Homemade Breadsticks

Seven soft breadsticks wrapped in a blue and white striped kitchen towel set on a plate.

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from kristineskitchenblog.com

I tested this recipe until I was confident it makes the BEST homemade breadsticks (even better than Olive Garden!). These breadsticks are soft and chewy, with an irresistible herb garlic butter topping. Serve them with soup, salad, pasta... they go with just about any meal!

Prep Time45

Cook Time18

Rising Time1 15

Total Time2 18

Servings: breadsticks

Calories: 162kcal

Author: Kristine Rosenblatt

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.

Video

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.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.