Easy Garlic Knots Recipe

Making bread from scratch is one of my favorite things in the kitchen.

Nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked bread that comes right off the oven. It’s heavenly. easy garlic knots recipe

Plus, it tastes amazing, and the smell is so captivating. Trust me; no one can resist it. 

In my house, everyone loves homemade bread. Whether it be homemade dinner rolls, honeycomb buns, focaccia bread, pull apart holiday wreath, Honey wheat brown bread, you name it. We love them all. 

And today’s recipe – Easy garlic knots recipe is soft, tender, and packed with flavor. Pair it with a bowl of warm soup and enjoy a delicious meal tonight.

Once you’ve tried these super-soft garlicky knots, you’ll see how easy it is to make your homemade bread. 

What makes up this Easy Garlic Knots Recipe?

No fancy ingredients are required to make this recipe, just the basics like:

» All-purpose flour – the star ingredient. 

» Yeast– Use active dry yeast for this recipe. Please make sure the yeast is not expired.

» Sugar – adding sugar will speed up the yeast activation process. Yeast will bloom faster if it has sugar.  

» Baking powder – if you prefer, a nice light, softer white textured knots, then a teaspoon of baking powder will make a huge difference.

» Olive oil- for flavor.

» Water – the most important ingredient. Make sure your water is lukewarm and not hot. Too hot of a liquid will kill the yeast. 

» Salt easy garlic knots recipe

If you have these essential ingredients in your pantry/fridge, you should be able to make these easy garlic rolls tonight.

How to make Easy Garlic Knots Recipe?

These garlic knots come together in 4 easy steps. 

Step 1: Activate the yeast – 

1. In a small bowl, combine yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. 

2. Mix to combine. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

3. Soon, it will look creamy and frothy. easy garlic knots recipe

4. In another 3-4 minutes, it will bloom and become all frothy and bubbly.

This proofing procedure shows that yeast is alive and active. If by now your yeast has not become frothy, please discard and start over.

Step 2- Prepare the Garlic knots dough

1. Add flour to a large mixing bowl.

2. Add salt and baking powder. Mix it well.

3. Pour in the yeast mixture.

4. Add olive oil. easy garlic knots recipe

5. Pour in the remaining 3/4 cup water. Add in a tablespoon more if needed.  easy garlic knots recipe

6. Mix all the ingredients for 3-5 minutes. 

7. Until it forms a soft, pliable dough.

Step 3- Proofing (proving) the dough in the Instant Pot

1. Grease the Instant Pot insert.

2. Transfer the dough to the Instant Pot.

3. Cover it with a glass lid.

4. Turn the Instant pot on by pressing the ‘Yogurt’ button. Adjust the pressure to ‘Less.’ Set the timer to 30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes, the dough will expand and double in size. 

Proof the dough without the Instant Pot

1. Grease a bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl. 

2. Cover the dough. easy garlic knots recipe

3. Let the dough rise in a fairly warm place undisturbed for 2 hours. The ideal setting would be a warm oven. 

4. After the resting time, the dough will double in size.

Knead and shape the dough

1. Dust the surface with flour and transfer the kneaded dough onto the dusted surface.

2. Punch down the dough and knead it for 2-3 minutes.

3. Preheat oven @ 375 degrees F. While the oven is heating, flatten the dough.

4. Cut the flattened dough into long strips.

5. Roll the dough strips like logs. If the dough feels sticky, dust it with extra flour, and let’s make some garlic knots.

6. Take a dough log. 

7. Fold and make it look like a horseshoe. 

8. We will work with the dough’s right end – Take the right end of the dough and lap it over the left end.

9. It will form a loop. Now pass the right end of the dough through it.

10. Make a loose knot.

11. Tighten it to form the knot. easy garlic knots recipe

12. You will still have dough left at both ends.

13. Take one end of the dough, wrap it over the knot, and into the hole (where you see my finger). Gently press it down.

14. Repeat the same with the right end -wrap it over the knot and into the hole.

15. Press and secure both ends. Your garlic knots are ready. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough. 

– Grease a baking tray. easy garlic knots recipe

– Spread the garlic knots on the tray. 

– Brush each knot with garlic butter spread.

– Bake the garlic knots for 12-15 minutes in a preheated oven (@375 degree F).

Once baked, remove from the oven. Brush with some more butter and serve hot. 

Why punch down the dough? 

Punching down collapses the dough and releases all the gas bubbles formed by the yeast during the rest period. This reinvigorates the yeast cells, and bread baked after deflating the risen dough produces a more tender and more delicate crumb.

Punching down technically enhances the flavor of the finished bread.

After punching the dough, you can knead and shape the dough into the desired shapes.

What’s the advantage of proofing the dough in the Instant Pot? 

The biggest advantage – it saves you a lot of time. Instant Pot is an excellent option if you need the bread dough quickly.

It provides an excellent, consistent warm place for your dough to proof, which yeast loves.

Generally, a bread dough requires 60-90 minutes to proof, but you can quick-proof the dough in the Instant pot in 30 – 40 minutes. 

But, the ‘Yogurt setting’ on the Insert Pot speeds up the fermentation process, and your dough gets proofed in 30-40 minutes. 

NOTE – If your Instant Pot doesn’t have a ‘yogurt setting,’ you must ferment it naturally in a warm oven.

Why add baking powder to an easy garlic knots recipe? 

Some of you may wonder why add baking powder when there is yeast already present in the recipe?

The answer is simple; baking powder makes the garlic knots feather-light and remarkably soft. I have been using baking powder in my bread recipes for quite a while now, and what I found is that with yeast alone, I couldn’t get that lighter consistency but the addition of a little baking powder: changes the whole game.

Yeast makes the bread dough to rise, whereas baking powder gives the bread light and fluffy texture!

However, I don’t recommend using the combo of yeast+baking powder in all situations because some bread recipes are better off without baking powder.

But if you prefer, a lovely light, softer white textured bread, then a teaspoon of baking powder will make a huge difference.

Modifications!

These garlic knots are made from scratch but, they can be made with

• frozen pizza dough,
• frozen dinner rolls or easy garlic knots recipe
• even buttermilk biscuits. 

Simply thaw the dough if frozen. Roll out the dough, and the rest of the recipe remains the same.

How to store garlic knots recipe? 

Store the leftover garlic knots in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in a sealed container. 

When ready to serve, preheat in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. 

These garlic knots freezes well! 

To freeze the knots, store the cooled knots in a plastic bag and then foil it well. Keeps well in the freezer for 2 months. 

» These rolls bake 15 large knots but can be adjusted to make 24 small garlic knots. 

WHAT TO SERVE With THIS HOMEMADE Easy Garlic Knots?

We like to pair these freshly baked garlic knots with a bowl of warm, comforting soup – hearty, filling, and wholesome in my household.

But these knots are great for lunch or dinner. Pair it with your favorite pasta or dip it in your favorite soup and enjoy.

Some of my favorite soups are:

• Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
• Instant Pot Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Lentil Soup
• Instant Pot Butternut Squash and Quinoa Stew
• Baked Ziti with summer vegetable

So, whether you are hosting a party or a game night, make sure to prepare a big batch as these intensely flavored soft and chewy garlic knots are relished by all and will go fast.

It’s a great crowd-pleaser recipe!!

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe. Feel free to contact me with any questions or inquiries, and I would be happy to answer them.

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