Who doesn’t like warm, soft breadsticks? These are like the Olive Garden’s version, only much better. They require a little planning because it takes approximately 2 hours to make them, but they’re worth it.
If you’ve got the time, give them a try. They’ll make any meal BETTER!
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups flour (a little more if necessary)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Grease a large baking sheet, and set aside.
- Heat water in microwave for 30-45 seconds, just until slightly warm to the touch.
- In a small mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
- Combine flour, salt, melted butter, and yeast mixture, and knead for several minutes to form a soft dough.
- Shape into a ball, place on a greased surface, cover with a clean cloth, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Divide the ball into fourths, and shape into balls. Divide each ball into fourths, again, and form into smaller balls. You’ll have 16 golf-ball sized dough balls. Cover with the cloth, and working with one little ball at a time, roll the dough into long strips to form the bread sticks. (I roll mine until they’re about 12 inches).
- Carefully lay the breadsticks side by side on the greased pan, making sure that they don’t touch. Cover the pan, and allow to rise in a warm place for about one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Melt butter and whisk with garlic powder and salt.
- Bake breadsticks for 10 minutes, then remove from oven, and gently brush tops with garlic butter. Quickly return to oven and bake another 5-10 minutes until they reach the desired shade of golden-brown. Watch carefully. Remove from oven, and immediately brush with remaining butter mixture.
- Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then serve while warm.
Grease a large baking sheet, and set aside.
Melt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Set aside to cool.
Heat
1 ½ cups water
until slightly warm to the touch
(I do it in the microwave on high for 30 seconds)
In a small mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
Let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
Combine
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
Now, combine flour, salt, melted butter, and yeast mixture, and knead for several minutes to form a soft dough.
It its too sticky, add a little more flour, but avoid it, if possible.
Shape into a ball, place on a greased surface, …
… , cover with a clean cloth, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
1. Divide the ball into fourths.
2. Shape the fourths into balls.
3. Divide each smaller ball into fourths.
4. Form those into even smaller balls.
When you finish, you’ll have 16 golf-ball sized dough balls. Cover with the cloth.
Working with one little ball at a time, roll the dough into long strips to form the bread sticks.
(I roll mine until they’re about 12 inches long, but don’t worry, the dough retracts, so they end up between 7-9 inches)
Carefully lay the breadsticks on the greased pan.
When you finish, they should be lined up, side by side, but not touching.
Cover the pan, and allow to rise in a warm place for about one hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and prepare the topping.
Bake breadsticks for 10 minutes, and …
… while they’re in the oven,
whisk together
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
Set it aside until the breadsticks have baked for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, gently brush tops with garlic butter, and quickly return to oven. Bake another 5-10 minutes until they reach the desired shade of golden-brown. Watch carefully.
Remove from oven, and immediately brush with remaining butter mixture.
Cool in pan for 3-5 minutes, then …
… transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Serve them while they’re warm.
Yum, …
…YUM!