How to Make the Best Homemade Garlic Knots

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What are garlic knots?

Garlic knots are a classic Italian inspired dinner roll topped with melted butter and garlic. The knots get their name because you roll or tie the dough into a knot-like shape.

They make the perfect pairing for a lot of recipes, like our Cacio e Pepe Recipe, Spaghetti with Lentils, or our Pesto Cavatappi Recipe. They also make great dippers for our Pesto Sauce recipe or homemade marinara sauce.

If you love bread, you should also check out these other great recipes like our garlic breadsticks, ciabatta bread, and Ladi Pav.

Our garlic knots are made from scratch. They are super soft and fluffy with a delicious garlic butter topping. 

And if you make too much, you can easily freeze the knots for a delicious side of bread whenever you want. 

Garlic knots are also pretty versatile. You can add a bit of extra flavor or change it around altogether by using a different set of seasonings. And if you really don’t like garlic, you can leave them with just a butter or oil topping or plain

Garlic Knot Ingredients

You’ll need two sets of ingredients: for the dough and for the butter topping. A lot of the ingredients you probably already have on hand. 

Here’s what you’ll need for the dough:

• Warm water - This to activate the yeast. Ideally, it will be between 105 and 110 degrees F.
• Instant yeast - You could use active dry yeast instead.
• Granulated sugar - This is to feed the yeast and help it grow.
• Olive oil 
• Salt
• All-purpose flour - You may need a bit more to help knead the dough.

For the garlic-butter topping, you’ll also need:

• Unsalted butter
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder - You could also use fresh, minced garlic cloves instead.
• Salt
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

How to make garlic knots in an air fryer?

Our garlic knots are made from scratch. They are super soft and fluffy with a delicious garlic butter topping. 

And if you make too much, you can easily freeze the knots for a delicious side of bread whenever you want. 

Garlic knots are also pretty versatile. You can add a bit of extra flavor or change it around altogether by using a different set of seasonings. And if you really don’t like garlic, you can leave them with just a butter or oil topping or plain.

How to make homemade garlic knots from scratch

• First, stir to combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 to 10 minutes or until it becomes foamy. If it doesn’t foam up, the yeast is not working and you will need to start over.
• When the yeast is ready, pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer or into a large bowl if you plan on kneading by hand.
• Next, add the olive oil, salt, and flour to the bowl and mix with the dough hook attachment on low-speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. This will take about 5 to 6 minutes. Also, you may not use all the flour called for!

• The dough should be soft and slightly sticky when touched with a clean finger. It should be pulling away from the sides of the mixer.
• Once the dough is formed, you will need to let it rise. You can follow the instructions for the Instant Pot below or coat the dough and bowl in oil and leave it in a warm area with a towel over top. 
• When the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down. Next, add a little flour to your countertop or work surface or spray it lightly with cooking spray.

Form and bake or air fry the knots

• Grab a ball of dough, about the size of a golf ball, and roll it out into a long rope that is about 1/2 an inch thick and around 9 to 12 inches long.
• Next, tie the rope into a knot and place it on a prepared baking sheet. Keep in mind, the dough will rise, so leave some space between each knot.
• When the knots are all formed, cover them with a kitchen towel and allow them to rise again in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. This should take about 30 minutes.
• As the dough rises a second time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When the knots are ready, bake at 375° for 12 to 15 minutes. 

Air Fryer Method:

• Preheat the air fryer 325F degrees and set for 11 to 12 minutes. Cook in batches without overcrowding and bake 11 to 12 minutes, or until golden. No need to turn.

• While the knots bake, mix the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt in a small bowl and melt the butter in another small bowl. Once the knots are out of the oven, brush the tops with the butter and sprinkle with seasonings, parmesan cheese, and parsley.
• Serve the knots immediately with soup, pasta, marinara sauce, or your favorite entrees!

How to make / proof garlic knots in Instant Pot

• The Instant Pot is an amazing tool that can handle a lot of different things - like letting dough rise.
• To use your Instant Pot for garlic knots or any dough that needs to rise, you can take advantage of the yogurt function. This feature keeps the dough at a consistent temperature that is ideal for yeast to grow and expand.
• When using the Instant Pot, prepare the dough per instructions above. Form the dough into a ball and use oil to coat both the inner pot and the outside of the dough ball. The oil will help keep the dough from sticking and keep it moist as it doubles in size.
• Once the dough is in the inner pot, place a glass lid or the regular lid on top and select yogurt mode, low pressure for 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, the dough should have roughly doubled in size.

