Sourdough Garlic Knots

Sourdough garlic knots – the one where a fluffy dinner sourdough roll meets a breadstick. Enjoy this delicious twist on pull-apart rolls at your next fancy Italian dinner or pizza night.

Sourdough garlic knots are a tradition in our household. We love having some form of bread – water it be these garlic knots, garlic bread, breadsticks or a fresh slice of sourdough bread to enjoy with our dinner. Not only are they great to rip apart and dip and vinegar and oil, but they taste delicious by themselves.

If you ever had garlic bread or Little Caesar’s breadsticks – these taste very similar. Especially when topped with white cheddar cheese.

With little preparation necessary, these sourdough garlic knots require no commercial yeast (aka active dry yeast) and rise on their own thanks to the wild yeast found within sourdough discard. These garlic knots are topped with melted butter, garlic and parsley for the chefs kiss.

We love how this recipe can be cooked in the cast iron skillet for easy cleanup. Plus they are an easy sourdough discard recipe. You can mix it together with your hands in minutes!

Ingredients 

• Sourdough discard (active starter or sourdough discard)
• Flour (all purpose flour, bread flour, wheat flour, gluten-free flour can be used)
• Salt
• Garlic
  • Use any form of garlic (fresh, powdered, jarred, frozen, or even roasted garlic). Fresh and frozen garlic seem to provide the best flavor over jarred or powdered. Follow adjustments on your garlic as outlined on the package. One clove of garlic is approximately 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
• Water
• Butter (unsalted butter or salted butter work well here. Can also use dairy free butter)
• Optional: parsley (fresh parsley or dried)
• Optional: white cheddar cheese

Reasons Why You Will Love These Garlic Knots

There are many reasons to enjoy these garlic knots including:

• There is minimal preparation needed. Simply mix together for a few minutes and allow to rise.
• The recipe is time variable based on your schedule and fermentation goals
• The garlic knots can be cooked in a variety of shapes
• It is a fun twist on a bread recipe
• No instant yeast or any leavening agent is necessary thanks to the wild yeast found in sourdough
• They are light and fluffy
• They are fermented and gut health – which will not impact your blood sugar much
• They bread knots have pull apart layers which is the best part, in our opinion. Who does not like ripable sourdough garlic knots?
• And if you are a garlic lover – these fit the bill

How to Make Sourdough Garlic Knots

To make homemade sourdough garlic knots start by feeding your sourdough starter. You can use sourdough discard which is not at peak levels. If you use discard rather than active sourdough starter, they will not rise as much.

Mix the dough ingredients (flour, sourdough starter, salt, water, garlic) together in a bowl. Allow it to come together with your hands to form a shaggy dough.

Continue to knead with your hands for 5–10 minutes. Alternatively, use a kitchen aid. Place in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the dough hook attachment.

The dough will stick to your fingers less as you build the gluten. The texture will become pillow like and less tacky. When stretched, it will not look like a windowpane and may break – though this is ok and will not impact the final taste.

Alternatively, use a kitchen aid. Place in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the dough hook attachment. The dough ball will begin to stick less to the sides of the bowl within 3-5 minutes.

After mixing, cover the large bowl with a damp towel and allow it to ferment on the countertop until it has doubled in size. The rise time will vary depending on the temperature of your room. Next place the covered bowl within the refrigerator to completed bulk fermentation until you are ready to bake. 

These can have a bulk fermentation (aka an overnight fermentation period) of up to 48 hours before baking. The longer the dough sits the more pronounced the sour flavor will be.

The next day, preheat the oven. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and allow it to come to room temperature.

Heat your cast iron skillet on the stove and melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter (or use olive oil). Keep the pan on low heat during this time to ensure the pan is warm when going into the hot oven.

Sprinkle garlic powder on top of the dough during this time as you shape into a 1-2 inch high rectangle using your hands or a rolling pin.

Using a dough cutter / bench scraper, cut the dough into 12-14 equal pieces. You may want to have a lightly floured surface if the dough is still sticky to prevent it sticking from the counter.

With your fingers, roll each piece of dough into a log/worm shape and begin to tie into a loose knot. Tuck the corners in for a uniform shape, similar to an infinity sign or leave the edges out for a pretzel shape. If the dough is sticky, wet your fingers while shaping.

The dough will not stretch much during this time. However, because you kneaded it by hand – it should not break when formed into shaped knots.

Next, prepare the garlic butter mixture to spread over the sourdough garlic knots like you would for garlic bread. Combine minced garlic, butter, and salt in a small saucepan or small bowl until warmed.

Once the cast iron skillet is heated, place the garlic knots into the pan and spread the garlic butter mixture over the top of the knots.

Place the cast iron skillet into the oven. Bake until the tops are firm to the touch and golden brown in color. This will take about 15-18 minutes.

When baked, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. If preferred, sprinkle the sourdough garlic knots with additional melted butter, a pinch of flaky salt and parsley.

White Cheddar cheese is also delicious on top. Serve the baked knots while warm.

How to Store Garlic Knots

If you are not consuming the sourdough garlic knots right away allow them to cool before placing them into a bag or airtight container. This sourdough garlic knots recipe can sit on the counter for up to three days. 

The sourdough garlic knots can go within refrigerator within an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to one week. Place in the freezer for up to six months in an airtight container.

Making the Sourdough Garlic Knots in Advance

To make this recipe ahead, follow the steps through the countertop fermentation. At this point you can either place them in the fridge and shape the garlic knots before placing in the freezer.

When you are ready make the garlic knots, remove them from the freezer and allow them to sit in the fridge or countertop to thaw out thaw.

Alternatively, double the batch and freeze them after they are baked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this sourdough garlic knot dough need a secondary rise?
It is not necessary to have a second rise with these garlic knots however, you can allow them to sit on the counter for up to 30 minutes (or up to 1-2 hours) before placing them in the oven to cook.

I do not have a cast iron skillet. What can I cook these in?
Any baking dish or baking sheet will work to make these garlic knots. Make sure to oil, butter, or line the pan with parchment paper, so these do not stick on the bottom.

Can you substitute flours? Can you use only all purpose flour or only bread flour with this recipe?
Any form of flour listed above in the ingredients should be an adequate substitute within this recipe. The results on texture, rise and height/fluff of the garlic knots may change depending on the type of flour utilized.

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