Soft and fluffy buttery and garlicky knots are studded with tiny pieces of Chinese pork jerky /bak kwa made with an easy no-knead dough. These are a fun twist to the popular garlic knots/garlic bread.
Bak kwa/pork jerky garlic knots are a delicious and popular variation of “traditional” garlic bread knots. They are typically made by taking small pieces of dough, shaping them into knots, and then baking them until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside. The addition of pieces of bak kwa or pork jerky to the dough adds some savory goodness and some texture to the bite.
Why you’ll love this recipe
1. It’s a no-knead dough that yields soft and fluffy buns/bread
2. It is buttery and garlicky and it’s great biting into tiny pieces of bak kwa (at least to me!)
3. The crust is slightly crisp because of the butter mixture and the inside remains soft and fluffy
Ingredients
1. All-purpose flour
It is called all-purpose flour in the U.S. but you can use any flour with medium-gluten content
2. Yeast
You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast
3. Egg
Egg contributes to a moist and rich dough. You can also replace with plain whole-milk yogurt for an eggless option I have tried both with great success
4. Milk
I use whole milk, but you can use low-fat milk or other non-dairy milk. Just take note that the fat in the milk also helps to keep the buns moist and softer longer
5. Melted butter
I used unsalted butter. You can also replace with healthier oil
6. Sugar
I use granulated sugar. It adds some sweetness to the dough, but not too much since this is more of a savory bun. But I encourage you not to omit sugar altogether
7. Salt
I use fine sea salt
8. Bak kwa/pork jerky
You can use homemade bak kwa or store-bought bak kwa.
How to bake bak kwa garlic knots
1. If you use active dry yeast, combine it with water and a small pinch of sugar and let it blooms for 10 minutes. The mixture will be foamy. If you use instant yeast, you can skip this step
2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, cilantro leaves, instant yeast (if using). Stir to combine. 
3. Make a well in the middle and add milk, lightly beaten egg, yeast mixture (if using active dry yeast), bak kwa pieces, and melted butter. Use a spatula to stir to combine into a dough that is slightly sticky to the touch. Just make sure there are no more pockets of flour in the dough. The mixture won’t be smooth at this time. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes
4. After 20 minutes, use the spatula to fold the edge toward the center of the dough. Do this all around the dough, about 15-20 times. This step is to strengthen the dough, so please do not skip. The dough will be smoother too after this round
5. Cover the dough and let it proof until double in size at a warm place. This may take about one hour or so, depending on the temperature. 
6. Once the dough has doubled, use a spatula to fold the dough several times again to degas (or punch down the dough to release gas). 
7. Lightly oil your palms and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes so they are easier to be rolled out
6. Working with one dough at a time, take one dough and roll it out into a rope, about 20 cm (8-inch long)
7. Tie it into a knot and tuck the extra dough underneath. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough
8. Prepare the topping by mixing all ingredients for topping together and set aside. Place the shaped dough in a warm place to let them proof again until about 1.5 x puffier than the original, this may take 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on temperature. 10 minutes before the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C) for a conventional oven, 380 F (195 C) for a convection oven
9. Brush the surface of the knots with half of the toppings and place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
10. When they are out of the oven, brush the buns with the remaining butter mixture
11. Serve them while they are warm
Did you make this no-knead bak kwa garlic knots recipe?
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No-Knead Bak Kwa/Pork Jerky Garlic Knots
Ingredients
Activate the yeast if using active dry yeast (skip if using instant yeast):
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 Tbsp water
For the dough:
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp finely minced cilantro leaves
- 20 g sugar
- 3 g salt
- 55 g egg weight of one egg without the shell. See notes
- 100 g whole milk 115 g if using instant yeast
- 30 g unsalted melted butter plus more for brushing
- 60 g bak kwa cut into very fine pieces
For topping:
- 20 g unsalted melted butter
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated
- Small pinch of salt
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- If you use an active dry yeast, combine it with water and small pinch of sugar and let it blooms for 10 minutes. The mixture will be foamy. If you use instant yeast, you can skip this step
- Combine the flour, salt, sugar, cilantro leaves, instant yeast (if using). Stir to combine. Make a well in the middle and add milk, lightly beaten egg, yeast mixture (if using active dry yeast), bak kwa pieces, and melted butter. Use a spatula to stir to combine into a dough that is slightly sticky to touch. Just make sure there are no more pockets of flour in the dough. The mixture won't be smooth at this time. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes
- After 20 minutes, use the spatula to fold the edge toward the center of the dough. Do this all around the dough, about 15-20 times. This step is to strengthen the dough, so please do not skip. The dough will be smoother too after this round
First proofing:
- Cover the dough and let it proof until double in size at a warm place. This may take about one hour or so, depending on the temperature
Shaping:
- Once the dough has doubled, use a spatula to fold the dough several times again to degas (or punch down the dough to release gas)
- Lightly oil your palms and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes so they are easier to be rolled out
- Working with one dough at a time, take one dough and roll it out into a rope, about 20 cm (8-inch long). Tie it into a knot and tuck the extra dough under neath. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough
Final proofing:
- Prepare the topping by mixing all ingredients for topping together and set aside
- Place the shaped dough at a warm place to let them proof again until about 1.5 x puffier than the original, this may take 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on temperature. 10 minutes before the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C) for a conventional oven, 380 F (195 C) for a convection oven
- Brush the surface of the knots with half of the toppings and place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 15 minutes, rotate halfway throughout baking
- When they are out of the oven, brush the buns with the remaining butter mixture. The buns won't be shiny because we don't use egg wash. The outside will be slightly crisp because we brushed with butter before baking. The inside remains soft and fluffy. So good!
To serve:
- Serve them while they are warm
How to store:
- Let them cool down completely and then store in air-tight container or plastic bag, push all the air out and seal. They can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze them for about 1 month for the best result. Simply thaw at room temperature and reheat in the microwave for a few seconds until warm
Notes
- You can also replace with same amount of whole-milk plain yogurt instead of using an egg
