The host of the Sourdough Breads-Milling-Growing Wheat FB group presented us with the opportunity to bake Sourdough Garlic Knots this month. Sourdough and garlic butter – yes, please.
I hosted a small gathering for Thanksgiving Dinner at my house, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to try something different than our normal dinner rolls. Any opportunity to make and share bread is a good one in my book, but this occasion was especially beneficial because these family members enjoy sampling new food creations. As long as they are edible, that is.
These garlic rolls are definitely edible and full of flavor. They were a big hit. I barely had enough left to get a photo.
The best part was how easy they are to prepare. They fit in with my schedule quite nicely. I made the dough Wednesday evening and let it ferment overnight, then I shaped, proofed and baked the rolls in time for dinner (in the afternoon) on Thursday.
I doubled the recipe below and used all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. Since my sourdough starter is 100% hydration (not a stiff starter), I had to add a good bit more flour. I should’ve held back the water during the mixing phase to see if I even needed it, but I forgot. I ended up using about 1/2 – 3/4 cup additional flour and more for sprinkling.
The garlic knots turned out really well especially with the garlic butter and parsley glaze drizzled over them.
Sourdough Garlic Knots with Garlic Butter Glaze
These sourdough garlic knots are great for any occasion.
As shared by Jane, of the Fermenter’s Kitchen on FB
Also consulted the Garlic Knots Recipe on Simply Recipes for the shaping method
Yield: 20 rolls (double the recipe for 40 knots)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup sourdough starter – recently fed*
- 1 1/4 cup bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 3/4 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
* If your starter is 100% hydration (same ratio of flour-to-water) rather than a stiff starter (more flour than water), you may need to add more flour to this dough, especially if you use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. Don’t worry about it though. The rolls should turn out fine.
Step 1: Feed sourdough starter (morning on day before baking)
Feed your sourdough starter following your normal procedure. If you want to double the recipe, you’ll need to increase it so that you have 2 cups of starter.
Step 2: Prepare the final dough (evening before baking)
Combine sourdough starter, water, olive oil and salt. I recommend reserving the water until you add the flour. If your starter is 100% hydrated, you may not need the water.
Add flour until it’s a ball (if using a mixer add until it forms a ball). Place on the counter and knead it a few times. Don’t over mix either by hand or by machine.
Step 3: Bulk Fermentation on counter
Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it ferment at room temperature for 2 hours. Do a fold after 30 minutes and another fold after 1 hour, then let the dough rest for another hour. Since the dough is sticky, it benefits from the stretch and folds before the overnight fermentation in the refrigerator.
Step 4: Overnight Fermentation in the fridge
After the 2 hour fermentation, cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 5: Warm up dough to room temperature (next day)
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to come to room temp about 1-2 hours.
Divide the dough in half (or 4 pieces if you doubled the recipe).
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
Step 6: Shape and proof the knots
Take one half of the dough and cut it in half using a bench knife or a sharp knife. Flatten one piece into a 5-inch by 5-inch square. It should be about 1/2-inch thick.
Using a sharp knife or a bench knife, cut the dough into strips of 1 inch wide by 5 inches long.
Cut the five strips in half widthwise. Take one strip and work it into a rope, then tie it in a knot. Sprinkle each strip with flour before tying the knots because the dough will be sticky along the edges that were cut.
Place each knot down on the parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Leave space between the knots so they have room to rise.
Brush the rolls with olive oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let them rest in a warm place until doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 90 minutes to a couple of hours.
Step 6: Bake the Garlic Knots
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake the rolls for 10-15 minutes. The knots are not meant to be brown and crisp. If you make the rolls larger, it may take a bit longer to bake them.
Remove the rolls and place them on a cooling rack. Brush with garlic butter glaze – recipe follows.
Prepare the garlic butter glaze
- 5 tablespoons of butter
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
Melt the butter and add the minced garlic. Cook gently over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes. Add the parsley and salt and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat.
Brush the fresh out of the oven knots with the butter and garlic glaze.
Happy Baking!
Cathy
