How to Make Garlic Knots

Where did all the garlic knots go? So many of us grew up on these delicious treats, but unfortunately they're pretty hard to find these days. Are they hiding somewhere, conspiring to take down pizza? No matter why they started to fade, we're determined to bring them back! To make the process even more convenient, you can cook them in the Pizzeria Pronto so you can take them on the road wherever you go!

For this recipe, we used freshly-made dough. The dough was rested approximately 20-30 minutes after coming out of the mixer. If the dough you’re using is cold, you’ll need to proof it after you tie the strips into knots. While you can use your own dough recipe, you can also get our favorite dough recipe by signing up for our newsletter (see footer below).

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
• ¼ to ½ tsp. red chili flake
• 1 C. Asiago cheese
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter
• ¼ C. olive oil
• Pizza dough, 14 oz. piece (fresh or store-bought will both work)

Instructions

For the Garlic Herb Butter:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the olive oil and butter. Melt butter over low flame until fully incorporated into the olive oil.
2. Increase flame to medium-low and add garlic. Sauté garlic gently 1-2 minutes, being careful not to brown.
3. Add oregano, rosemary and chili flakes. Turn heat down to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and refrigerate 10-15 minutes to cool.

NOTE: This would be a great time to preheat your oven while you’re waiting for the butter to cool. Preheat your Pizzeria Pronto or PizzaQue Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven to high, as you would with a regular pizza. For a conventional oven, preheat to 425ºF.

To Make the Knots:

1. Start by dividing the dough ball in half, then cut each half into five ½” strips about 3-4” long. These pieces will form the knots.
2. Take a piece of dough, loop it on top of itself and run the end back through the loop, just like you're tying a piece of string. The knots don’t have to be tied tightly as they’ll rise together while baking in the oven.
3. Place the knots into a medium bowl and drizzle with some of the herb garlic butter.*
4. Place the knots on a small baking sheet or a 12” pizza pan lined with parchment paper. Knots should be ½” to 1” apart from each other to allow for rising.
5. Place in the preheated oven and cook 8-10 minutes until golden brown. During the last 1-2 minutes of baking, add one more basting of garlic butter, this time including pieces of garlic.
6. Place 1 tsp. Asiago cheese on top of the garlic and continue cooking until cheese has melted.

*Tip: When basting the knots with the herb butter, be careful not to get any pieces of garlic on the dough yet. You’ll want to wait until the end to add actual garlic, as well as the Asiago cheese, so that neither one ends up burning.

There you have it! Crispy, cheesy, oh-so-deliciously-smothered-in-garlic knots! Don't hesitate to grab a few immediately after they come out of the oven, or you’ll risk walking into the kitchen to find an empty plate!