Soft Garlic Knots

Oh my gosh, these garlic knots are absolutely delicious, and pretty easy to make!  Prepare yourself for extreme garlic action - the bread is soft, very garlicky and beautiful too.

If you don't want garlic, you could always put cinnamon and sugar on them and they'd be just as nice!

Recipe adapted from: King Arthur Flour
Ingredients - bread
270g plain flour
230g bread flour
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp dry instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
225g water

Ingredients - garlic glaze
45g butter
4 cloves garlic

Method
1. Mix the dry ingredients (everything except the olive oil and water) in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.

2. Microwave the water until it's lukewarm.

3. Add the olive oil and lukewarm water to the dry ingredients, mix with the dough hook until smooth and combined.  If the dough is too dry, add a touch more water - if it's too wet, add a bit more flour.  Knead the dough in the mixer (or by hand) for a few minutes, until nice and elastic.

4. Lightly grease the bowl with olive oil then place the dough in to rise for about an hour, covered with cling wrap.  The dough should about double in size.

5. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle.

6. Cut the rectangle into about 16 strips (along the long side, so you have 16 short strips).

7. Roll each strip into a round rope and then fold it into a knot.  See this link for some helpful pictures!  It's actually pretty simple to achieve.

8. Place the knots on baking trays lined with baking paper or silicone mats with a fair amount of space in between.

9. Cover the knots with cling wrap or a tea towel and let them rise for another hour.  While they're rising, preheat the oven to 175C (350F).

10. Bake the knots for 15-18 minutes.  They should be golden brown but still soft!  While they're baking, make your garlic glaze.

11. Melt the butter for the glaze, then chop the garlic finely and mix it into the butter.

12. When the knots come out of the oven, brush them generously with the garlic glaze.  The reason you don't bake them with the garlic on is because the garlic would burn!

14. These knots are best eaten warm, so enjoy them ASAP!  You can also reheat them in the microwave to soften them if you have any left the next day.

Enjoy!