Garlic Knots Recipe with Leftover Pizza Dough

Have you ever wondered what to make with pizza dough? Make this Garlic Knots Recipe! They are great when served with homemade marinara sauce!

These pizza dough garlic knots will quickly become your go-to appetizer recipe. If you have ever wondered what to make with some leftover pizza dough that is not a pizza, this is for you!

Truth be told, I rarely have leftover pizza dough.

I usually make a batch of my mom’s recipe and divide it in half. With one section of the dough, I make this Potato Pizza. With the other, these wonderful bread knots. 

As was mentioned, simply brushing them with melted butter and raw garlic once they come out of the oven does not usually provide the best flavors.

Strong flavors such as garlic are best added at the beginning of the cooking process. As you probably know, Roasting Garlic transforms the taste from pungent to mellow. 

This unique method of rolling the dough in garlic and parsley before it is baked creates a tasty appetizer that you will make again and again.

Let me show you how easy it is to make.

Ingredients

As usual, the printable recipe card, found at the bottom of the page, has the specific amounts for each ingredient.

• Pizza Dough. Store-bought or homemade. I am partial to my family recipe (link below).
• Olive Oil. Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for best results.
• Garlic. A necessary ingredient when making pizza.
• Parsley. If possible, use Italian flat-leaf parsley.
• Salt. A little goes a long way.
• Grated Cheese. Use either Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese or Pecorino Romano Cheese.

The dough

If you have been here before, you know that I have created an entire post on How to Make Pizza Dough. Simply click on the link for a video and a step by step photo tutorial for my mom’s recipe. Both methods are included in that post. 

Please refer to it and get to the stage where we need to stretch the dough. You can also use store-bought if this is more convenient for you.

Once the dough is ready to be stretched, preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C).

Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Now it’s time to start chopping…

Instructions

Rinse and spin dry about a handful of fresh Italian parsley. Use a sharp knife to chop it. We need about 2 tablespoons to roll our knots with. The rest we will use as garnish.

Be sure to freeze the parsley stems as they add a boost of flavor when making soups and stocks.

Next, remove the outer skin of 2 cloves of garlic and chop them up coarsely. Feel free to add more (or less) garlic… it’s all a question of taste.

Combine the chopped parsley, garlic and salt (about ⅛ teaspoon) on the wooden board. Use a knife to chop and combine these ingredients together. Set aside.

Remove the pizza dough from the bowl and cut into 4 equal pieces. 

With lightly oiled fingertips, roll each quarter of pizza dough into a log. Then roll the pizza dough in about a teaspoon of the parsley-garlic-salt mixture. Optional: can also roll in grated cheese, dried oregano, red pepper flakes or other spices.

Cut each log in half and simply form a knot (place one end over, under and through).

Place each knot on parchment paper. Brush each knot with a little bit of olive oil to ensure they do not dry out while waiting to be baked. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before baking in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.

Once out of the oven, simply garnish with some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese or Pecorino Romano Cheese, dried oregano and fresh chopped parsley, flat-leaf of course! 

If you have ever wondered how to make garlic knots with pizza dough, this is it! 

Enjoy!

Tips

• Use Italian Flat-leaf Parsley, as this variety provides a wonderful pungent flavor to any dish.
• Don’t throw away the parsley stems, they contribute a wonderful flavor to soups and stocks.

How to tie garlic knots?

Form a log with the pizza dough. Then simply cross one end over to form a loop; then bring the end under and pass it through. 

What sauce goes with garlic knots?

Dip these perfect little appetizers in this simple Classic Marinara Sauce. 

Finger food appetizers we love

• Pizza Dough Rolls
• Potato Croquettes
• Baked Zucchini Sticks
• Pizza Rolls Recipe

Recipe origins

If you have been here before, you probably know that my mom was the best home-cook and baker. 

At least once a week, she would make a double batch of her recipe for the Best Homemade Pizza.

Since all members of my family (and extended family) had their favorites, she would always make something for everyone. Some were simply garnished with Homemade Pizza Sauce and mozzarella, others were all dressed and then, of course, there was the focaccia bread. 

Every once in a while, she would make little balls of pizza dough and just bake them. Simple yet delicious.

During a recent discussion with my friend Carlo, (who happens to be a professional chef) he suggested rolling the dough in herbs and spices before baking them. 

Well, I tried it and I have to say, these homemade garlic knots have become one of my go-to appetizers. Let’s just say I don’t wait to have the leftover dough to make them.

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel as we plan to share more wonderful recipes with all of you! 

Hope to see you there!

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made these garlic balls, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe