Garlic Knots
Dough Ingredients:
1 and 1/3 cups warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (get a little more for hands and work surface)
Garlic Butter ingredients:
5 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional ingredients:
optional after baking: 1/4 cup canned or freshly grated Parmesan cheese
optional after baking: 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment.
Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Add the olive oil, salt, and half of the flour.
Beat for 15 seconds, then add the remaining flour.
Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until a bounce back when you poke it.
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray– just use the same bowl you used for the dough.
Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil.
Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel.
Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until double in size.
Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Using floured hands on a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into a 16×5 inch log.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter slice into 16 1-inch strips.
Roll each strip into 8 inch ropes. Tie each into knots. You can tuck the two ends of the knots underneath the knot or leave them out, that’s up to you.
Put the knots on a baking sheet with parchment paper
Cover the knots and let them rest for at least 30 to 45 minutes. They will slightly puff up during this time, producing softer rolls.
Towards the end of the rise time, preheat oven to 400°F.
Topping: Stir the melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt together.
Brush the knots with as much or little garlic butter as you would like. Reserve some of the topping for when the knots come out of the oven.
Bake for about 18-23 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and brush the warm knots with remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and/or parsley, if using.