Garlic Knots

In my first attempt to make the most heavenly of pizzeria appetizers, I used a hybrid of internet recipes. The ones from Food Network and Bakers' Banter were the most helpful. Follow along at home!

• Pizza Dough
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• Parmesan cheese
• Italian seasoning

Prepare your favorite pizza dough. Remove risen dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into a large rectangle, about 16 by 8 inches.

Cut the dough into 16 strips about 1 inch wide. Gently roll the strips back and forth a few times to round off the edges and lengthen them a bit.

Tie each strip into a loose knot. Take the end of the knot that’s lying on top and tuck it underneath and into the center. Then take the end that’s lying underneath, and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Hopefully that makes sense. Kristen and I had to study this step-by-step image from the Baker's Banter recipe for a few minutes before we figured it out.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets about 2-inches apart. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle the tops of the knots with salt. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the knots until golden brown and risen, about 20 minutes. In the meantime, combine butter and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cover, remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm.

When the knots are done baking, brush them with the warm garlic butter, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and italian seasoning. Add salt to taste if necessary. Serve immediately.