Sourdough Garlic Knots

These Sourdough Garlic Knots are soft, buttery and fluffy. Serve warm with marinara sauce for a perfect side dish for any occasion.

The garlic knots are naturally leavened with a sourdough starter and can be made in just one day. They are fluffy, buttery, garlicky, and so hard to have just one! The bread is super soft and is covered in a irresistible butter mixture filled with garlic and parmesan cheese. This recipe makes the perfect side for pizza night, an appetizer for game night or any holiday party or dinner. If you’re looking for more party appetizer ideas, check out this Sourdough Pretzel Bites recipe.

Reasons you will love this recipe

• These garlic knots are so easy to make but are sure to impress! 
• They are filled with garlic flavor, butter, and parmesan cheese. They are delicious on their own, or you can serve them with warm marinara sauce to dip them in. 
• This sourdough recipe can be made in just one day. 
• The garlic knots make the perfect appetizer for a party, holiday dinner, or for game night!

How to make a sourdough starter

If you do not have a sourdough starter, you can make one in as little as two weeks with just water and flour! Follow my Easy Sourdough Starter recipe or join my online Sourdough Class to learn everything you need to know to make your first sourdough loaf.

You’ll be making sourdough recipes like these Garlic Knots, Artisan Sourdough Bread, or other baked goods like Sourdough Bagels or Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. You can also make some of my favorite sourdough discard recipes such as Sourdough Pancakes, Sourdough Discard French Bread or Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

Tips for Success

• Let the dough rise in a warm spot. If the room temperature is too cool, you can use a warming mat (use code country10 for 10% off) to keep the dough warm.
• Use your sourdough starter at peak. Using a bubbly and active starter will set you up for success and help your dough to rise. 
• If you want to make the garlic knots ahead of time, follow the instructions up until the second rise. After you shape them and place them on a baking sheet you can cover them with plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to bake, remove them from the fridge and let them rise for about two hours or until they are aerated and puffy, then bake. 

Recommended tools to make Sourdough Garlic Knots

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer – The dough will need to be kneaded for a few minutes. You can either do this by hand or with a stand mixer and the dough hook attachment. 

Kitchen scale – using a scale to measure out the ingredients helps ensure accurate measurements. 

Baking Sheet – The garlic knots are baked on a baking sheet.

Reusable Baking Mats– You can also use parchment paper, but I love using reusable mats for baking. 

Cooling Rack – After baking the garlic knots it is best to move them to a cooling rack to prevent the bottoms from overbaking. 

Ingredients for Sourdough Garlic Knots 

Dough  ingredients 

• Active sourdough starter – An active starter has been recently fed, bubbly, and has doubled in size. 
• Milk- using warm milk will help the dough rise quicker, but be sure the milk is not hot to the touch.
• Water- filtered or tap water will work just fine but I recommend using warm water to help the dough rise quicker.
• Garlic oil or olive oil – Using garlic oil will add more of a garlic flavor, but if you do not have any on hand, olive oil will work just as well. 
• Egg – Helps create a light and fluffy bread. 
• Sugar – Adding a little sugar adds a touch of sweetness and balances out the strong flavor of the garlic. 
• Garlic salt – I like to use garlic instead of regular salt to add more garlic flavor. Or you can substitute it with regular salt and garlic powder. 
• Bread flour – I prefer using bread flour over all-purpose flour when baking sourdough bread as it absorbs the liquid better. 

Garlic Butter 

• Butter – you can use salted or unsalted butter.
• Fresh garlic -the minced garlic cloves give the garlic flavor that is so delicious in these rolls.
• Salt -if you are using salted butter you may need to adjust the amount of added salted. 
• Dried parsley – The parsley adds a touch of herby flavor and a pretty pop of color. I used dried parsley, but you can substitute for fresh parsley if desired. 
• Parmesan cheese – the parmesan takes the garlic knots to the next level and is so delicious! 

Instructions on how to make Sourdough Garlic Knots 

Mix Dough

In a large bowl, mix all the dough ingredients together. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for just a minute or two until the dough comes together in a soft, pliable ball. Or if you are using a stand mixer, add all the dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for a couple minutes with the dough hook attachment. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Bulk Fermentation

Place the dough in a large bowl and cover. Let it rise 50% in a warm spot. At 78ºF, this takes about 5 hours.

Shape

Place the dough on a floured surface and roll into a 16 by 8 inch rectangle. With a pizza cutter or bench scraper, cut the dough into sixteen 1-inch strips, as seen in the step one photo.

Tie each strip into a knot, as seen in the step two and three photos. You can either leave the ends out or you can wrap one end around the roll and tuck the other end underneath.

Proof

Place the rolls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap. Keep in a warm spot to rise until puffy and aerated. At 78ºF, this will take about 2 hours.

Bake

When ready, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Melt the butter in the microwave or a small pan on the stovetop. Mix together melted butter, garlic, salt, and parsley in a small bowl with a fork. Brush the garlic butter on top of the rolls right before baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Brush the remaining garlic butter on the tops of the rolls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Sample Schedule

This schedule is a guideline and assumes the dough temperature is maintained at around 78-80ºF. The temperature of your dough, kitchen, humidity, and strength of your starter will all impact the times, so while this will give you an estimate, it is best to look at the signs the dough is ready to move on. 

How to store Sourdough Garlic Knots

To store, add the garlic knots to an airtight container. They can be stored on the counter for up to two days, or in the fridge for one week. Add them to the microwave for 30 seconds to heat them up again.