Garlic knots are a pizzeria favorite, and in New Jersey, their presence was a sign that the pizza joint you just walked into was legit.
Garlic Knots, a Thrifty Way To Use Dough Scraps
Making knots is a thrifty way to use scraps of dough and the leftover garlic-butter-parsley sauce most pizzerias would use for their white pizzas or garlic bread. Over the years I’ve seen people make gigantic garlic knots the size of croissants, but that seems weird to me. The knots of my youth could fit into the palm of your hand with ease. Eating eight of them at a sitting was no trouble at all.
The Magic of Garlic Knots
What are they like? Crusty on the outside, light as air within. Chewy, and almost sour—most garlic knots I remember were made with old pizza dough that was already thinking about fermenting. The garlic-soaked butter (some places used olive oil) got all over your hands; I’d smell like Ferraro’s for hours after eating them, and if I didn’t finish my supper that night my mom would know why. A big basket of garlic knots is a great party treat, and is pretty easy to make if you use premade pizza dough. Be warned: Make twice as many as you think you’ll need. You’ll find yourself reaching for another without thinking, and so will your guests. And if you have a New Jersey native in the house, make a triple batch. I ate half of this recipe at one sitting.
Using Store Bought Pizza Dough
There’s no shame in using store bought pizza dough. It gets dinner on the table faster. If frozen, thaw the dough and then proceed to step 4.
5 More Pizza Parlor Favorites To Make at Home
Pepperoni Cazones Easy Stuffed Zucchini Spicy Sausage Pizza Italian Sub Sandwich Garlic Bread
You can use all-purpose flour, but bread flour will give you a crisper crust.
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 7/8 cup (207ml) warm water (105°F to 115°F) 2 1/4 cups (300g) bread flour, plus more for flouring the work surface and your hands 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl and brushing the knots
OR, if you are using store-bought pizza dough:
14 ounces pizza dough
Garlic butter coating:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup parsley, minced 1 teaspoon salt
Mix this together to form a soft dough and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. (You can use a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook for this step. If you knead by hand, it will take longer.) The dough should be soft and tacky. If it is too dry, add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Alternatively you can put it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours to rise slowly (and develop more flavor). Set out 2 large baking sheet and line them with a silicone liner or parchment paper (spray parchment paper with some baking spray). Flour your work surface and your hands. Working with one piece at a time, flatten into rough 4 x 5-inch rectangles. Cut these strips in half in the middle. You should now have 8 (1 x 2.5-inch) strips. Then tie it in a knot. Set each knot down on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Remember that the dough will rise, so leave some space between each knot. Loosely cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise again until doubled in size, anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours or so.
