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As a native New Yorker, I take pizza seriously.
About a year ago, I decided to take matters into my own hands and begin making my own pizza to bring a little New York City flavor to western Massachusetts.
It wasn’t long before other pizzeria treats were making their way into our kitchen.
It started with calzones, then shortly I was craving one of my favorite pizzeria snacks: garlic knots.
It’s a lot of fun to make your own pizza dough and it’s really easy. This recipe and this one are both tried and true favorites in my kitchen.
Remember! Pizza dough is a yeast bread. That means there will be proofing and rising time before you are able to cook with it.
You really can’t get home from work and whip up a batch of dough – you’ll need to make it either the morning of or the day before depending on your recipe.
I have had good luck freezing the dough after it’s been proofed. Sometimes I will make a double or a triple batch (I make each batch separately – the ratios don’t always work out quite the same way when you increase a baking recipe) and freeze portions of dough for later use.
All I have to do is move the dough to the fridge the morning before I am ready to use it and then let it sit on the counter for about one hour after I get home from work. Then I’m ready to whip up a fresh pizza or a delicious batch of pepperoni garlic knots!
All I have to do is move the dough to the fridge the morning before I am ready to use it and then let it sit on the counter for about one hour after I get home from work. Then I’m ready to whip up a fresh pizza or a delicious batch of pepperoni garlic knots!
When you’re truly in a pinch, don’t feel guilty about buying ready-made dough. Like I said, yeast doughs are a time-consuming process, so it’s great to be able to head to your grocery store or your local pizzeria to get prepared dough. It’s a huge time saver as well because making dough is the most time-consuming part of making fresh pizza or garlic knots. For this recipe, I picked up one serving of ready-made dough from the deli counter of my local supermarket. It worked perfectly and I didn’t have to wait for it to rise; I was able to jump right into my recipe.
These pepperoni garlic knots are awesome served next to a saucy pasta dish or a thick, hearty stew. I admit that I also like to eat them for breakfast (I just make sure I have some breath mints so my co-workers don’t hate me). I also like to eat them for lunch. They’re all around delicious and go well with any meal of the day.
They’re crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and every bite is filled with spicy pepperoni, zesty garlic, and cheesy goodness. I’ve used traditional Italian seasonings, but these knots are very versatile and you can use pretty much any flavor combination you can think of.
Don’t be afraid to try them with cinnamon and sugar. I once, briefly, worked in a pizzeria and we would shake up the raw knots in a big brown paper bag full of cinnamon and sugar before baking them. Delicious!
I baked my knots in a baking dish so they would expand and bake together, creating a pull-apart experience.
You can certainly bake them on a baking sheet with about two inches in between them to allow room for growth. Either way is fine – it’s really a personal preference.
Mind the baking time if you allow them more space as the heat will be circulating around each individual knot. I would take a peek at them about fifteen minutes into cooking time to make sure they’re not burning.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (or 1 serving) of ready to use pizza dough (either homemade or storebought) at room temperature cut in half
- 3.5 oz pepperoni, cut into 1/4” cubes or dice it up if it’s pre-sliced
- 4-5 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, finely grated, plus an additional 2-3 Tbs for sprinkling on top
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 Tbs olive oil, plus more for baking dish and for drizzling over the top
- 1 Tbs dried oregano
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional), substitute crushed red pepper flakes if you don’t have cayenne
- pinch salt
Step #1: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step #2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one half of your dough.
Step #3: Cut into 1/2” strips. You should get between ten and twelve strips from each half of dough. Don’t get too hung up on how many you end up with, though.
Step #4: Tie each strip into a knot. You can stretch them out a bit if they’re too short or double them up if they’re too long. The best part about this recipe is that you don’t have to be too fussy with it and pizza dough is pretty tough!
Step #5: Place all of your other ingredients in a big, deep bowl.
Step #6: Add the knots and toss by hand until they are well coated. You don’t have to make everything stick to the knots – whatever doesn’t stick can be sprinkled over the top of them before baking.
Step #7: Brush your baking dish or baking sheet with about one tablespoon of olive oil. Pack your knots into the dish or spread them about two inches apart on your baking sheet.
Step #8: Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes – until knots are golden brown.
Step #9: Sprinkle with some more pecorino, allow to cool slightly, and enjoy!
Variations:
- Swap out all ingredients for cinnamon, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter for a delicious dessert that’s perfect for holidays and potlucks.
- Use parmesan instead of pecorino if you prefer a more mild cheese. Pecorino romano is much sharper than parmesan.
- Try other cured meats instead of pepperoni. This recipe would be just as delicious with sopressata or salami or a combination of a few different kinds! You can even leave out the meat all together for a vegetarian version of the recipe.
- If you’re making your own dough, and you’d like a whole wheat crust, sub out about 1/3 of the white flour for whole wheat flour. If you use too much whole wheat flour, your dough will end up really heavy and won’t rise properly.
Enjoy!