Most Sundays, I like to enjoy a nice, long walk. Not this past Sunday.
I was lazy.
Bump on a log.
Sloth-slug hybrid species.
The husband dragged me out for the walk. It was horrible. I got all hot, sweaty, mostly because I wore a enourmous sweater/blanket, which was completely the wrong choice, and then he tried to take me down a new path.
Back story, I do not like venturing into unknown trails. They are usually dark, ungroomed and lead to places bears live. I do not want to end up bear food.
After numerous minutes of
Warm ,bready, salty, garlicky, and perfect. They were very easy to make, as long as you don't allow yourself to fret too much about the "knottiness" of them. Very easily made with pizza dough, pre-made or the recipe that I've attached. The only change I would make for next time is I would cook the garlic a little bit beforehand. Raw garlic can be a little much to take, unless you're scaring off bears.
Whole Wheat Garlic Knots
[ slightly adapted from Joy the Baker ]
1 package dry active yeast, about 2 1/2 teaspoons
1 cup warm water, just slightly warmer than body temperature
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 - 6 cloves garlic, finely minced *
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a bowl, mix together yeast, water and sugar. Let rest for 5 minutes or until yeast looks frothy.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flours and the salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Stir with a fork until all the floury bits are moistened and a dough starts coming together. Dump dough and remaining floury bits on to a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until dough forms a smooth, slightly sticky ball. Spray a large bowl, I used the same bowl in which I mixed in, lightly with cooking spray, add the dough a cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm, draft free area for about an hour or until doubled in size.
After this rise, you can refrigerate the dough until you are ready to use, just make sure to bring the dough to room temperature before you roll out.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10x10-ish square. Cut dough into 10 equal sized strips. Tie a knot in the centre of each strip and knot the ends over each other until it is all tucked into itself. They mostly likely will look a little weird. Cover knots with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake knots for 15 - 18 minutes or until they have turned golden brown.
While knots are baking, in a shallow bowl, stir together the garlic, melted butter, olive oil, basil and salt. Once baked knots come out of the oven, immediately roll each knot in the garlic mixture until completely coated. Continue until each knot has been coated. Serve immediately or can be wrapped tightly and stored for up to 3 days. To reheat, wrap a knot tightly in tinfoil and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.
* I used 5 cloves of garlic
