Homemade Garlic Knots
It felt like a blessing to have stayed healthy for three whole weeks while we were in Europe, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much about the sniffles and scratchy throats some of us are feeling right now. Last night, I made an elixir of fresh squeezed clementine and lemon juices with ginger & turmeric to help get us feeling right again. I’ve also resorted to making these Homemade Garlic Knots.
I can’t think of a better way to get my kids to eat loads of freshly chopped garlic. And when one is fighting germs, calories and fat are non-existent, yes?
I’ve been thinking a lot of about our diets, well, mine specifically. There are so many super cures out there for weight loss, and healthy lifestyles. I stand by the changes I made to my own eating habits the last three months of 2016. It helped me feel better from the inside out, and jumpstarted some much needed weight loss (a side effect, not initial goal).
After three weeks of enjoying lots of pastries, bread, and wine, I came back having gained not.one.single pound. I also didn’t feel weighed down or sluggish; my stomach didn’t rebel against milk in lattes, or red wine with dinner. It’s got me thinking a lot about the ingredients we have available here in the U.S.
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I put a lot of care into the ingredients I buy, and cook mostly everything from scratch. I’ll be curious to see how my body feels again with U.S. grown wheat. Living in cities for three weeks meant I was also on my feet a lot more than when I’m back home in upstate New York. We’re talking an average of 10,000+ steps a day. It reinforced just how much I miss walking, and hate driving every place.
On that note, I’m going to bundle up (it’s 15ºF here), and go take a long walk along the reservoir. Before I go, here’s my recipe for Homemade Garlic Knots, also known as my Italian-American cure for the common cold.
Homemade Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- For the dough
- 3 cups 415 grams bread flour, plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons 6 grams active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon 6 grams fine sea salt
- 1 cup 237 ml warm water
- Olive oil to coat the bowl & brush the knots
- For the seasoning
- 4 tablespoons 56 grams butter, melted (or swap in olive oil)
- 4 garlic cloves
- Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped fine
- 1/4 cup 25 grams grated Pecorino-locatelli cheese
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a deep bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt. Add the water. Using a wooden spoon, stir it together until it forms a wet, sticky dough. Sprinkle the remaining flour onto a clean counter or large cutting board. Dump the dough out onto the board and knead in the flour until the dough is smooth and soft, but not tacky or sticky—you may not need all of it or you may need a little extra depending on the humidity level in your kitchen.
- Dab a bit of olive oil on a paper towel and wipe it around the inside of a deep a glass or ceramic bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot until doubled in volume (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Once it’s doubled in volume, sprinkle some flour, on a counter or cutting board. Turn the dough onto the surface and gently knead it once or twice to deflate the dough. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each ball into a 5-inch (12-cm) long rope. Tie the rope into a knot. Place the knots on the baking pan, and brush them with a bit of oil (this is to prevent the plastic wrap from sticking). Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- When the knots are ready, bake 15 minutes, until golden. Transfer the hot-out-of-the-oven knots to a deep heatproof bowl. Add all of the seasoning ingredients, and toss until well coated. Serve hot.
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Amy
Hooray for including ingredient measures in weights! I’m in the US, and have always baked using cup measures, but more and more I’m baking by weight whenever I can (Classic German Baking for one!). So thanks for including that in your recipes. These look delicious!
Betsy
Jennie: these look amazing. can’t wait to try them however, the instructions call for sugar but I don’t see the amount in the ingredients. can you post how much sugar should be added. Thanks! I hope everyone is feeling better soon!
Jennie
Hi Betsy. Sorry about that! There’s no sugar in this dough recipe. I’ve corrected the recipe. xo-Jennie
Patricia
These look delicious. Definitely will be making these soon. Looks like these elastic waist pants will be with me a while longer This “older” person is very glad to have you in my mailbox again. Enjoyed your Instagram postings. Take care, dear,and hope you all feel better soon.
Heather
I know it’s crazy, but for my Christmas cookies I ordered 5 Kilos of flour from France. My gluten sensitive daughters and I were able to enjoy them with NO ill effects. Expensive, but a once a year treat that allows us to carry on a tradition they have enjoyed all their lives. Worth it.
Jennie
It doesn’t sound crazy at all. I might just have to go this route. xo-Jennie
Jennie
Thank you, Patricia. xo-Jennie
Rachel Cunliffe
Oh that’s fascinating about the difference in wheat. My husband has been having trouble with wheat and dairy here in NZ, and you’d think that we have good quality produce here. I wonder if he’d be OK in Europe too!
Carito
Tu página es bellísima. Las recetas, excelentes, pero disfruto mucho de tus posts. Tus reflexiones y experiencias escritas con amor, dedicación y paz. Gracias.
andrew
these are not only amazingly delicious but also super easy to make. my family has appreciated them most especially with the quick marina sauce you shared a while ago- simple ingredients of oil and garlic followed by tomatoes, basil, salt and, if memory serves, some sugar. anyhow, like the marinara sauce, these knots are fun to make with kids and never survive the night!
also, having read more recent posts, thank you for sticking to your instincts and sharing your thoughts post 08 november. i learned long ago how political food is and appreciate your candor with both!