Soft Garlic Bread Knots from Scratch
developed & tested by:
These soft garlic knots are made with enriched bread dough (not pizza dough!) so we can infuse the dough with Italian herbs + garlic powder. Then garlic butter is brushed onto each knot before they bake in a quick 15 minutes, creating fluffy, savory bread knots from scratch!
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- ⅔ cup warm water (between 100-110°F or 38-43°C)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (one packet)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use either table salt or fine sea salt)
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Topping
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use either table salt or fine sea salt)
- Optional: fresh chopped herbs (like parsley or basil)
Instructions
- Prep: Grease a clean mixing bowl with a little olive oil & set aside to place your kneaded dough into later.
- Wet Ingredients + Yeast and Sugar: In another mixing bowl, whisk the warm water with the sugar, instant yeast, eggs, and melted butter.
- Add the Dry Ingredients: Sprinkle the flour, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning over the wet ingredients. Mix with a large spoon to combine everything into a soft, slightly shaggy dough.
- Knead the Dough: On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough by hand for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough is shiny, elastic, and tacky. (Or knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for 4-5 minutes.)
- Let it Rise: Shape the dough into a ball and place it into your greased mixing bowl from step 1. Cover it with a dinner plate or plastic wrap (to retain moisture and warmth). Let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, after about 2 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & set aside.
- Divide the Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it's 12 inches by 8 inches (30 cm by 20 cm). Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice the dough into 12 strips, so each strip is 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide and 8-inches (20 cm) long.
- Shape the Knots: Tie each strand of dough into a knot and tuck the edges underneath. Arrange them evenly spaced out on your baking sheet.
- Proof the Dough: Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel & set aside in a warm spot (like close to your pre-heating oven) for 30 minutes, until the knots puff up a little.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Make the Topping: Mix the melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt in a bowl. Brush on the tops & sides of the dough knots.
- Bake & Serve: Bake the bread knots for 12-15 minutes, until they’re golden on top. Optional: As soon as they come out of the oven, brush them with one additional tablespoon of melted butter, and sprinkle grated parmesan, freshly chopped herbs, or flaky salt on top. Enjoy!
Sprinkle a small pinch of flour onto your counter as you knead the dough, as needed, to prevent it from sticking too much. It sounds counterintuitive but I get my hands wet with cold water and it prevents the dough from sticking to me. I also move my dough to a new, clean spot on my counter every minute or two, to prevent it from catching on dough already stuck to the counter. It should still be tacky (not sticky) once you’re done kneading, so it should gently grab at your hands and counter still, instead of being perfectly smooth.
I like to let my dough rise in the oven, turned off, with the oven light on.
I like to brush each knot once to ensure each is fully coated, then brush them all a second time to evenly distribute any of the minced garlic still in the bowl.
Notes
- Tying the Knots: I found it easier to tie the dough strips into knots by keeping the soft dough on the counter and moving the short ends, rather than trying to tie it between my hands in the air.
- Even Baking: I recommend pulling out a ruler or measuring tape to measure the dough when you roll it out to 12x8. This ensures all the knots are the same size, so they bake evenly & gets them long enough to tuck the ends underneath so they don’t unravel.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 knot (of 12)Calories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 6gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 354mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 279IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 2mg
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