Homemade Pizza Knots

Photo: Penelope Guzman

We love pizza knots, especially my two sons. We found ourselves popping over to pizzerias all the time to pick some up. Over time it became a rather pricey habit, and it occurred to me that I could learn to make them at home. I would save money, be able to make them any time (even for a 2 a.m. craving), and I would know I'm using healthy ingredients. Surprisingly, making pizza knots at home is super easy!

I tend to cook from scratch, but when it comes to baking, I sometimes cheat. I no longer make pie crusts from scratch. (I only did it twice before deciding store bought organic crusts were just fine.) I no longer always make pizza dough from scratch, either. Any health-conscious market will have organic pizza dough available, and you can pick some up for this recipe, because the whole point of this is to not just save money, but time.

Photo: Penelope Guzman

I buy about a pound of pre-made pizza dough, and cut it up into eight equal pieces. While I get them ready to bake, the oven is preheating.

​I roll these out by hand to about 12 inches long. Then tie them up by forming a single knot in the center, then folding the two ends over.

Photo: Penelope Guzman

Place the knots onto a baking dish, about 2 to 3 inches apart from each other, and brush each with melted butter. I liberally sprinkle parsley flakes on top (more or less to your own taste) followed by grated Parmesan cheese (again, to your own taste).

Photo: Penelope Guzman

I bake the knots in the oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown (different ovens vary so keep an eye on your pizza knots the first couple times you make them to find the right amount of time for you). Then I take them out, let them cool a bit, and serve with some yummy marinara sauce.

Homemade Pizza Knots

• 1 pound pre-made pizza dough
• 1/2 stick salted butter, melted
• Parsley flakes
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut pizza dough into eight equal parts and roll each section into a 12 inch long roll. Tie each roll in the middle and tuck the ends over to make a knot.

Place knots onto baking dish 3 inches apart and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle parsley flakes and Parmesan cheese on top to taste. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven, let cool, then serve and enjoy!

And do you notice the smell? It's one of the best parts of baking at home—the smell of baking bread…yum!

Tip!

Garlic will add a little zing to this delicious snack. Mince three to four cloves of garlic, combine with butter. Heat in the microwave to melt butter and infuse the garlic flavor into the butter. Then brush knots with the mixture as detailed above.

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