Seven ingredients and about half an hour, starting from a tub of pizza dough.
There is no proving and no kneading here. The dough is divided, rolled, tied and baked, and everything that makes it garlic bread happens in the two minutes after it leaves the oven.
How to Make It
Oven at 425°F and a baking sheet lined
Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet.
Dough divided into twelve, rolled and tied loosely
Divide the pizza dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a short rope and tie into a loose knot.
Baked 13 to 16 minutes until puffed and golden-brown
Arrange on the pan and bake 13 to 16 minutes, until puffed and golden-brown.
Garlic butter mixed and brushed over the hot knots
Mix the melted butter with the garlic and salt. Brush the hot knots generously.
Parmesan and parsley on, no dipping sauce
Toss or sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley and serve without a dipping sauce.
Shaped, Baked, Then Finished in Two Minutes
Everything that makes these garlic knots happens after they are baked. The dough stage is deliberately short, because the dough is bought: USE PREPARED REFRIGERATED PIZZA DOUGH.
Divide
1 lb REFRIGERATED PIZZA DOUGH DIVIDED INTO 12 PIECES, with 2 tbsp FLOUR FOR HANDLING. Twelve is the number the yield depends on, so the pieces are weighed by eye against each other rather than pulled at random.
Tie
Each piece ROLLED INTO A SHORT ROPE AND TIED INTO A LOOSE KNOT. Loose matters: the open turns are where the butter pools later and what gives the knots their shape.
Bake13 to 16 minutes at 425°F
ARRANGED ON THE LINED PAN and BAKED 13 TO 16 MINUTES UNTIL PUFFED AND GOLDEN-BROWN at 425°F.
BrushStraight out of the oven
3 tbsp MELTED UNSALTED BUTTER mixed with 3 FINELY GRATED GARLIC CLOVES and 1/4 tsp SALT, BRUSHED GENEROUSLY OVER THE HOT KNOTS. Hot dough absorbs; cool dough just gets greasy.
Finish
TOSSED OR SPRINKLED WITH 1/3 cup FINELY GRATED PARMESAN and 2 tbsp CHOPPED PARSLEY, and SERVED WITHOUT A DIPPING SAUCE, as the step says.
Why This Recipe Works
- Refrigerated pizza dough is already proved, so twelve knots can be shaped and baked at once.
- A loose knot leaves gaps that puff open and catch the butter later.
- A hot oven at 425F browns the outside before the middle dries out.
- Brushing while hot lets the dough absorb the garlic butter rather than wear it.
- Parmesan added after the butter sticks to it instead of sliding off.
Ingredient Notes
- Refrigerated pizza dough
- One pound. Prepared dough is what this recipe uses, so no proving is needed.
- Melted butter with grated garlic
- Three tablespoons with three finely grated cloves and a pinch of salt, brushed on hot.
- Finely grated Parmesan
- A third of a cup, added after the butter so it clings.
- Flour for handling
- Two tablespoons, just enough to keep the ropes from sticking as you tie them.
Success Tips
- Tie the knots loosely; a tight knot bakes into a dense ball.
- Grate the garlic rather than chopping it, so it spreads through the butter evenly.
- Brush the knots the moment they come out, while they can still drink the butter.
Serving Ideas
Twelve glossy golden knots piled in a bowl, brushed with garlic butter and covered in grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, served without a dip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to make the dough?
No. This recipe uses prepared refrigerated pizza dough, which is already proved.
Should I serve marinara alongside?
Not in this version. The knots go to the table with no dipping sauce.
How tight should the knots be?
Loose. The gaps are what puff open in the oven and hold the garlic butter.
