These easy breadsticks are absolutely irresistible. Can you believe that they are done from start to finish in under an hour? They can be made either sweet or savory and they are delicious both ways.
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Hope you had a good weekend. We had some amazing weather and spent Saturday afternoon out on the lake fishing. Well to be clear, my daughter and I had a fun time getting in the way while the boys fished. It was super relaxing and a much needed adventure.
And the fishing aspect was a success too. There are three white bass (eyeballs and all) that stare me in the face everytime I open the freezer to prove it. I’m not sure how I feel about the fish in there. But for sure the look on my ten-year-old son’s face after he caught that first fish was worth the entire trip. Priceless.
I might be okay for a few more days of staring at fish eyeballs, but it’s wearing off quickly, believe me.
And now I’ve got another yummy bread recipe today and this one is super super easy.
These breadsticks are easy AND fast
These easy breadsticks come together in just 50 minutes. No joke! I timed it. It’s actually probably faster if you’re not taking breaks to wipe up messes from a little snake maker like I was.
The most time consuming part is rolling the snakes.
But I have a tip for fast snake making to speed things up a bit.
First stick a hunk of dough on a counter (not oiled) and place both palms down flat. Next roll palms back and forth along dough until it stretches to the desired length. Finally lay out the snakes on the greased pan.
I’ve made a lot of breadsticks in my day and this is by far the fastest way to whip out a snake.
You will not believe how irresistible these easy breadsticks are. Every time I make these my kids pretty much ignore whatever the main dish is and gorge themselves on breadsticks. I have never had any leftover. Ever.
I left some for an afterschool snack on the table and when I walked back into the room all I saw on the plate were a few crumbs. And I only have 3 kids! That’s an average of 8 per kid and I’m pretty sure the 2-year-old did not eat 8.
This recipe is adaptable with sweet or savory toppings of your choosing. If you like to dip things, the savory ones are delicious dipped in pizza sauce.
So there ya go. Get making them.
Update (5/21/2020): If you are new to breadmaking (or just looking to up your breadmaking game), I wrote up a super detailed guide to baking with yeast. It will walk you through a lot of common breadmaking pitfalls and help you become a breadmaking expert.
Easy Breadsticks
These easy breadsticks are absolutely irresistible. Can you believe that they are done from start to finish in under an hour? They can be made either sweet or savory and they are delicious both ways.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups (17.9 ounces) all-purpose flour see note
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast see note
- ¼ cup melted butter see note
- toppings: garlic salt, seasoning salt, cinnamon sugar, or parmesan cheese optional, see note
Instructions
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Spray 1 or 2 half sheet pans with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside (see note). Heat water in the microwave on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute or on the stove until it is between 110 and 130 degrees F.
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Meanwhile in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment add the sugar and salt. Add the heated water to the stand mixer. Then add half of the flour. Put the yeast on top of the flour, making sure that it does not directly touch the salt or the hot water.
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Turn on mixer and mix, adding white flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and starts to pull away from the center. Stop adding flour at this point even if you have not added the full amount listed in the recipe. Then let the mixer mix for an additional six minutes.
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Spread a little oil on a clean countertop and divide the dough into twenty four pieces Roll each piece into a skinny long snake (about 10 to 11 inches long) and place on prepared baking sheet close together (see note). Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
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Brush breadsticks with melted butter and sprinkle on toppings of your choosing. Cover with light dishcloth and let rise while oven is preheating to 400 degrees F.
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Bake breadsticks in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (see note).
Recipe Notes
1. I’ve also made these with half whole wheat flour. Since wheat flour tends to be a little “thirstier” than white flour, watch the dough closely as you are adding the flour so that you don’t overflour it. When I measured I used 7 ounces of wheat flour and 10 ounces of white flour with the partial wheat batch.
2. I use the SAF brand of instant yeast that I buy in a large block and keep in the freezer in a sealed container.
3. You can also make this recipe dairy free by subbing oil for the butter. I usually don’t use as much oil. Just brush on a few tablespoons of oil over the breadsticks before sprinkling the toppings.
4. These breadsticks can be made plain or with toppings, sweet or savory. You can also combine the toppings (like garlic or seasoning salt with parmesan cheese).
5. You can fit all of the breadsticks on one half sheet pan but they will touch and be quite crowded. This is the way I usually make them and I like that they are soft on the sides. If you want to make breadsticks that are crispy on all sides, use two baking sheets and leave a space in between each breadstick. They are really yummy that way too.
6. The baking time really depends on your preference. If you like them crispy, bake them a little longer. If you like them softer go for right around the 15 minute amount. That’s usually what I go for.
7. INSTRUCTIONS FOR NO MIXER: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make these breadsticks by hand with a few changes. Stick with the amount of flour I suggest and then add a little more if it keeps sticking to your hands as you knead it. You can oil your hands a bit to help with that too. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes by hand. Then let it rise in a large greased bowl until doubled. Then form the breadsticks and let them rise a second time until doubled before baking as directed in the recipe.
8. INSTRUCTIONS FOR FREEZING: After baking, cool the breadsticks completely, then place in gallon freezer bags and freeze. They are best if frozen immediately after baking.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
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