Garlic Knots

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My favorite homemade garlic knots recipe is super-easy to make and topped with garlic butter and Parmesan.

Honestly, life is just better with buttery garlic knots fresh out of the oven. ♡

I’ve always used my trusty 1-Hour Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls recipe to make garlic knots, brushing them with an extra round of garlic butter just before serving and finishing each knots with a sprinkle of Parmesan and flaky sea salt. And when I say that friends always love these rolls, I mean people truly LOVE THESE ROLLS. They always have a way of stealing the show, whether you serve them up for a Thanksgiving feast, alongside soup or salad for a simple weeknight dinner, or with marinara for dipping on game day — you name it. These rolls are perfect for just about any occasion and are pretty much guaranteed to disappear before you know it.

That said, my favorite thing about this recipe in particular is that it’s easy to make with no hours-long rise times required. All you need are a few basic ingredients and you’ll be ready to go. So the next time you’re craving a fluffy, buttery batch of homemade garlic knots, give this recipe a try!

Garlic Knots Ingredients

Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients you will need to make homemade garlic knots:

• Butter: Butter adds buttery flavor and moisture to the rolls themselves, plus we’ll also brush garlic butter on top of the rolls just before serving.
• Honey: Honey gives the rolls a very subtle touch of sweetness and helps to activate the yeast.
• Active-dry yeast: We’ll use active-dry yeast to help the garlic knots rise so that they’re perfectly pillowy and fluffy. Please note that this recipe requires 1 tablespoon of yeast, and most packets only include 2.25 teaspoons, so you will need to purchase two packets to have enough.
• Flour: I always make garlic knots using traditional all-purpose flour, which keeps the knots soft and chewy.
• Milk and water: We will use a combination of milk and water as the liquid in this recipe, which keeps the rolls moist and tender.
• Fine sea salt: Fine sea salt helps to bring out the flavor of the dough itself, plus I like to sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top for an extra pop of salty crunch.
• Garlic powder: I’ve made these rolls over the years with both fresh garlic and garlic powder and honestly can’t tell a difference. So I vote we keep things easy with garlic powder – it tastes great!
• Garlic butter: Once the rolls come out of the oven, we’ll brush them with a quick mix of melted butter, garlic powder and finely-chopped parsley as a topping.
• Toppings (optional): Then to finish things off, I highly recommend sprinkling each garlic knot with a pinch of flaky sea salt and coarsely-grated Parmesan cheese. Delish!

Recipe Tips

Step-by-step instructions are included in the recipe below, but here are a few extra tips to keep in mind:

• Be sure that your yeast has not expired. This is one of the most common reasons why dough does not rise. Always double-check the expiration date on any yeast, especially if you have some envelopes that have been hanging out for awhile in your pantry. If the yeast does not begin to foam after 5 minutes once it has been added to the wet ingredients, toss out the batch and start over with new yeast.
• Double-check the temperature of the liquid ingredients. When heating the liquid ingredients (water, melted butter, milk and honey), it’s essential that they be within the temperature range of 100-110°F. If the mixture is too hot, it can kill the yeast. If it is too cool, the yeast may not activate. The mixture should feel warm and not hot to the touch, but I always recommend testing the mixture with a cooking thermometer just to be sure.
• Don’t skip the rise times. They are essential to helping the dough rise and create that soft and fluffy texture we’re going for.
• Tie the knots gently. When tying the knots, try to keep them fairly loose so that they have room to rise and expand. You can either leave the ends sticking out or tuck them in (as we have in the batch photographed here).
• Bake on parchment. I always recommend baking these on parchment to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
• No worries about perfection. When portioning the dough into 15 garlic knots, don’t worry about them all being perfectly equal in size. They will always taste great, even if they’re slightly uneven!

Recipe Variations

Here are a few more variations that you’re welcome to try with this garlic knots recipe:

• Use different herbs. Add finely-chopped fresh rosemary, basil or oregano to the garlic butter.
• Top with pesto. Swap out the garlic butter for basil pesto, brushing it on the knots just after baking.
• Add everything bagel seasoning. Sprinkle everything bagel seasoning on top of the garlic butter.
• Stuff with cheese. Add a cube of mozzarella (or any other melting cheese) inside the knot before baking to make cheese-stuffed knots.

More Easy Bread Recipes

Looking for more easy bread recipes to try? Here are a few of my all-time favorites:

• 1-Hour Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls
• No Knead Bread
• Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
• Honey Beer Bread

Garlic Knots

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Ali
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
• Yield: 15-16 servings 1x

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Description

My favorite homemade garlic knots recipe is super-easy to make and topped with garlic butter and Parmesan.

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Ingredients

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Garlic Knots:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, flaky sea salt

Garlic Butter:

• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

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Instructions

1. Heat the liquids. In a microwave-safe bowl, stir together the water and melted butter, then add in the milk and honey and stir until combined. Microwave the mixture (or heat it in a saucepan) for 1 minute and give it a stir. Continue microwaving the mixture in 15 second intervals until it reaches 110°F. It should be warm but not hot to the touch.
2. Add yeast. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast evenly on top and give it a quick stir with a fork to combine, then let the yeast rest and activate for 5 minutes until it is foamy.
3. Add dry ingredients. Add in 3 1/2 cups of flour (not all of the flour), salt and garlic powder. Use the dough hook to mix on medium-low speed until combined.  If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add in 1/4 cup more flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch. (Only use up to 4 cups of flour total.) Continue mixing on low speed for 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a ball with your hands and transfer it to a greased bowl.
4. Let the dough rise.  Cover the bowl with a damp towel or paper towel, and let it rise for 15 minutes.
5. Prep your oven and baking dish. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
6. Form the garlic knots. Use your hands to gently form the dough into a roughly 16-inch log, with as even a width as possible (see photos). Use a bench scraper or a knife to slice the dough into 15 or 16 evenly-sized pieces. Roll each piece of dough out into an 8-inch rope, then tie it into a knot and place it on the baking sheet, either tucking the ends under or leaving them out. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 15 minutes.
7. Bake. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until the garlic knots are lightly golden brown on top and cooked through. Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic butter ingredients until combined.
8. Brush with the garlic butter. As soon as the rolls are ready, transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack. Brush the rolls immediately with the garlic butter, then sprinkle with Parmesan and a pinch of flaky sea salt. 
9. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Equipment

Flaky Sea Salt

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Parchment Paper

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Pastry Brush

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