Garlic Knots

The Simple Pizza Dough recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas. If you're only making one pizza, use the other half of the dough in this quick and tasty bite. Since these cook in the oven, they can easily be prepared at the same time as a grilled or cast iron pizza.

Yield: about 10-12 garlic knots

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe of the Simple Pizza Dough OR 1 bag fresh pizza dough from store (such as Trader Joe's Ready to Bake Pizza Dough), at room temperature

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon flour, plus extra for handling the dough

• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing on knots

• Kosher salt

Recommended Equipment

• 1 baking sheet

• Parchment paper

• Clean kitchen towel

• Bench scraper

• Marble pastry board (optional)

  • If you find yourself working with dough and pastry often, I'd highly recommend investing in a marble pastry board. Marble remains cooler than room temperature which makes it easy to work with the dough. Additionally, the marble doubles as a great cheese board.

Instructions

Mix 1 tablespoon flour and 1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder in a small bowl.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Lightly dust your work surface with flour.  Using a bench scraper or similar tool, cut the dough into 10-12 uniform pieces.

Cutting apart pieces of pizza dough for garlic knots.

Lightly dust your work surface with flour.  Take one piece of the dough at a time and roll into a long, thin rope, about 6-8 inches long.  Sprinkle the flour/garlic powder mix over the rope of dough to lightly coat the surface. Loosely tie the rope into a knot.  Set on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Uncooked garlic knots.

Lightly cover the knots with a clean kitchen towel and set aside (preferably somewhere warm) while you preheat oven to 400°F.  When the oven is ready, lightly brush the garlic knots with olive oil and bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Just before the knots are finished baking, combine melted butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and parsley in a bowl large enough to toss the garlic knots. Add kosher salt to taste and mix well.  When the garlic knots are ready, remove from oven and transfer directly into the bowl while hot.  Using a spatula or large spoon, toss the knots until all are evenly coated (scraping the butter mixture from the sides and bottom of the bowl).

Allow the coated knots to rest and slightly cool in the bowl for a few minutes before serving (they'll continue to absorb the butter mixture while they rest).  Serve warm.

Garlic Knots coated with butter, parsley, and chives.