Garlic Scape Pesto Knots

I fell in love with the smell of warm, puffy garlic knots,
smothered in garlic scape pesto.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to make bread. It feels so good to have counter space and healthy hands to knead and work the dough. There’s nothing quite like the smell of yeasty baked bread, wafting out of the oven and filling my entire apartment. The smell of garlic lulls me into a happy daze, as I eagerly wait in front of my oven, watching my little dough babies rise and turn golden before my eyes.

As my little dough babies bake up, I start making the garlic scape pesto. I had heard of garlic scapes before and I knew they were delicious, but I had no idea how lovely they’d be, smothered over garlic knots. The mild, garlicky flavour wrapped up in an olive oil embrace is perfect for topping my golden dough babies. A handful of nuts, a dash of nutritional yeast and a healthy pinch of salt brings the olive oil and garlic scapes into a bright and complex pesto. Add it to pastas, add it to salads. But I wouldn’t dream of a better vessel then atop freshly baked bread.

When my timer dings, I dig up my well-loved and well-used mismatched oven mitts. Pulling out the tray, I inhale the garlic-scented knots as I walk them to my cooling rack by the window. I slather on the pesto, massaging the paste into the voluptuous curves, the warmth of the freshly baked knots sends more waves of garlic into the air.

I tenderly bite into one, the slightly crisp outside gives way to soft, chewy goodness inside. The pesto piques my tongue as it marries into the knots, and before I know it I’m eating a second, and then a third. I’m in carb-heaven, and I don’t wanna come back down to Earth where I remember Scott Pilgrim’s incredulous reaction when Ramona Flowers tells him that “bread makes you fat“.

Print Recipe

Garlic Scape Pesto Knots

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 24 knots

Ingredients

For the knots:

• 1 2 1/4 tsp/11 mL packet dry-active yeast
• 1 3/4 cup warm water
• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour + more for kneading and working the dough
• 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp for the bowl + olive oil for brushing on the knots
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

For the garlic scape pesto:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped garlic scapes about 10-12 garlic scapes
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast or 1/3 cup vegan parm shreds
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup brazil nuts you can also use pine nuts, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds too
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

To make the knots

• Start the knots by blooming the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. The yeast should get cloudy and maybe a bit bubbly. In a separate large mixing bowl, sift together 3 3/4 cup flour, salt, and garlic powder.
• Add the bloomed yeast and olive oil to the flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Turn the dough onto a work surface (clean out the dough out of the bowl as best you can) to knead for about 10 minutes until the dough has come together and is smooth and slightly tacky. Feel free to add enough flour until its no longer tacky. Transfer back into the bowl, coat with the remaining tbsp of olive oil and cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel or saran wrap and let rise until doubled in size (for about an hour).
• Punch dough down and cut the dough into 16-24 pieces, depending on how large you would like the knots to be. Dust each piece lightly with flour to roll out the dough and tie into a knot. Tuck the extra end underneath, brush with olive oil, and let rise on a lined baking sheet while you preheat the oven to 400ºF/204ªC and make the pesto.

To make the pesto

• Wash the garlic scapes well and pat dry. Cut into smaller pieces (about 1 inch should be fine), and add to a food processor along with nutritional yeast, olive oil, brazil nuts, and salt. Process, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the pesto comes together and the garlic scapes have been cut into tiny pieces. Transfer to a clean jar and side aside.
• Once the pesto is made, bake the knots for about 30 minutes until golden. You may have to rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Remove from oven and let cool. Coat generously with garlic scape pesto, and serve warm!
• You will have ample pesto leftover that’s great for add to farfalle pasta, brushing over crostini, adding to sandwiches, pizza, your favourite proteins…it’s a wonderful lightly garlicky flavour that sings the start of summer.

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