My family loves these homemade breadsticks! They’re soft and chewy, with an irresistible herb garlic butter topping. So good warm from the oven!
There’s nothing better than homemade bread and these soft homemade breadsticks are my latest obsession. These are soft, chewy (not crunchy) breadsticks topped with a buttery, herby, garlicky topping. They’re fun to make and relatively easy! Even if you’re a beginner to bread making, I promise you can make these!
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients for this recipe. Rolling out the dough into the breadstick shape is a great opportunity to get kids helping in the kitchen. My family loves these with soup, salad, pasta… they go with just about any meal. I can’t wait for you to give them a try!
Breadsticks Recipe Ingredients
I based this breadsticks recipe off of my Garlic Knots recipe, with a few modifications. I think you’ll agree with me when I say these are better than Olive Garden breadsticks, especially since they come without the cost of a meal out!
- Warm Water: You want to heat it to 110-115° F so that it will properly activate the yeast. I use an instant read thermometer to measure the temperature. Don’t make it hotter than 115 degrees or you risk killing the yeast.
- Yeast: Both instant (rapid rise) or active dry yeast will work in this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: Just 1 teaspoon of sugar will help to activate the yeast.
- Olive Oil: Adds richness and flavor to the dough and makes the dough soft.
- Salt: An essential ingredient in bread making for flavor. Don’t skip it!
- All-Purpose Flour: This breadsticks recipe works great with all-purpose flour.
Herb Garlic Butter Topping
The topping is super quick to make by mixing together these ingredients:
- Melted Butter: I use unsalted butter. Salted works well too.
- Italian Seasoning: Brings delicious Italian flavor.
- Garlic Powder: For subtle garlic flavor. It’s best not to use fresh garlic since we brush the topping on after the breadsticks come out of the oven.
- Salt: I use fine sea salt. If using regular table salt, you’ll want to halve the amount.
Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
How to Make Homemade Breadsticks
I make this dough using a stand mixer. It makes it so easy to mix and knead the dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix and knead the dough by hand but it will take quite a bit more effort!
Proof the yeast. Mix together the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam or bubble. This indicates that the yeast is active. If nothing happens, you should start over with new yeast.
Make the dough. Add the olive oil, salt and 4 cups of the flour. Mix using the paddle attachment to combine. Then switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until it mostly comes away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky when you press it with your finger. Check on the dough as it kneads by stopping the mixer and pressing your finger to the dough: If a lot of dough sticks to your finger, mix in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until only a little dough sticks to your finger when you touch it.
Let the dough rise in a lightly oiled bowl for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Shape breadsticks. Knead the dough a few times to release any large air bubbles, then divide it into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch long rope. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, with at least ½-inch between each breadstick. (I use 2 baking sheets to fit them all.) Lightly cover the breadsticks with clean kitchen towels or plastic wrap. Let them rise on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.
Bake the breadsticks at 400° F for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden.
Add the topping. Mix together the topping ingredients and brush on the warm breadsticks as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve them warm and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Here are my best success tips for making these homemade breadsticks, especially helpful if you’re new to bread making.
- If the dough is resistant to rolling into the rope shape, let it rest for 5 minutes and then try again. The rest time allows the gluten to relax so that the dough won’t spring back when you try to roll it out.
- When making any yeast dough, I recommend adding the flour gradually until you achieve a dough that’s only slightly sticky. If you add too much flour, the dough and breadsticks can turn out tough. For this recipe, you should need between 4 and 4.5 cups (480-540 grams) of flour, but the exact amount can vary.
- Use two baking sheets to fit all 16 breadsticks without overcrowding the pans. Rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back in the oven halfway through the baking time, to ensure both pans bake evenly.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
Try one of these bread recipes next:
- Honey Yeast Rolls – My 7-year-old’s second favorite food, after Mac and Cheese.
- Dinner Rolls – The best all-purpose soft, fluffy dinner rolls.
- Focaccia Bread – You won’t believe how easy this recipe is!
- Whole Wheat Bread – I never buy store-bought sandwich bread because of this recipe.
- Homemade Pita Bread – With a pocket that puffs up as they bake!
- Pizza Dough Recipe – Our go-to for making pizza at home on Friday nights.
Made this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Homemade Breadsticks
Ingredients
Breadstick Dough
- 1 ½ cups warm water, 110-115° F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, or active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 – 4½ cups (480g – 540g) all-purpose flour
Topping
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you plan to mix and knead the dough by hand), combine the warm water, yeast and granulated sugar. Whisk together. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast begins to foam or bubble. (If nothing happens, start over with new yeast.)1 ½ cups warm water, 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Add the olive oil, salt and 4 cups (480g) of flour to the bowl. Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 – 4½ cups (480g – 540g) all-purpose flour
- Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for about 8 minutes, until it mostly comes away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky when you press it with your finger. Check on the dough as it kneads by stopping the mixer and pressing your finger to the dough: If a lot of dough sticks to your finger, mix in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until only a little dough sticks to your finger when you touch it. Try to avoid adding too much flour, as this will make the breadsticks tougher. A slightly sticky dough produces softer breadsticks.
- Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl and turn the ball of dough once to coat it in oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Shape the Breadsticks
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough a few times to release any large air bubbles.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal parts. To do this, first cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, then cut each of those pieces into 4 equal pieces.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time on a very lightly floured work surface, roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch long rope. Place on the prepared baking sheets, with at least ½-inch between each breadstick.
- Lightly cover the breadsticks with clean kitchen towels or plastic wrap. Let rise on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400° F.
Bake Breadsticks
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until breadsticks are lightly golden on top. Rotate the baking pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure that they bake evenly.
Make Garlic Butter Topping
- To make the topping, melt the butter. Whisk in the Italian seasoning, garlic powder and fine sea salt until well combined. Brush over the breadsticks as soon as they come out of the oven.3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Serve breadsticks warm from the oven. They're delicious as is or with marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- If the dough is resistant to rolling into the rope shape, let it rest for 5 minutes and then try again. The rest time allows the gluten to relax so that the dough won’t spring back when you try to roll it out.
- To store or freeze: Baked breadsticks can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
