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Roasted Garlic Knots - Pona Kāriki Tunu

Delicious soft bread buns wrapped in to a knot, filled with roasted and fresh garlic, fresh and dried herbs and a touch of cheese.
Course Baking
Cuisine Bread
Keyword garlic bread recipe, garlic knots, garlic knots nz, maori kai, roasted garlic bread nz, roasted garlic bread recipe, roasted garlic bread recipe nz, te reo Māori
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rise time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 12 garlic filled buns

Ingredients

The Dough - Te Pokenga

  • 1 ⅔ C (400 ml) wai aromahana (lukewarm water)
  • 2 tablespoon huka (sugar, any sugar will work)
  • 2 ½ teaspoon (8 g) īhi horo (instant yeast) OR 1 ¾ tablespoon (16 g) Surebake/bread makers yeast.
  • 4 ½ C (675 g) puehu parāoa kounga (high grade flour)
  • ½ teaspoon tote (salt, fine)
  • 2 tablespoon noni ōriwa (olive oil, or neutral oil)

Roasted Garlic - Te Kāriki Tunu

  • 4 tōpuku kāraki (garlic bulbs)
  • 2 tablespoon noni ōriwa (olive oil, or neutral oil)

Garlic Butter - Te Pata Kāriki

  • 5 wāhi kāriki anō (garlic cloves)
  • ½ teaspoon tote (salt)
  • 1 tablespoon huka (sugar)
  • 15 g pāhiri Itariana māota (fresh Italian parsley). This can be swapped for your favourite fresh herbs or 2 teaspoon of dried herbs like basil, thyme or rosemary.
  • 1 teaspoon paura aniana (onion powder). Also optional but so delicious.
  • 1 teaspoon orekano raki (dried oregano)
  • 130 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
  • 200 - 250 g tīhi kua waruwarutia (grated cheese, a melty cheese like mozzarella is ideal)

Instructions

Activate the Yeast:

  • Add the wai aromahana (lukewarm water) and huka (sugar) into a bowl.
    Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Sprinkle in the īhi (yeast) and stir.
  • If you are using instant yeast, leave it for 5 minutes until the yeast has floated to the top.
    If you are using surebake yeast, leave for 10 minutes until the yeast has floated to the top and is foamy.

Add the Dry Ingredients:

  • Add the puehu parāoa kounga (high grade flour), tote (salt) and noni ōriwa (olive oil) to the activated yeast mixture.
  • Mix together with a bread and butter knife until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead the Dough:

  • Now it is time to knead the dough.
    If you are using a stand mixer, place the dough in the mixing bowl. Using a dough hook, knead for 8 – 10 minutes on low-medium speed. 
    If you are kneading by hand, add the dough to a lightly floured bench or table. Knead the dough with the palms of your hands (not with your fingers), for 10 – 12 minutes. 

First Rise:

  • Add the dough to a bowl, cover with a bowl cover or tea towel and leave for 1 ¼ - 1 ½ hours, until it has doubled in size. 
  • As the dough rises, prepare the kāriki (garlic).

Roast the Garlic:

  • Preheat the oven to 160 °C on the bake setting.
  • Place the 4 tōpuku kāriki (garlic bulbs) on to a papa kotikoti (chopping board).
  • Chop the top parts off and place them cut side up on a small baking tray or cast iron pan, lined with baking paper.
  • Sprinkle with tote (salt) and (pepa) pepper and drizzle with the noni ōriwa (olive oil) and then flip them over so they are cut side down.
  • Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until they are soft and rich in flavour.
    The kāriki (garlic) is done when it is super soft. If you squeeze it, the garlic should come out like a soft paste. If not, give it another ten minutes of roasting time.
  • Leave them aside to cool.
    Note: The roasted garlic can be done days in advance and kept in a sealed container in the fridge until needed.

Crush the Fresh Garlic:

  • As the roasted garlic cools, add five fresh kāriki (garlic cloves) to the mortar and pestle.
    Penupenua kia māene (mash until soft and fine).
  • You can also finely chop the kāriki (garlic) on a papa kotikoti (chopping board) and smoosh it with the back of your knife.

Make the Herby Garlic Butter:

  • Combine the crushed kāriki (garlic), tote (salt), huka (sugar), paura aniana (onion powder) and orekano (oregano) in the mortar and pestle or in a bowl.
  • Chop the pāhiri Itariana (Italian parsley) in to fine-ish pieces.
    Add it to the garlic mixture. Whakaranuhia (stir to combine).
  • Finally, add in the pata kūteretere (softened butter) and squeeze in all of the cooled kāriki parahunuhunu (roasted garlic). (See the video for the easiet way to do this).
  • Whakawhenumia ngā kai katoa (combine all of the ingredients together).

Set aside some of the Garlic Butter:

  • Reserve ¼ cup of this pata kāriki (garlic butter) to baste onto the hot buns.
    The rest will be used to spread on to our delicious pokenga (dough).

Prepare the Oven Tray:

  • Line a 25 cm by 30 cm tray with high-ish sides with baking paper. 
    Note: Make sure the tin isn't too much bigger than this so that the buns rise together and all of the flavour is infused.

Roll out the Dough:

  • Once the pokenga (dough) has risen, add it to a lightly floured surface.
  • Roll out the dough to a 50 cm x 27 cm rectangle. 

Fill it with Garlic and Cheese:

  • Add the pata kāriki (garlic butter) and spread it out to the edges.
  • Sprinkle the tīhi kua waruwarutia (grated cheese) on to the top half of the dough.
  • Then fold the bottom half of the dough up so that it is halved (check the video for reference).

Create the Roasted Garlic Knots:

  • With the dough folded, mark out 12 equal strips and cut the strips with a sharp knife.
  • Hold each end of a strip and twist it two or three times. Then fold the two ends under each other.
    It is that simple, you have made a pona (knot).
  • Repeat this process with each of the 12 pieces, placing each pond (knot) in to the tray as you go.
    Space them out evenly.

Second Rise:

  • Cover the tray with a tea towel and rise for another 30 - 45 minutes on the bench, until they have puffed up and the knots are touching each other.

Heat the Oven:

  • Preheat the oven to 170 °C as they rise.

Bake the Roasted Garlic Knots:

  • Once they have risen, bake the garlic knots for 30 minutes. 
    As soon as they come out of the oven, brush them with the reserved pata kāriki (garlic butter)!
  • Serve them warm with your favourite soups, salads or summer barbecues.

Storing the Roasted Garlic Knots:

  • These are best served warm. If you have any left over, store in a plastic bag or in a sealed container. 
    Toast them under the grill the next day to bring them back to life.