Pro tips and tricks for this garlic knot recipe

When you make these knots, keep some of these tips and tricks in mind for best results:

• Use your Instant Pot to let the dough rise. It really helps get the dough right every time.
• Don’t forget to proof the yeast for about 5 minutes before making the dough. The yeast should start to foam and bubble if it is alive. If it does not, start over with a fresh batch of yeast.
• When tying the knots, it is more important to make consistent sizes. If your knots aren’t perfect or you want to try a different shape, you can, but be aware making them thicker or thinner can affect cooking times a bit.

If you love bread and want more ideas, you should definitely check out some of these other popular bread recipes:

• Ciabatta
• Olive Garden Breadsticks
• Ladi Pav / Dinner Rolls
• Lavash bread
• Bolillo Bread
• Garlic naan

How to shape the garlic knots

Garlic knots are often shaped like simple knots. And while some people make them really fancy looking, you really don’t need to stress about how they look. 

When we make knots, we roll individual dough balls into long ropes. Once rolled out, you can make a simple knot by folding the ends in and wrapping them around each other like you would with your shoe laces. 

You can also do other variations, like wrapping them around each other or making them shaped like a cinnamon bun. 

Can I freeze garlic knot dough?

Yes, you can easily freeze the dough if you want to make these ahead. To freeze the dough, allow it to rise and then place in a freezer safe bag. You can store it for about 2 months in the freezer.

When you are ready to use it, you can defrost the dough and bring it up to room temperature.

What to serve with garlic knots?

Garlic knots go great with a homemade marinara sauce for dipping. But that is really just the beginning. You can pair garlic knots with just about any Italian inspired recipe or really just about any main dish that you can use bread to soak up extra sauce or gravy. 

Can I freeze leftover garlic breads?

Yes! One of the great things about this recipe is how easy it is to freeze a whole batch of knots for later use. 

When freezing the knots, don’t put the garlic-butter topping on. Instead, allow them to cool and then wrap each in a paper towel. You can then wrap each piece in cling or plastic wrap and place them in a freezer safe bag.

When you are ready to use them, allow them to thaw on the counter top and then heat them back up in the oven at 300 degrees until warmed through. As they reheat, you’ll want to make the garlic butter topping and then spread that out on top.

Italian pasta recipes that taste great with garlic knots

If you are like us, you love Italian pasta. Check out these recipes for a taste of Italy any day of the week.

• Pesto Cavatappi
• Cacio -e - pepe
• Homemade Ravioli
• Spaghetti Aglio E Olio
• Penne Pomodoro
• Instant pot vegan spaghetti 
• Minestrone soup

Let us know what you think

If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!

Continue to Content

Best Homemade Garlic Knots

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 52 minutes

Homemade garlic knots are  soft , chewy and perfect, pizzeria style treats right at home! These fluffy, soft delights are the perfect compliment to your favorite meals, sauces, soups, and salads. Easy to make when you want them or ahead of time, this recipe will allow you to skip ordering in but still let you satisfy your pizzeria cravings.

Print

Ingredients

Garlic Knot Dough

• 1 cup warm water (a few more tbsp. spoons if needed)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)

Garlic Butter Topping

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced.
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• grated Parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine warm water, yeast, sugar
   and stir--allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until foamy. 
2. Pour yeast mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer (or into a large bowl if you plan on kneading by hand) 
3. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour to the bowl. Mix with the dough hook attachment on low-speed mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 - 6 minutes. You may not use all the flour called for!
4. The dough should be soft, slightly sticky when touched with a clean finger. It should be pulling away from the sides of the mixer. 
5. Grease the Instant Pot inner pot and transfer
   the dough to the Instant Pot.
6. Cover it with a glass lid or the instant pot lid.
7. Turn the Instant pot on by pressing the ‘Yogurt’
   button. Adjust the pressure to ‘Less.’ Set the timer to 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, the dough will double in size.
9. Gently punch the dough down. Add a little flour to your countertop or work surface (or spray it lightly with cooking spray).
10. Grab a ball of dough, about the size of a golf ball, and roll it out into a long rope (about 1/2 inch thick and around 9 -12 inches long)
11. Tie the rope into a knot and place it on prepared baking sheet. Remember that the dough will rise, so leave some space between each knot. 
12. Cover garlic knots with a kitchen towel and allow to rise again in a warm place until double in size,
    about 30 minutes.
13. Preheat oven @ 375 degrees F. Bake at 375° for 12 - 15 minutes.

Air Fryer Method:

1. Preheat the air fryer 325F degrees and set for 11 to 12 minutes. Cook in batches without overcrowding and bake 11 to 12 minutes, or until golden. No need to turn.
2. Mix the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt.
3. Brush each knot with melted butter and seasoning.
4. Serve immediately with soup or marinara sauce!
   

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt 10-in-1 
• 
  McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning, 6.25 Ounce
• 
  McCormick Classic Garlic Powder, Value Size, 8.75 Oz
• 
  Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Instant Yeast

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