Garlic Bread Roses and Bouquet Recipe

because no man is getting me flowers on Valentines

As I’ve mentioned before, I have no man to buy me flowers on this overly saccharine, pink holiday. But that doesn’t mean I can’t partake in the festivities. I’ve never been particularly into buying flowers. Sure, I received a few grocery store bouquets after my Nutcracker performances and dance recitals, but they always ended up as gifts for my mother, who would tuck them into a glass vase and actually admire them on our kitchen table. Within two weeks, they’d wither away, a reminder that all good things must come to an end—straight into the trash. Whats a gift if I barely remember it existed a month later.

This year, I wanted to get myself flowers in the only way I know how: by baking them into existence with garlic butter and fluffy carbs. Admittedly, this doesn’t solve the short lifespan of flowers, but somehow, this feels far more memorable. Then again, I bake for a living, so I may be a little biased.

This recipe takes a basic garlic knot recipe and shapes it into fluffy little roses by shaping the dough into round discs that resemble petals when rolled. The extra rising in the oven opens up the spirals into cute petal shapes. Each roll is perfect to accompany your Galentine’s night in, your Valentine’s coursed dinner, or literally just eat them as is. That’s what I did anyways.

The Bread

• 250-295 g bread flour* divided in half

• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast

• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional

• ¾ cup (180 ml) warm water 105-115F [40-46C]

The Garlic Butter

• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted (if butter is unsalted, add 1/2 tsp of salt)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix half the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and garlic powder. Stir in the warm water and olive oil. Gradually add the remaining flour until a soft dough forms. Knead for about 5-7 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky.

2. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about 30 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size.

3. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, minced garlic, and chopped basil and set aside.

4. Shaping:

   1. Once the dough has doubled, knock out the air and divide the dough into portions of ~22g each.** Roll each into a ball.

   2. Flatten each ball with a rolling pin into circles about 3 inches wide.

   3. Arrange 4 circles in a row, overlapping slightly. Brush garlic butter over them.

   4. Fold the row in half lengthwise and gently roll into a rose shape.

   5. Pinch the bottom to secure and place in a greased muffin tin, or metal tart rings on a baking sheet.

5. Cover loosely and let rise for another 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

6. Once out of the oven, brush with extra garlic butter while warm, and devour.

**Note:

When shaping the dough, leave only 1/3-1/2 of the dough out of the fridge at a time. Since these take a long time to shape, we want to ensure they aren’t over proofing.