I’m kind of famous for this easy homemade garlic knots recipe! Soft and fluffy, these golden brown garlic knots get their flavor from fresh garlic and garlic powder! Top with grated parmesan and serve with marinara sauce for dipping. These are delicious warm or at room temperature!
Super Easy Garlic Knots (aka the Italian dinner roll)
As an Italian woman, and carb lover, I am a HUGE fan of garlic knots. So creating the best homemade garlic knots recipe was one of my top priorities this year! They needed to be soft and fluffy, golden brown, and have the perfect garlic flavor!
And guess what? I learned and perfected this recipe way faster than I thought I would. Turns out making bread knots is NOT hard. And they’re made with super basic ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now!
They’re a delicious snack on their own, especially when you serve with marinara sauce for dipping. But I love serving them with penne arrabbiata and my easy baked meatballs! They’re like an Italian dinner roll… perfect for almost any occasion!
Garlic Knots: The Ingredients
- Bread Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Active Dry Yeast (Make sure it’s not expired)
- Salt
- Warm Water
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Garlic (Fresh garlic and garlic powder give the perfect garlic flavor)
- Fresh Parsley
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
How to make Garlic Knots from Scratch
- Make the Dough: Make sure you have all your ingredients for garlic knots before baking! You’ll need a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and a large bowl to make this garlic knot recipe! Once the dough comes together in the bowl, you’ll knead it together on a clean work surface.
- Let the Dough Rise: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the dough in a warm area and let it rise. It should double in size in about 90 minutes.
- Shape into Knots: Then place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and let them rise another 30 minutes.
- Bake: Until golden brown. Then brush with delicious garlic butter and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
For extra flavorful garlic knots, brush them with melted butter and herbs before and after baking. Just note they’ll be a little darker in color if you do this. But will taste even more like garlic bread!
How to Shape Garlic Knots
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Then let it rest for 10 minutes before shaping.
- Sprinkle the top of each round of dough with a little flour. Slice each round into quarters.
- Press each quarter into a rectangle, then slice in half again. You should have 16 pieces of dough. Dust each piece with a little flour and quickly shape into individual balls.
- Roll out each ball into a long rope then tie it into a knot. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, covered loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for 30 minutes. The knots will rise more during this time.
Garlic Knots Need Bread Flour
- Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has a tiny amount of barley flour and vitamin C added. The barley flour helps the yeast activate. And the vitamin C increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes.
- Bread flour is typically used in pizza dough and garlic knot recipes because of the chewiness that the extra gluten provides. I did test this recipe with all-purpose flour and unfortunately the results were tough, dry, and disappointing.
For soft, chewy, and incredibly delicious garlic knots, don’t skip the bread flour!
Can I Freeze Garlic Knot Dough?
Yes! If you’re in a time crunch, I suggest making the dough ahead of time and freezing it. Then thaw and continue with the following steps as directed in the recipe. I always keep a batch of this dough hidden in the back of my freezer for when a garlic knot craving strikes!
These garlic knots go great with a side of marinara sauce. You can check out my homemade marinara sauce here.
Next, try my Soft Pretzel Garlic Knots!!! They’re like a garlic knot and a soft pretzel had a baby. Yum!
