Sourdough Garlic Knots
Sourdough garlic knots make the perfect side dish for any meal. Soft, fluffy, and brushed with rich garlic butter, they’re a delicious way to use your sourdough starter. Simply mix the dough in the morning, and by dinnertime, you’ll have warm, golden knots fresh from the oven!
Is there anything better than warm, fresh-from-the-oven sourdough garlic knots? Like our soft sourdough dinner rolls and sourdough breadsticks, these knots are easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser!
These soft, golden rolls pair perfectly with any meal, but they’re incredibly delicious alongside a steaming bowl of loaded potato soup.
Baked to a beautiful golden brown and coated with rich, garlicky butter, these knots are bursting with flavor. The best part? Extra garlic butter for dipping—because there’s no such thing as too much garlic butter!
Sample Baking Schedule
For the following example, my kitchen was 70°F (21°C). Warmer kitchens need less time, and cooler kitchens need more time.
- 8 PM: Feed your sourdough starter before bed.
- 8 AM: Mix the dough, knead, cover, and let it rise at room temperature.
- 2 PM: Divide the dough, shape, and let the rolls rise.
- 4 PM: Bake.
Ingredients Needed
- sourdough starter
- all-purpose flour or bread flour
- butter
- honey or sugar
- sea salt
- fresh garlic
- olive oil (for brushing)
- optional: fresh parsley and parmesan cheese for topping
How to make Sourdough Garlic Knots
The night before you plan to mix the dough, feed your sourdough starter so that it is active and bubbly when you are ready to get started.
Step 1
Stand Mixer Instructions: Place all the dough ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on medium-low speed for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Hand Knead Instructions: Add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and bring them together with your hands until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes. It will become smooth in texture when it's ready for the next step.
Step 2
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until it increases in size by about 50-70%.
Step 3
Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and rest for 10 minutes. Using a metal bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 equal portions, each weighing approximately 80g.
Step 4
Roll each portion into a log shape with your hands.
Step 4 continued
Gently stretch it, and tie it into a knot, tucking the ends underneath.
Carmyn's notes
Shaping sourdough garlic knots might take a little practice, but don’t worry—imperfect knots are just as delicious!
And everything tastes delicious drenched in garlic butter, right?
Step 5
Arrange the knots on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Cover the baking sheet with a clean tea towel and let the dough rise until the knots are puffy and have increased in size by about 30%.
Step 6
Once the knots have risen, brush each knot with olive oil.
Preheat your oven to 400°F and bake the knots for 20 minutes.
Step 7
While the knots are baking, melt the butter with the minced garlic cloves and salt to taste in a small saucepan.
Step 8
Once the knots are done, remove them from the oven and brush them with warm garlic butter. Top with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.
Add the rest of the garlic butter to a small bowl for dipping.
How to Store
If you have any leftover knots, store them at room temperature in a bread bag or plastic bag for up to 2 days after they’ve cooled completely.
To maintain the best taste and texture, freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to a month for longer storage.
When you're ready to enjoy them, thaw the garlic knots in the fridge or at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 350°F until warmed through.
More Sourdough Rolls and Buns
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Sourdough Garlic Knots
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of Active Sourdough Starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) water
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons (42 g) honey (or sugar )
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270 g) water
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) fine salt
- 4 cups + 2 tablespoons (500 g) all-purpose flour
- olive oil (for brushing)
Garlic Butter (Extra for Dipping)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 fresh garlic cloves (minced)
- salt (to taste)
- fresh parsley (finely chopped, for garnishing)
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed your Sourdough Starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the Dough
- Mix the dough: Add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and bring them together with your hands. Turn it out onto a clean work surface and knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes. It will become smooth in texture when it is ready. (If the dough is sticky, lightly dust your hands with flour as you are kneading but don't add too much. It will become less sticky as you knead it.)Stand mixer instructions: Combine the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on medium speed for 8-10 minutes. The dough will become smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl when it is ready for the next step.
- Bulk Fermentation: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise 50-70% at room temperature.
- Shape: Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and let it rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions using a metal bench scraper; each should weigh approximately 80g. Use your hands to roll each portion out into a log, gently stretch it, and tie it into a knot shape, tucking the ends underneath.Second Rise: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the knots on the sheet, leaving space for them to rise. Brush each knot with olive oil. Cover the sheet with a clean tea towel and allow the dough to rise until puffy by 30%.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 400°F and bake the knots for 20 minutes.
- Garlic Butter: Heat the butter, minced garlic cloves, and salt to taste in a small saucepan while the knots are in the oven. Remove the knots from the oven and brush each one with warm garlic butter.
Yum! I made these and absolutely loved them. LSF recipes are the best! These garlic knots were a big hit with the whole family. I put the extras in the freezer and pull them out when needed. I pop them into my Ninja flip (air fryer/toaster oven device) at about 350° for 20 mins straight from frozen and they come out perfectly. I also sprinkled shredded Parmesan and Italian herbs on mine before baking initially. When reheating from frozen, I put a lil extra butter on top and maybe with a sprinkle of salt, too, since I use unsalted butter in my kitchen. I’m already planning to make these again to have more ready in the freezer!
Hi, I love your sour dough recipes. I did have a quick question. At what point can we freeze the dough or bread for later use? And then what do you recommend for baking or heating up afterwards. Thank you
Hi Nicole, for this recipe I would bake the knots and then freeze them for the best results. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you are ready to serve them, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature and then reheat in the oven wrapped in foil at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
I made a double batch of threes garlic knots for Christmas dinner and they were gone so fast! Little spoon farms recipes are by far my favorite, and this recipe happened to be posted the day I was looking to make the knots! Will be making these again and again!
Can this be fermented in the fridge? And if so, for how long? I usually like to break up my bakes into multiple days so I’m not pressed to have it all done by dinner time. This would be perfect if I could make the dough and throw in fridge to ferment on day 1 and come back to it day 2 or 3 to form the knots and bake.
Yes, you can put it in the fridge after the first rise to slow the fermentation time.
Such a wonderful and delicious recipe! My entire family loved them, and I will absolutely make them for guests at my next opportunity!
I didn’t rate this because it may have been my fault. I tried twice to make this and the starter part was my problem. I don’t fully understand the way the recipe is written. If you have an active sourdough starter, why do you need to make a second starter? Can’t the ingredients for it be part of the recipe? I’m relatively new to sourdough recipes so that’s why thought it may be me doing something wrong. The first time I made the starter I used regular measurements and the starter sat like a lump and didn’t rise. The second time I used grams and the starter was watery but did have bubbles so I used it but the dough never rose. What am I doing wrong? My own original starter was fresh and very active.
Hi Peggy, if you have an active starter you can use it in the recipe. The instructions include feeding your starter for those that need to feed the starter for the recipe. If your original starter is very active, just keep doing what you are doing to feed it and use it in the recipe!
I love baking with sourdough. My problem is trying to make items ahead of time and still have it taste good. Any tips?
Hi Terry! Most of our recipes freeze very well after they are baked. I like to batch bake and freeze so that I can just thaw out what I need for a quick side!
I made the garlic knots. My family loved them,the grandsons friends wanted them more than they wanted cookies. I haven't had such a bit hit,with bread since I made bagels for the first time. Great recipe.
Delicious and easy!! Still a newbie at baking bread products and the directions and sample schedule were spot on. Thanks!
These turned out amazing! My guests , husband and children loved them they were a big hit!
Thank you Paige!