How To Make Garlic Knots

Do you want to replicate those yummy garlic knots from your favorite local pizza shop in the comfort of your own home? I love baking some of these when I have some extra dough in my fridge or freezer—and they’ll make your whole house smell delicious.

Similar to making a challah roll, it’s easy to make the requisite “knot.” You can even use challah dough if you have it on hand, or pizza dough. If you don’t want to make the dough yourself, pick some up from your local pizza shop or grocery store. One small dough ball will give you six knots.

To start, remove a dough ball from the refrigerator and let sit for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450º.

Chop or grate some fresh garlic (about ½ a clove per knot) and fresh parsley (about ½ teaspoon per knot), and grate some Parmesan cheese (about 1 teaspoon per knot). Combine in a small bowl.

Pour melted butter or olive oil over garlic mixture (about 1 tablespoon per knot) and stir well. Set aside.

On a floured surface, gently flatten out dough ball and stretch it out with your hands.

Spread out dough to a small rectangle shape (about 6 inches x 6 inches) and flatten, but don’t put too much pressure on the dough or handle it roughly.

Use a pizza cutter to slice dough into 1-inch wide strips.

Gently roll strips into tubes to fatten them up. Stretch from the ends if necessary; they should be about 6 inches long.

Take one tube and lay it flat. Take one end and place it over the other, forming a loose circle.

Take the end of the top layer and gently push it through the hole, creating a loose knot.

Arrange knots on a greased baking sheet or pizza screen.

Brush knots with garlic mixture and reserve any extra. Bake in oven at 450º for 15 minutes, or until golden.

When knots are done baking, brush another layer of remaining garlic mixture on top.

You can now savor your delicious garlic knots. Feel free to experiment with other herbs, cheeses, and spices. These are also delicious with some added heat from a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Serve them instead of garlic bread with Baked Ziti or Spaghetti and Meatballs. And of course, they make a great appetizer before pizza. Try them with Pesto and White Bean Pizza.