Garlic dough balls

Turns out i am a very sensitive person. I will ask you to give me your honest opinion about something and if you honestly agree with my point of view, all is well. If instead you were to tell me you don't like what i did, i can get cross with you and pretty upset too. This state of being may not last for a long time, but that is the first state i get into. Of course i know better than to let you know i was upset. Because you see, after everything's said and done, i still want only your honest opinion. If you found out i got upset, and you really have a regard for my feelings, i can never trust your honesty again the next time you agree with me. The lesson to be drawn from this is that sensitive people have no business asking for honesty. And if honesty is really your thing, you have no right being sensitive. Unless you are me and you are stuck with both, you just gotta learn to live with one honest opinion at a time.

While we are on the subject, not that you asked, but in my honest opinion, these garlic dough balls didn't blow me away as promised by the recipe. I did a couple of things slightly differently, but am not convinced they made a huge difference. I chopped the garlic very finely instead of grating and used olive oil instead of butter. The resulting bread balls were nothing to be scorned at, but i didn't think they would be praised at a party if offered without a dip. 

Instead if the garlic were kneaded into the dough, along with the dry herb mix and seasoned with a bit of salt and some chili flakes; the dough balls then brushed with butter/oil/egg wash (even a sprinkling of some Parmesan), i assume the result would be much more flavourful and fitting as a party appetizer. I hope to be able to test this theory soon. Meanwhile this is what the previous recipe produced.

Adapted from Foodomania

Prep time: 1.5-2 hours including time for pizza dough to rise

Bake time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

• Pizza dough - one recipe with 1.5 cups flour
• 10-12 Garlic Cloves, grated or minced finely
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning/ mixed Herbs (optional)
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• a big pinch of salt

Method

1. Pull lime sized pieces of dough and roll between your palms to form smooth dough balls. Place the balls in a well greased/ non-stick baking pan at least 1 centimeter apart from each other.
2. Cover the baking pan & let it rest for 30 minutes. The balls will have puffed up.
3. Meanwhile, mix grated garlic with olive oil and salt. Preheat your oven to 400F.
4. Brush all the balls with the garlic mix. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and chili flakes on top of the balls.
5. Bake them at 400F for 20 minutes or until the balls are golden brown and fully cooked through. They will sound hollow when tapped.
6. Enjoy warm with a dipping sauce or some soup. I devoured most of them with some homemade tomato soup.

La's Notes

For a more flavourful result, i would suggest kneading the dough with the garlic and seasonings, instead of topping it up later.