Simple Ham and Cheese Garlic Knots. Soft, fluffy, and full of cheesy goodness, these garlic knots are simple to make and even easier to enjoy. Try them and they’ll be on your rotation from now on!
And, to make these even easier, I use Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. It packs a garlic punch without the added step of actually mincing it! It’s a flavor win-win!
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Ham and Cheese Garlic Knot Ingredients
- Warm water
- Active dry yeast
- Sugar
- AP Flour
- Salt
- Butter
- Cheddar cheese
- Ham
- Everything but the bagel seasoning
- Olive Oil
How To Make Garlic Knots
I’ve said it before, but I’m not a natural baker. Bread making is, quite honestly, a little intimidating to me. So when I say these garlic knots are simple to make, I mean it. You cannot mess these up. Promise.
Time needed: 2 hours and 55 minutes
For the best ham and cheese garlic knots, simply:
- Prep the dough.
Let’s get started! First off, you’ll need to get your stand mixer out. Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar in the mixing bowl. Use a spatula to make sure everything is thoroughly incorporated. Let this mixture sit for 10-15 minutes until you see bubbles form.
- Add flour and salt.
Next, add the flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed for one minute to avoid a flour explosion. Increase speed to medium and continue until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. You should have a smooth ball of dough at this point.
- Rise
Drizzle the dough ball with a bit of olive oil. This will help prevent the dough from drying out. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 2 hours in a warm place. The dough should double in size.
- During the rise, prep the filling.
While the dough rises, prep the ham, cheese and butter mixture for the garlic knots. You’ll need to grate about a cup of cheddar. If you don’t have cheddar, use whatever you have on hand. All I ask is that you shred it yourself. The cheese melts better, tastes better, and you get more bang for your buck!
For the ham, I bought a pre-cooked ham steak and finely diced a cup of the meat. Deli ham slices or leftover baked ham would be a great substitute!
The butter mixture is simply melted butter with two tablespoons of Everything But the Bagel Seasoning mixed in. That’s it. I like things to be delicious, but I like easy. This is both! - Filling the dough.
After the dough has doubled in size, roll out onto a floured surface. Form a square that is about 1/4 inch in thickness. This does not have to be perfect.
Once the dough is rolled out add the ham and cheese. Make sure to go out to the edges with this so that each bite has a little meaty, cheesy love.
Drizzle the Everything But the Bagel seasoning and butter mixture with a spoon. The more the merrier in my professional opinion, but save a little for after baking! - Fold the dough.
After the ham, cheese, and butter mixture is evenly spread over the dough, fold it in half.
- Cut the dough.
Time to cut the dough. Using a dough/pastry scraper, cut the dough in half. Then, cut that half in half. And so on and so forth. You want to have the most even strips you can get. But, they don’t have to be perfect!
- Tie the dough strips in knots.
Now, carefully stretch the strips just a bit and then simply tie them in a knot. Again, these don’t have to be perfect! Mine are not. The filling will fall out. Just simply pick up the excess and place on top of the knot. The ham and cheese will caramelize beautifully in the oven!
- Bake and serve.
Place the formed knots on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let them rest, covered, for about 20 minutes. They should puff up slightly. After that, we are ready for the oven!
In a 375° oven, bake the knots for about 20-25 minutes or until they become just golden brown. At this point, your house will be smelling amazing. People will start gathering in the kitchen.
Remove knots from the oven, and brush with remaining butter mixture. Watch the masses drool.
frequently asked questions
These soft, buttery garlic knots are wonderful straight out of the oven. My kids attack them when they’re fresh. They are perfect dunked in marinara or a bowl of warm, homemade soup. But, honestly, my favorite way to use them is for an easy breakfast on the go. Simply pop them in the microwave and breakfast is served!
I have all of the equipment I use linked below. But simply, you’ll need:
-Stand Mixer With A Dough Hook
-Parchment Paper
-Silicon Mat
-Measuring Cups
-Measuring Spoons
-Bench Scraper
Equipment and Ingredients
I absolutely love this silicone mat. It has built in measurements that help you get your dough the perfect-ish size and makes cleanup super easy! I throw mine in the dishwasher to clean.
Everything but the bagel seasoning is a pantry staple in my opinion. It goes great on just about anything and is the perfect seasoning for our garlic knots!
A stand mixer is a true kitchen essential. Although it’s an investment, you will use this over and over again!
other great recipes
Simple Ham and Cheese Garlic Knots
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
Garlic Knot Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, to coat dough
Filling
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 2 tbsp Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup ham, finely diced
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10-15 minutes until bubbles form.
- Add flour and salt. Using a dough hook, mix on low for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium until dough comes away from the bowl.
- Drizzle olive oil over the dough ball to prevent drying. Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm area. Let rise about 2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
- While dough rises, melt butter. Add Bagel seasoning and mix to incorporate.
- Once dough has doubled in size, roll out on a floured surface. Form dough into a square about 1/4 inch in thickness. This does not have to be perfect.
- Evenly distribute ham, cheese, and butter mixture onto rolled out dough. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of butter mixture for after baking.
- Carefully fold dough in half. Cut that half into halves until you have 10-12 even strips. Slightly pull each strip and tie into a knot. Ham and cheese will fall out. It's ok! Simply place any extra on top of the knot.
- Place knots onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let rest for about 20 minutes.
- After resting, place knots into a 375° oven for 20-25 minutes or until just golden brown.
- Remove from oven and brush with remaining butter mixture. Enjoy!
Nutrition
If you guys make these Ham and Cheese Garlic Knots, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I absolutely love to hear from you all and always do my best to respond to each and every one of your comments!
Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my Ham and Cheese Garlic Knots recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok! And, please leave a comment or review. I absolutely love seeing each and every one of your kitchen masterpieces. And, as always, if you ever have any questions about any of my recipes, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Happy Cooking!
–Rufus
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Here is another super simple bread recipe. Try my Sour Cream Cheddar Bacon Biscuits. They’re amazing. I don’t lie about carbs.