Garlic Knots

I wanted something easy, quick, and satisfying to accompany Anne's Excellent Meatballs recipe. I remember this wonderfully lovely Garlic Knots that my old pizzeria used to make that would accompany every pizza we ordered. Seriously, the Garlic Knots were out of this world. It possessed a crispy exterior, and warm, soft interior. Every bite would fill your mouth with buttery, garlicky goodness with a touch of coarse salt, shredded Parmesan, and chopped parsley. It was that good that sometimes, I'd eat it before I would even touch the pizza (and pizza is one of my favorite foods.) This recipe mimicks those Garlic Knots. They are freakin' awesome- truly delicious and I made them on the fly. I couldn't stop eating them!

Ingredients:
Parchment paper or Cooking spray
Pizza Dough (I used Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
Extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle
Kosher salt, sprinkle
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or pizza dough/crust directions). Place parchment paper on large baking sheet, or spray with cooking spray.
2. Over medium-low heat, melt butter and minced garlic until garlic is fragrant- approximately 3-4 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
4. Lightly flour work surface.
5. Place pizza crust/dough on top and roll out dough into a large rectangle.

6. Sprinkle the olive oil on top. Using a brush, brush the olive oil on top, ensuring to cover the entire dough.

7. Cut the dough into strips about 1" wide.

8. Fold the dough strip in half (length-wise), and tie each dough strip into a knot, stretching gently if necessary.

9. Place each knot onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

10. Bake until golden brown and risen, approximately 10 minutes.

11. Brush the warm garlic-butter mixture on each knot, and sprinkle the shredded cheese and parsley. (The golden knot absorbed the garlic-butter mixture quickly- I brushed each knot twice.)

12. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.


Source: ME!