before every meal. I look forward to them as much as the meal itself. Great with a glass of good red wine. I can’t wait to try a batch on my own.
July 28th, 2010 at 8:35 am
This recipe looks really good. My whole family loves garlic, so I would like to give these a try. I’m wondering, though, if I can use some whole wheat flour in place of some of the white. I’m thinking half whole wheat and half All-Purpose. Any suggestions on that? Thanks.
Susan, start by substituting 1 cup of ww flour for 1 cup of the AP; if you like those results, then go from there. Another way to add fiber to bread, and still have it be white bread, is with Hi-Maize Natural Fiber. Moms with kids love this! PJH
January 8th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
I just made these…my first batch I didn’t add the extra water for winter and it wasn’t as nice of a dough. The second batch, the dough was great. I LOVE raw garlic, but I’m using these rolls as Meatball Slider buns – so I roasted garlic in the oven and added a little to the dough. Then I mixed some of the roasted garlic with the butter to brush on top to give it a milder garlic flavor. Next time I’ll try doing the ‘knot’ but this time I just rolled them into balls.
April 8th, 2011 at 10:24 am
These looks wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing such great recepie
April 26th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
I made these and they turned out wonderfully. I have all the ingredients still and was hoping to make this recipe but make them into bread sticks instead. I noticed your other bread stick recipes have pretty different ingredients than these knots, so I wasn’t sure if you had any suggestions. Thanks for your help!
This dough will make a “chewy” bread stick. Give it a try. Frank @ KAF.
December 17th, 2011 at 8:24 am
I ordered everything to make these, but I forgot one thing (I always do!): the pizza dough flavor. Should I just omit it from the recipe altogether? –Or should I substitute more of any of the other ingredients? Thank you so much for your help
Yes, the recipe will perform without this one ingredient. The flavor profile will be a bit milder, that’s all. Go for it. Frank @ KAF.
June 11th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
These blogs are GREAT! I just made these knots and the directions made them a cinch. I found myself leaving one “tail” of the knot longer than the other so I just pulled it around and through until it met up with the shorter one. It seemed easier to control the spacing that way. I’m still just shocked at how great they look and that I actually made them. The flavor is incredible too. I was going to make 1/2 the recipe so they don’t get thrown out, but they are flying off the pan. Thank goodness I made the whole recipe in the end. I don’t think anyone will want to be around any of my family members tonight after all that garlic though.
Thanks so very much for the recipe and the very specific blog. I’m starting to feel like I’m moving past being a beginner at yeast baking and that feels awesome. Everyone at KAF is so helpful that I’m having successes at baking. I’m so glad my aunt sent me sourdough years ago even though I killed it. I still remembered to find you several years later when I was ready to try again…..
Thank again,
Suzanne
Suzanne, thank YOU for taking the time to share your success here – and for inviting us into your kitchen to help you become the baker you KNOW you can be! We love to help people bake their best; what better way to help spread the joy, right? Keep up the good work – if practice never quite makes perfect (perfection being an elusive goal), it results in lots of yummy treats to enjoy, doesn’t it?
PJH