Freshly baked bread — still warm from the oven — is one of life’s simple pleasures. If you’ve never made your own bread before, this recipe for breadsticks is a good place to start. Fashioned after Olive Garden-style breadsticks, they’re easy to make and very worth the effort! My kids devoured them.
I used my Kitchenaid mixer to knead the dough for a few minutes, then used a kitchen scale to portion the dough into equal pieces (16 pieces that weighed approximately 2.25 ounces each). I then shaped each portion into a 7″ long breadstick and proceeded with the recipe. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, just follow the recipe as written.
Once baked, the breadsticks are delicious served with marinara sauce or garlic butter for dipping. Mmmmm!
Almost-Famous Breadsticks
-Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine
Makes 16 breadsticks.
For the Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour,plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons unsalted butter,softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fine salt
For the Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter,melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of dried oregano
Make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a mixer; sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water; mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes.
Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot-long log; cut into 16 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch-long breadstick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the flavored salt.
Tags: bread, bread sticks, breadsticks, Food Network, Olive Garden, Olive Garden breadsticks
You’re right it’s definitely one of life’s simple pleasures. I still marvel at how you can mix up a few very simple ingredients and a few hours later eat fresh bread warm from the oven!