Many of my family and friends who have visited, have joined me at a local Italian restaurant in Venice Beach, which sadly, closed its doors early this year. I frequented it more often when I was in college and there was always a long wait for a table, but to make the time pass more enjoyably (no iPhones back then!), the staff would pass out hot, buttery garlic bread knots as we waited on the front boardwalk. When I heard of the closing of “C&O Trattoria,” my daughter and I shared memories of their bread rolls and decided to replicate them. You won’t be able to stop at just one (or five!) and be prepared to have the urge to shout “that’s amore!”
This makes about 25 knots; double, or triple it, if serving for a larger group
Ingredients:
1 T yeast
2 t sugar
2 cups flour, plus additional for rolling
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
Warm water
Garlic butter:
2 T olive oil
2 T melted butter, (or vegan butter)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ c chopped herbs- parsley, basil, oregano
Salt- approx. 1 t or to taste
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix yeast with ½ cup water, bubbles should form to ensure the yeast is active
Add sugar, flour, salt and olive oil and knead for a few minutes until all incorporated together
Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit in a warm area for 1 hour- ideally in a sunny spot
Punch down and knead dough for a few minutes, divide in half
Roll out half of dough, using extra flour to avoid sticking- roll to about ¼ inch thick
Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into pieces about 1 inch by 5 inch and tie each piece into a knot, stretching if needed
Lay knots on lightly greased baking sheets, with space between to allow to expand, cover with towel and let sit in warm spot for an additional 30 minutes while dough doubles again
Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter and mix with oil, garlic, herbs and salt.
Toss baked knots in a large bowl with the butter mix to coat
Serve immediately.
