Giant Garlic Knot

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In this fun mash-up, billowy garlic knots from your favorite slice shop meet braided babka, a Jewish delicacy. The dough, enriched with eggs, butter, and sugar, is gloriously fluffy, wrapped around the rich filling. Made with both fresh garlic and garlic powder, plus Parmesan, butter, and fresh parsley, the filling goes all in on the savory funk. Once out of the oven, the XL knot is brushed with a garlic-infused olive oil, plus more cheese for good measure to really bring home the garlic knot vibes. Another must? A sidecar of marinara.

The dough is kneaded entirely by hand, but a stand mixer will make quick work of a batch. It will start out very sticky at the beginning; add flour judiciously to help things along.

Discover more fun eats for a crowd here: Sheet-Pan Pepperoni Pasta; Colossal Crème Brûlée; and A Giant Panna Cotta.

Recipe information

Ingredients

Dough

¼-oz. envelope instant dry yeast (2¼ tsp.)

tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

Filling and Assembly

head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, divided

tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about 3 cups), plus more for serving

cup (packed) parsley leaves with tender stems, plus 2 Tbsp.
finely chopped

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
All-purpose flour (for dusting)

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Marinara sauce (for serving)

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

Dough

Step 1

Whisk together one ¼-oz. envelope instant dry yeast (2¼ tsp.), ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Whisk 2 large eggs with 1 cup warm water in a small bowl to combine, then pour into dry ingredients. Add 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature; mix with a sturdy rubber spatula or your hands until a shaggy dough forms, 6–8 minutes. Cover with a lid or plate; let sit 10 minutes (this will make it easier to knead).

Step 2

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until smooth and elastic, 8–12 minutes. Return dough to bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour, then chill.
Filling and Assembly

Step 3

Set aside 2 garlic cloves from 1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled; place remaining cloves (about 10) in a food processor. Add 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, 6 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about 3 cups), 1 cup (packed) parsley leaves with tender stems, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and process just until butter is smooth and parsley is finely chopped. (Or finely chop garlic and parsley with a chef’s knife, then mix with remaining ingredients in a small bowl.)

Step 4

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin and dusting dough and surface as needed to prevent sticking, roll out dough to about a 20×14″ rectangle with a short side facing you.

Step 5

Using an offset spatula, spread garlic butter evenly over dough. Cut in half
lengthwise and roll each rectangle into a log, starting from a long side (like making
cinnamon rolls; you should have two 20″-long logs). Using a serrated knife and long
sawing motions, slice logs in half lengthwise, exposing insides. (If dough and butter
feel very soft, chill logs 15 minutes before slicing.)

Step 6

Line up 2 of the strands of dough on a large piece of parchment paper so they are parallel to you with filling facing up, spacing slightly apart. Place remaining 2 strands over perpendicularly with filling facing up, spacing slightly apart. Weave strands to alternate under and over one another. Pick up a strand going under and lift over the strand next to it. Repeat with remaining under strand, working your way around counterclockwise until you reach where you started. Now work back around in the opposite direction (clockwise), placing under strands over again until you get back to where you started. Tuck ends underneath; pinch to adhere.

Step 7

Slide babka with parchment paper onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Cover
loosely with plastic wrap and let sit until puffy (it may not quite double in size),
about 1 hour, depending on ambient temperature. (To check if babka is ready for baking,
remove plastic wrap and gently poke dough with a wet finger. If it springs back
gradually with a shallow indent, it is ready.)

Step 8

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk 1 large egg, beaten to blend, and a large pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, gently brush babka with egg wash. Bake babka until golden brown, 35–40 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 190°.)

Step 9

Just before babka is finished baking, finely grate reserved 2 garlic cloves into a small saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, just until oil is warm, about 2 minutes. Let cool; stir in 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley.

Step 10

Carefully slide babka onto a wire rack; brush with garlic oil. Top generously with more Parmesan. Serve with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.