The Giant Garlic Knot You Can Make for Sharing
Forget passing around a basket of tiny garlic knots; this oversized, Parmesan-packed version brings the whole experience to the center of the table. Bon Appétit’s Giant Garlic Knot combines the fluffy, garlicky pleasure of a slice-shop favorite with the dramatic braided shape of babka, creating one golden, pull-apart loaf made for sharing.
It is not a shortcut recipe, and that is part of the appeal. The dough gets time to rise, the filling uses an entire head of garlic, and the finished bread is brushed with warm garlic-parsley oil, then showered with more Parmesan and served alongside marinara for dipping.
It’s a garlic knot, but make it dinner-party sized
There is something naturally joyful about garlic knots. They are buttery, warm, slightly messy, and best eaten with your hands, preferably while trying to claim one before the plate empties. This recipe takes that familiar comfort-food formula and turns it into one enormous centerpiece bread, with twists and layers designed to be torn apart at the table.
Bon Appétit describes the dish as a “fun mash-up” of “billowy garlic knots from your favorite slice shop” and braided babka, the rich, twisted loaf associated with Jewish baking. That combination explains the recipe’s look: rather than tying individual ropes of dough into small knots, the dough is rolled, filled, sliced into exposed layers, and woven into a large, round, braided loaf.
The dough itself is enriched with eggs and a generous amount of butter, giving it a soft texture closer to a savory babka than a lean pizza dough. It begins with instant dry yeast, sugar, kosher salt, all-purpose flour, warm water, eggs, and 10 tablespoons of room-temperature unsalted butter. After mixing, the dough rests briefly, is kneaded until smooth and elastic, and then rises at room temperature until doubled in size, about two hours, according to the recipe.
That timing matters because the bread is intended to be tender and lofty, not dense or cracker-like. The dough later gets a second proof after shaping, so this is the kind of baking project that rewards planning rather than rushing. The payoff is a loaf with plenty of room for savory filling to settle into every twist.
The filling uses a whole head of garlic and plenty of Parmesan
The show-stopping part of the recipe is not just its size; it is the filling. Bon Appétit calls for one whole head of garlic, reserving two cloves for the final garlic oil and using the remaining cloves, about 10, in the garlic butter that goes inside the dough.
Process those cloves with softened butter, garlic powder, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, finely grated Parmesan, parsley, and kosher salt. The result is a spreadable, intensely savory mixture that is layered throughout the bread rather than brushed on after baking. If you don’t have a food processor, the recipe says to finely chop the garlic and parsley by hand and mix them with the remaining filling ingredients.
Once the risen dough is rolled into a roughly 20-by-14-inch rectangle, spread the garlic butter evenly over the surface. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then roll each piece into a 20-inch log, as you would for cinnamon rolls. Then comes the move that creates those beautiful swirls: slice each log lengthwise, exposing the garlic-and-Parmesan layers inside.
Arrange the four resulting strands on parchment with their filling sides facing up, then weave them over and under one another to form the final shape. The instructions may sound theatrical, but the method is practical: the visible layers let the filling caramelize, and the dough bakes into a pull-apart loaf with a crisped exterior and soft interior. Once woven, tuck the ends underneath and pinch them in place.
Related: 7 Garlic Mistakes That Ruin Your Food Without Knowing
How to know it is ready to bake and ready to eat
After you form the braid, let it rise again on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bon Appétit says the loaf should look puffy after about an hour, though it may not fully double in size. The recipe offers a useful readiness test: gently poke the dough with a wet finger; if it springs back gradually and leaves a shallow indentation, it is ready for the oven.
Bake the bread at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes, after brushing with an egg wash made from one beaten egg and a large pinch of kosher salt. For cooks using an instant-read thermometer, Bon Appétit says the center should reach 190 degrees Fahrenheit when the knot is fully baked.
The final flourish happens while the loaf is still hot. Finely grate the two reserved garlic cloves into olive oil with salt, warm briefly in a saucepan, cool, and mix with chopped parsley. Brush the garlic oil over the baked loaf, then top generously with additional Parmesan.
Serve the Giant Garlic Knot warm with marinara on the side, as the recipe directs, and let everyone pull away a piece from the braid. It is ideal for a casual gathering, a pasta-night side dish, or any meal that could use a little more ceremony without requiring restaurant-level technique. The loaf needs patience, a little weaving confidence, and a willingness to embrace garlic in a big way, but the result is exactly what the name promises: a giant, golden, shareable garlic knot that makes ordinary bread feel like the main event.
