No-Yeast Garlic Thyme Knots

20 mins Prep Time

14 mins Cook Time

Written By

Maddy Goldberg

Garlic knots are far from a recent discovery -- they have been around since the 70s to prevent waste at pizzerias throughout New York. The brilliant idea to use leftover pizza dough as an alternative to garlic bread was lucrative and delicious. Typically, a garlic knot has yeast, which is likely why people tend to make garlic bread from a baguette over creating their version of garlic knots at home. Yeast can be intimidating, but more importantly, time-consuming… and sometimes when you want a garlic knot, you want it ASAP. This recipe is here for those times because to make these simple garlic thyme knots, you will not need yeast, eggs or an abundance of time. These knots are soft, flaky and filled with garlic flavour. The dough is adapted from a scone dough, so do not feel bad if the knots are so good you end up having one for breakfast.

If you give this recipe a shot, make sure to post up your creation on Instagram and tag @tastetoronto and @maddygoldberg!

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup cheddar, grated (optional)
3/4 cup milk
1 clove garlic

Garlic Butter

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, picked
4 cloves garlic, smashed

Directions

No-Yeast Garlic Thyme Knots

7 Steps

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Step 2

In a blender or hand blender, puree the milk and 1 clove of garlic until smooth. Set aside.
Step 3

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cheddar in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons butter and use your hands or a fork to crumble the butter into the dry ingredients. Add milk and stir until it comes together, it should feel a bit dry.
Step 4

Transfer dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute or until dough feels smooth and is no longer dry. Roll dough into a log and allow to rest under a kitchen towel while you prepare the garlic butter.
Step 5

In a small saucepan, add butter, smashed garlic and thyme leaves. Allow butter to melt and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 3 minutes to allow flavours to infuse. Remove garlic and set aside with a brush.
Step 6

To form knots, cut the dough log into 10 even portions. Roll each portion into a thin long log, about 3/4 inch thick and 5-6 inches long. Hold both ends of the log and tie a knot as close to the center of the log as possible. Once there is a knot in the center, bring together the two loose ends of the log and press dough together to form a sealed circle. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and generously brush with garlic thyme butter. Repeat with the remaining dough portions.
Step 7

Bake for 14 minutes or until knots are golden brown. Remove and brush with more garlic thyme butter. Optional: sprinkle with coarse salt.