Garlic & Cheese Protein Packed Knots

🧄🫶🧄Garlic knots

💙Meet my grandson’s favorite snack—🧄Garlic Knots…but with a protein packed twist! 

I added cottage cheese to my Nana’s pizza dough recipe, and guess what—my picky little taste tester couldn’t stop eating them! They’re soft and tender, brushed with infused olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese— you’ve got the ultimate Friday pizza night snack.  Toddler approved🫶

Freeze them for easy snacks anytime!

Try them with ricotta instead of cottage cheese—both are amazing!

👉 Recipe Below!

Save this recipe for your next pizza night..and just a warning you may need to double batch and thank me later❣️

En-JOY❣️🧄🫶🧄

Garlic & Cheese Protein Packed Knots

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Cornmeal

Drizzle 2 rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with corn meal;set aside.

1 envelope (.75 ounces dry yeast) about 2 1/2 teaspoons

1 cup warm water*

Combine in glass measuring cup or medium bowl. (After a few minutes the  mixture should become foamy. This is proof that the yeast is active and alive for proper rising.)

3 1/2 cups cups unbleached all-purpose, divided

Add 2 cups flour onto lightly floured wooden board. Make a well in center to form a circle using a custard cup (a whole egg in the shell works great too!)

Add 1 cup flour into the center.

3 tablesoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 container (16 ounces) 2% cottage cheese

Add olive oil and salt to the center. Slowly add the yeast mixture to the center stirring with a fork. Continue mixing with the fork from the outside circle to the center until the mixture starts to come together. (NOTE: At this point I start to use me scraper to bring it all together. It will still be loose and slightly wet.) Add the cottage cheese and blend together with a fork and your scraper. Dough will still be loose so don’t worry.

Start to knead, adding the remaining flour, just a little at a time. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour and continue to knead for a few minutes until the dough comes together and forms a ball. This dough will be a little more dense than regular pizza dough.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Brush on bowl, Add dough and turn to coat. Cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours or until double in size.  

Turn dough onto floured surface. Using scraper, cut 8 sections of dough. Cut each section into 3 pieces. Dip each piece into flour and shape into 6 to 7-inch long ropes. Twist each rope into a knot shape. Place onto prepared rimmed baking sheet.

Let dough  rise to hours or until double in size.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves,chopped

Meanwhile, add to microwave proof glass measuring cup. Heat 1 minute in microwave 1 minute; set aside

Heat oven to 425 ºF.

Bake prepared knost  5 minutes.

¼ cup grated Pecorino cheese or Parmesan

Brush knots with olive oil/garlic mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 24 garlic knots.

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TIPS:

* Water temperature should be between 105-115 ºF.

   Be careful that the water isn’t too hot or it will kiil your yeast and destroy their rising     power!

 These knots freeze great! Just warm up in the oven and you won’t just eat one!