Garlic knots are fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and topped with savory garlic herbed butter that will have you begging for more! Enjoy these garlic buns on their own, pair them with an Italian meal, or dip them in marinara sauce. No matter how you serve them, these garlic knots are a total crowd pleaser. You may want to double the recipe because it’s that good.
Why You’ll Love Garlic Knots
- The fluffy interior and crispy exterior. When you bite into one of these garlic knots, your first impression will be the crisp, golden-brown crust. Then, you’ll notice just how light and fluffy the inside of these garlic knots is. And then, you’ll struggle to figure out which is your favorite.
- The herbed garlic butter. These buns are delicious plain, but adding garlic butter makes them even better. Melted butter, freshly minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt are mixed together to give garlic rolls their incredible classic flavor.
- A great way to practice your bread baking skills. Making great bread can be intimidating if you are new to baking. These garlic knots use basic and fundamental bread-making techniques so you can perfect your practice — and it’s pretty hard to go wrong.
Ingredient Notes
To make these delicious homemade Garlic Knots, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in the recipe card below):
- lukewarm water
- active dry yeast - you can also use instant yeast.
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- olive oil
- butter - we use butter in the garlicky buttery topping, but for a healthier version, you can use high-quality olive oil instead.
- garlic
- Italian seasoning - or substitute with dried oregano.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons (or kitchen scale), mixing bowls, bench scraper or knife, and a half sheet baking pan.
How to Make the Best Garlic Knots
- Make the dough. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together water and yeast until smooth. Let it sit for 5 minutes until slightly foamy. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, and oil. Pour in the wet yeast mixture and combine until it forms a shaggy dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible).
- Knead the dough. Knead the dough on a clean lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until it changes from a sticky shaggy dough into a smooth and soft dough ball. Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature (preferably in a warmer area) for 1 hour until doubled.
Tips for Kneading Dough
- How to knead dough: Knead the dough by pushing it down and outward using the palms of your hands. Fold the dough in half toward you and press down. Repeat this motion by pushing the dough down and outward, and then folding over towards you. This helps build up gluten strength in dough that is responsible for making the bread fluffy.
- How to test if dough is well-kneaded: A well-kneaded dough is smooth and can hold its shape. You can test the dough by giving it a firm poke with your finger. The indentation should bounce right back. If it doesn’t bounce back and stays like a dimple, keep kneading for a few more minutes.
How to Shape Garlic Knots
- Flatten the dough and shape into a 16-inch long log. Cut the dough into 14 evenly spaced strips (about 1-inch wide) with a pizza cutter, bench scraper, or knife.
- Roll each dough strip into an approximate 8-inch long rope, tie into knots, then tuck the two ends of the knots underneath.
- Place the knots spaced evenly on a lined half sheet baking pan and cover loosely with plastic cling wrap. Let the knots rise at room temperature for 30 minutes until almost doubled.
How to Bake Garlic Knots
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt until evenly combined. Use a pastry brush or silicone brush to brush the knots evenly with the garlic butter mixture.
Bake in a 400F preheated oven for 20 minutes until the tops turns golden brown. You can brush some extra garlic butter on top. Let the garlic knots cool for 10 minutes and serve.
How to Serve
My favorite way to enjoy garlic knots is with a side of Marinara Sauce, hot or cold. You can also serve these garlic knots with a side of cheese sauce like Pizza Dip or Baked Spinach Dip or dust them in Parmesan and enjoy on their own.
Garlic knots are also great served on the side of your favorite meals like soup or pasta. I suggest a saucy pasta so you can dip the knots into and scoop up any extra sauce. Try it with Pasta Bake with Sausage, Spaghetti Bolognese, or Chicken Penne Pasta.
Storing Instructions
- How to store: Garlic knots are best eaten fresh. But you can store them at room temperature in a bread basket or airtight container for 1-2 days. You can store them longer in the fridge 2-4 days but they will harden. I suggest reheating them to get them soft to eat.
- How to reheat: Reheat garlic knots in a conventional oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350F.
More Garlic Bread Recipes
- 50 Best Bread Recipes
- Garlic Breadsticks
- Pull Apart Garlic Bread
- Cheesy Garlic Dinner Rolls
- Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
- Garlic Naan Bread
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Recipe
Garlic Knots
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 14 garlic knots
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Garlic knots are fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and topped with delicious savory garlic herbed butter that will have you begging for more.
Ingredients
- 200 grams lukewarm water (¾ cup)
- 3 grams active dry yeast (1 teaspoon)
- 300 grams all-purpose flour (2.5 cups)
- 6 grams salt (1 teaspoon)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the garlic topping:
- 60 grams butter, melted (¼ cup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, finely chopped or minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together water and yeast until smooth. Let it sit for 5 minutes until slightly foamy.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, and oil. Pour in the wet yeast mixture and combine until it forms a shaggy dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible).
- Knead the dough on a clean lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until it changes from a sticky shaggy dough into a smooth and soft dough ball.
- Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature (preferably in a warmer area) for 1 hour until doubled.
Shape the Garlic Knots
- Flatten the dough and shape into a 16-inch long log. Cut the dough into 14 evenly spaced strips (about 1-inch wide) with a pizza cutter or knife.
- Roll each dough strip into an approximate 8-inch long rope, tie into knots, then tuck the two ends of the knots underneath.
- Place the knots spaced evenly on a lined half sheet baking pan and cover loosely with plastic cling wrap. Let the knots rise at room temperature for 30 minutes until almost doubled.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt until evenly combined. Use a pastry brush or silicone brush to brush the knots evenly with the garlic butter mixture.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the tops turns golden brown. You can brush some extra garlic butter on top.
- Let the garlic knots cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Notes
How to store: Garlic knots are best eaten fresh. But you can store them at room temperature in a bread basket or airtight container for 1-2 days. You can store them longer in the fridge 2-4 days but they will harden. I suggest reheating them to get them soft to eat.
How to reheat: Reheat garlic knots in a conventional oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350F.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Rise Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
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d says
Loved this recipe ! Yummy and beginner friendly. Will be making again 🙂
housekids says
This recipe is amazing! The garlic knots turned out so good! And the recipe was very easy to follow.
Thank you for this recipe. 😊