Buttery Garlic Knots

We're switching from sweet to savory this week and today's post is all about the garlic and sea salt combination. If you're in the mood to make some rolls with dinner why not try a garlic knot. No pun intended. One thing I'll say about these rolls is that it's pretty difficult tying the knot but you have to start somewhere, right. I just won't show you my most pitiful ones.  If you're making this for a dinner party, I would suggest doing a trial run and practicing tying the very soft dough.

Ingredients: flour, sugar, yeast, olive oil, sea salt and warm water. For the garlic coating you'll need four garlic cloves and some butter.

Grind 1 tsp. sea salt. Side note, this salt also pairs excellently with Nutella. I made Sea Salt Nutella Fudge the other weekend for my friends baby shower and let's just say there weren't a whole lot of left-overs.

Combine 1 3/4 c warm water, 3/4 c. olive oil, 1 tsp. sea salt, 1 T sugar, 1 1/2 T active dry yeast. Stir until everything is pretty well dissolved.

Mix with approx. 5 1/2 c. All-purpose flour. You'll want to start with three cups. Then incorporate 4th and 5th cup and use the last 1/2 cup as needed. The dough will be soft and a little sticky so try not to use too much or the knots will be dense instead of light and fluffy. Oil your hands and knead for a couple minutes or so. It doesn't have to be long.

Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours. Then, if you have the time, refrigerate the dough for an hour so it's easier to work with. It can also be left overnight if you want to make it ahead of time.

Divide dough into two parts and roll out into a long rectangle shape on an oiled countertop.

With a pizza cutter slice strips of dough. Take each strip, roll into a rope and to the best of your ability tie into a knot. You can use some extra flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands.

Place a layer of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and line your knots up. Cover with plastic wrap and place a clean dish towel over the plastic wrap. Let rise another 40 minutes or so. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

While the knots are baking. Saute your minced garlic cloves in 4 T butter. Add 2 tsp. sea salt and stir mixture. When the knots are still warm out of the oven. Coat each on in a layer of the garlic mixture. The more generous, the better! Cool and serve. 

Recipe

from http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/garlic-knots/

Dough
1 3/4 c (415ml) Warm Water (@115°F)
1/4 c (55g) Olive Oil
1 t (5g) Sea Salt
1 T (15g) Sugar
1 1/2 T (20g) Active Dry Yeast
approx. 5 1/2 c (750 g) all-pupose, unbleached Flour

Garlic Coating
 4 T (30g) unsalted Butter
4 cloves Garlic, finely crushed

Sea Salt to taste

Combine water, olive oil, sea salt, sugar, and yeast. Combine with aprox 5 1/2 cups flour, a few cups at a time. 

Oil hands and knead into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 2-3 hours. Refrigerate the dough for another hour to make it easier to hand.

 Roll the dough out into a long rectangle and cut strips with a pizza cutter. Rolls into a rope and tie into a knot. This is pretty difficult so don't worry if they look less than ideal. Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. 

Cover with plastic wrap and a dish cloth. Let rise another 40 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

While the knots are baking: mince four cloves of garlic and saute them with the butter. Add approx. 2 tsp. sea salt and stir. Coat on warm knots as liberally as you wish.