Soft and Easy Garlic Knots

Garlic bread and rolls are one of my most favorite things. Whenever I make pasta, there has to be garlic bread along with it, even if it is frozen. I've tried my hand at making garlic bread the way my mother used to growing up, but it's been a long time since I've tried, and my attempt was beyond pathetic.

Soft and Easy Garlic Knots
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Ingredients for the dough:
3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 ¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup milk
1 cup + 2 tbsp. lukewarm water

Ingredients for the glaze:
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. melted butter
½ tsp. Italian seasoning

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, milk and water. Mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dust your hands with flour and transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10 inch long rope and tie into a knot. Take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the center. Transfer shaped rolls to a baking stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.

To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic. Melt the butter, and mix melted butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning together.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Brush the glaze onto the shaped rolls. Bake until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.

Then consume until you're stuffed! These garlic knots are delicious, although I may experiment with the garlic flavor next time, and add some garlic powder to give the knots a little more garlic punch. Even my munchkin really enjoyed these rolls, and he's a bit of a garlic bread connoisseur - he will turn his nose up at a couple of brands of frozen garlic bread that aren't very good. The best part about the knots is that they're easy to make, and take very little time and effort.