My friend Donna, founder of the Cookistry blog, lost her husband suddenly last week. When someone passes, my first thought is to make food. I can’t do anything about the loss, but I can at least ensure folks don’t have to worry about cooking. Unfortunately, Donna lives more than 1,700 miles away. Since I couldn’t really deliver a homemade meal, I decided to do the next best thing. I made the Garlic Knots from her cookbook, Make Ahead Bread (affiliate link), and shared it with my best friend. Somehow I think Donna would like that.
The CompostMaster went to Connecticut for a school reunion. Cool aside – he met Paul Shaffer, of David Letterman fame. Paul’s kids go to the same school the CompostMaster attended. Here’s how the conversation between them went:
CM: You look familiar.
PS: I’ve been on TV quite a bit.
While the CompostMaster was hob-nobbing with the rich and famous, I spent time with my BFF. We browsed a bookstore, indulged in ridiculously expensive coffee drinks, and then settled back at her house for food and football. I took an old chicken lasagna recipe and prepared it with spaghetti squash instead of noodles. Since I cut out most of the carbs from our main dish, I didn’t feel too guilty about eating a couple of Garlic Knots.
Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- 1 cup water at room temperature
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cups bread flour plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Wildtree Hearty Spaghetti Sauce Blend or Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon Wildtree Garlic Galore Seasoning Blend or garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Basil Salt or kosher salt
Instructions
On Prep Day:
- Combine all ingredients and knead by hand (mix first in large bowl, then turn out and knead) or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until the dough is elastic.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a lint-free towel and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour in a warm room.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 12 equal portions, then roll each piece into a rope about 10 inches long. Tie each rope into a single loose knot. Place knots on the baking sheet, leaving room between them to rise.
- Spray plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the baking sheet (sprayed side down). Place in refrigerator.
On Baking Day:
- Remove pan from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350℉.
- Remove the plastic and bake the rolls until they are nicely browned and the internal temperature is 195℉, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
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