Step 1: Feed sourdough starter (morning on the day before baking)

Feed your sourdough starter following your normal procedure.  If you want to double the recipe, you’ll need to increase it so that you have 2 cups of starter.

Step 2: Prepare the final dough (evening before baking)

Combine sourdough starter, water, olive oil, and salt.  I recommend reserving the water until you add the flour.  If your starter is 100% hydrated, you may not need the water.

Add flour until it’s a ball (if using a mixer add until it forms a ball). Place dough on the counter and knead it a few times. Don’t overmix either by hand or by machine.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation on the counter

Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.  Let it ferment at room temperature for 2 hours. Do a fold after 30 minutes and another fold after 1 hour, then let the dough rest for another hour. Since the dough is sticky, it benefits from the stretch and folds before the overnight fermentation in the refrigerator.

Step 4: Overnight Fermentation in the fridge

After the 2-hour fermentation, cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 5: Warm up dough to room temperature (next day)

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temp about 1-2 hours.

Divide the dough in half (or 4 pieces if you double the recipe).

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

Step 6: Shape and proof the knots

Take one-half of the dough and cut it in half using a bench knife or a sharp knife.  Flatten one piece into a 5-inch by 5-inch square. It should be about 1/2-inch thick.

Using a sharp knife or a bench knife, cut the dough into strips 1 inch wide by 5 inches long.

Cut the five strips in half widthwise. Take one strip and work it into a rope, then tie it in a knot. Sprinkle each strip with flour before tying the knots because the dough will be sticky along the edges that were cut.

Place each knot down on the parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Leave space between the knots so they have room to rise.

Brush the rolls with olive oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let them rest in a warm place until doubled in size.  This could take anywhere from 90 minutes to a couple of hours.

Step 6: Bake the Garlic Knots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake the rolls for 10-15 minutes. The knots are not meant to be brown and crisp. If you make the rolls larger, it may take a bit longer to bake them.

Remove the rolls and place them on a cooling rack.  Brush with garlic-butter glaze – recipe follows.

Garlic butter glaze

• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt

Melt the butter and add the minced garlic.  Cook gently over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes.  Add the parsley and salt and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat.

Brush the fresh, just out of the oven, bread knots with the butter and garlic glaze.