Lately, I’ve seen a lot of food bloggers making garlic knots.  I love these soft, yeasty rolls, with their cute shape, but never thought to make my own. I put it on my to-do list, but as with all recipes that require yeast (and patience), it remained on my to-do list for a while.

Then I saw a post on pumpkin garlic knots, and suddenly I had to make these, even though I hadn’t even tried making regular garlic knots yet.

My pumpkin garlic knots ended up being a bit too big; I didn’t realize how much more they would rise. But they still came out a gorgeous golden yellow.  The rolls came out sweet, I think from the agave nectar called for in the recipe. When I tasted them plain, I decided not to completely douse them in garlic because of the sweet taste, but instead just painted them with the oil from my minced garlic, olive oil and parsley combination.  Then I added some fresh parsley since my cooked parsley had turned a dark green.

I think these rolls worked better as sweet rolls and I wanted to glaze them with some honey, but some of my family members don’t like the taste of honey. The pumpkin flavor is pretty subtle, but the rolls still are soft and delicious.

I’ve had trouble with yeast recipes, but these came out well. I used a recipe I found on Handle the Heat.  I was a little concerned with some of the quantities, as they seemed to vary from some of the other garlic knot recipes I’d read.  So I didn’t follow the recipe exactly but instead changed a few of the quantities around, as well as the garlic mixture.

Pumpkin Garlic Knots (adapted from Handle the Heat)

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups unbleached bread flour

Garlic coating
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley
additional fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions
1. For the dough: Pour the warm water (about 75-80 degrees) into a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.  It should bubble. Whisk in the agave nectar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and pumpkin puree.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then pour in your wet ingredients.

3. Using a large spoon, mix the ingredients together. Then use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together.  The dough should be elastic but it should not stick to your fingers and hand. Add additional bread flour until the dough no longer sticks.

4. Lightly oil another large bowl and put your dough ball inside it — flipping over once to coat both sides lightly with oil.  Cover with a damp towel and let rise for about 2 hours; or until nearly doubled in size.

5. Tear off sections of the dough, and roll them into a ball. My dough balls were about the size of a small peach, but my knots ended up being kind of big. Then roll out the balls  into a long, thin rope, trying to make the rope even in width. Tie the rope into a knot. Take the ends of the knot, and tuck them into the middle. One should go on top and the other will go on the bottom. Set aside and continue with the rest of the dough
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6. Cover finished knots with paper towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Bake garlic knots until golden brown on the tops, about 10-15 minutes depending on size of knots.
9. While the knots are baking, in a pan, cook together the 1/3 cup olive oil with chopped garlic and 3 tsbp of chopped parsley. When the knots are done, toss in the olive oil mixture to coat or you can brush on the olive oil mixture. Garnish with fresh parsley.
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Pumpkin Garlic Knots

These pumpkin garlic knots are subtly sweet and come out of the oven with a beautiful golden color. As with all yeast-based baking projects, it takes some time and patience to make these but serving a batch of freshly-baked rolls is a great reward for the effort.
Servings: 2 batches
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
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Ingredients

For the Knots

  • 1 cup warm water, approximately 75-80°F
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 tbsp agave nectar
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cups unbleached bread flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt

For the Garlic Oil

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish

Instructions
 

  • To make the dough, pour the water into a medium-sized bowl. Add the yeast and whisk to combine. Leave it for 10 minutes or until it starts to bubble. Add the agave nectar, pumpkin puree, and oil and whisk to combine.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon, mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Once a loose dough forms, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and knead it until the dough is elastic and no longer sticky. If needed, add additional flour (a small amount at a time) if the dough is too sticky.
  • Lightly coat the inside of a large bowl with oil and place the dough in it, flipping it once to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel for two hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
  • To form the knots, tear off enough dough to form a ball the size of small peach (for large rolls). Roll each ball into a long, thin rope that is even in width. Tie the rope into a knot and tuck the ends into the center of the knot, with one end on the bottom and the other on top of the knot. Once all of the knots are made, cover them with a paper towel for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place the knots on the sheets. Bake the knots for 10 to 15 minutes (you'll need more time for bigger knots and less time for smaller ones).
  • While the knots are baking, make the garlic oil. Place the oil, garlic, and chopped parsley in a pan. Heat the oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic releases its aroma. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside until the knots are done baking.
  • Brush the warm knots with the garlic oil, garnish with additional parsley (if using) and serve.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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