Garlic & Basil Knots

I made these Garlic & Basil knots on Monday evening to go with dinner and they were scrumptious! The garlic and basil flavors are very subtle, so they would go perfectly with pasta or soup (and probably so much more!). I found this recipe as I was scrolling through Pinterest, and the original recipe is from a blog Jo Cooks, you can find it HERE.

Start by mixing 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast in a small mixing bowl - once the sugar and yeast are mixed, pour in 1 cup of warm water. Leave the bowl to sit for about ten minutes so that the yeast foams up. When it foams, it will look like the picture above.

While the yeast is foaming, mix 3 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment hooked on. [**NOTE: if you don't have an electric mixer, you could easily do these next few steps by hand.]

Mix in 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of softened butter, and the foamed yeast mixture. Let the dough mix until everything is well combined and the dough is beginning to hold together.

Remove the dough from the bowl for a minute and spray the bowl with oil. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours - it should double in size in this time.

Once the dough has risen punch it down and knead it into a floured surface a couple of times.

Cut the dough into 15 pieces - I did this by making a rectangle and cutting it with a bench knife. Now, I had no idea how I was going to explain the whole knotting business that happens, so I got the Bean to film me! Here is how I knotted the dough:

Oh goodness! Did that work!? Please let me know if you have any trouble seeing that video or if you need further instruction! :)

Once all 15 pieces are knotted up, set them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. These rise a lot, so I recommend leaving quite a bit of space between each roll (maybe about 2-3 inches).

Then, combine 2 tablespoons of melted butter with 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped basil.

Brush the garlic/basil butter over the tops of the roll and let the rolls sit for 10 minutes.

Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, let them cool a bit and enjoy!!

GARLIC & BASIL KNOTS 
yield: 15 rolls
ingredients
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, softened

for the garlic & basil butter...
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

directions
1. Combine granulated sugar, active-dry yeast and warm water in a small bowl. Let the bowl sit for about 10 minutes so that the yeast foams.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle mixer attached, mix the flour and salt together. Once the flour and salt are combined, mix in egg, butter and the foamed mixture. Mix until everything is well combined.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, oil the bowl and place the dough back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
4. After the dough has risen, knead it into a floured surface a couple of times then cut it into 15 pieces. Knot the 15 pieces - I recommend watching the video I included in my step by step process above to see how I knot the rolls.
5. Place the knotted rolls 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Melt the butter and mix in the minced garlic and chopped basil. Then, brush the garlic & basil butter on the tops of the knots. Let the knots sit for about 10 minutes.
7. Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Enjoy!