Not knots?

I know there's little nutritional value to most of the bread we eat. And I'm all about feeding the kids healthy foods. But some meals -- including anything covered in an Italian tomato sauce -- just can't be served without some sort of soft-in-the-middle white bread. Lots of Italian restaurants have perfected the garlic knot, and serve it with everything. I think I finally came up with a good at home recipe. And based on the fact that the plate was empty when dinner was over last night, I think I'm right.

Garlic Knots (See Notes below)

1 ball pizza dough (See Notes below)

4 T butter, melted

1 tsp. chopped garlic (or to taste)

1/2 tsp. dry oregano (optional)

Grate Parmesan cheese

Let dough come up to room temperature, about 30 minutes on the counter.

Meanwhile, melt butter, add garlic and oregano and remove from heat (the longer you leave the garlic and herbs in the butter, the more flavorful it becomes, so you can do this earlier in the day and let it sit).

Preheat oven to 425.

Remove from bag and cut into 3- to 4-inch strips. Loosely tie each into a knot. Toss in butter to coat (leaving most of solids behind). Roll gently in Parmesan cheese and place in a prepared baking dish (see Notes below).

Bake until bread is cooked through and golden, about 20 minutes.

Notes:

1. You can use this same recipe to make a Cinnamon Monkey Bread. Omit garlic, oregano and Parmesan cheese. Add cinnamon sugar. Roll dough nots in butter and cinnamon sugar and proceed as above.

2. I've found pizza dough in plastic bags in the refrigerator section at Giant or Trader Joe's. If you can't find it, I've heard of people who have had success buying raw dough from their local pizza joint. The dough freezes beautifully, so buy several balls and store them until you need them.

3. Use an 8x8-inch pan if you want the knots to form a pull-apart loaf. Use a 9x13-inch pan if you want them to stay separate.