Sourdough Garlic Knots

These sourdough garlic knots are soft and fluffy inside, with a deliciously crispy garlic butter crust.

I’m sharing one of my favourite sourdough recipes this week. I just love the shape and the taste of these sourdough garlic knots. They use a basic, lightly enriched sourdough dough that can also be made into dinner rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog rolls, a basic sandwich loaf, or whatever else you want to try! It’s a great base dough to have under your belt, and it can be made by hand or in a mixer. If you don’t have a sourdough starter to make these, don’t worry. I’ve got a detailed post on the blog to show you how to make one.

I love making these knots as a pull-apart style in a 9x13-inch baking pan. Alternatively, you can bake them spaced apart on a larger baking tray.

Sourdough Garlic Knots

You can find the printable recipe here on homegrownhappiness.com

STARTER

• 20g starter

• 40g all-purpose flour

• 40g water

DOUGH

• 450g bread flour or all-purpose flour with a protein level of at least 11%

• 20g granulated sugar

• 8g salt

• 160g water

• 130g milk

• 90g sourdough starter

• 40g unsalted butter, room temperature

BUTTER TOPPING

• 100g salted or unsalted butter

• 4-5 cloves garlic

• 2-3 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley

• Flaky salt

Method

The starter

• Mix the sourdough starter, flour, and water until well combined and tip into a clean jar. Let it rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size.

Bread dough

• When the starter has risen, mix together the bread flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the water, milk, and risen sourdough starter to this and mix into a shaggy dough. You can use a wet hand or a fork for this, or do this in a stand mixer with a dough hook.

• Tip this dough onto a floured work surface and use a slap-and-fold kneading method to bring the dough together. Knead it for a few minutes.

• Once the dough has been kneaded, add the cubed butter, a few cubes at a time, and knead them in. Continue kneading the dough for 6-8 minutes until smooth and strong.

• Add the dough to a large bowl and let it rise in a warm spot (ideally around 25°C/77°F) for 3-4 hours, covered with a damp kitchen towel.

• To create a warm and humid spot, place the dough in a turned-off oven alongside a large cup of boiled water. When it cools, replace the water as needed.

• By the end, the dough should feel lighter and puffier. At a warm room temperature, 3 hours may be enough, but extend the ferment if it's cooler. After this period, the dough can be tightly covered and placed in the fridge overnight.

Shaping

• Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

• Pull the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape it into a dough ball and weigh it on a scale. Divide the total weight of your dough by 12. That's how much dough is needed for each knot.

• Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, dividing some from one piece to another until they're all the same size.

• Shape each piece into a rough ball and set them onto a lightly floured surface. The next step is to make the knots.

• To shape a knot , roll one dough ball on a lightly floured surface into a long rope, around 30cm/12 inches. If the rope gets sticky, dust it with flour.

• Shape the rope into a U shape. Cross one end over the other, then fold one side underneath the loop at the bottom to make a loose knot. Repeat with the other side. Place the shaped knots into the prepared baking dish.

• Cover the dish with a damp towel or compostable plastic wrap and let the knots rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 3-4 hours. Again, how long this takes will depend on the room temperature.

• When the knots have nearly finished rising, preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.

• Finely grate or chop 4-5 garlic cloves, or use a garlic press to mince it.

• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and the garlic. Let it come to a simmer, and simmer the garlic in the butter for about a minute. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for at least 5 minutes.

• When the knots have finished rising, brush them with about ⅓ of the garlic butter with a pastry brush. The remaining butter will be used after baking.

1. Bake the knots for around 22-25 minutes until golden brown on top. While they are baking, finely chop parsley or other fresh herbs of your choice.

2. If serving right away, when the knots come from the oven, liberally brush them with the remaining butter. Ensure you get all the chunks of garlic on there, too. Sprinkle with herbs and flaky salt.

3. If you're not serving the knots straight away, hold off on adding the remaining butter and toppings. When it's time to serve, melt the remaining butter again and coat the knots. Then, top with the herbs and salt.

If you make them, I’d love to know :) , Happy baking!