Quick and easy homemade Breadsticks made right in your own kitchen! Choose your seasoning topping and you’ll feel like you’re running your own restaurant!
While breadsticks are often associated with Italian food, I can’t really think of a single recipe that wouldn’t be made better by a warm breadstick. Consider enjoying these with Chicken Cordon Bleu or Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops.
What I LOVE about this recipe:
- Light and airy: The breadstick dough bakes up so fluffy and soft, better than anything from the store.
- Adaptable: You can make these breadsticks into homemade Olive Garden breadsticks (see below) or I have several other ideas for toppings and dipping sauces, listed below in the post.
- Freezer friendly: You can freeze the dough before baking, or the baked breadsticks (see instructions below).
How to Make Breadsticks:
1. Proof yeast: Add warm water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and stir gently. Rest for 5 minutes. The yeast should lightly foam on top. If it doesn’t, the yeast may not be fresh. (If using Instant yeast, skip this step and add all of the ingredients to the bowl.)
2. Make dough: Add 1 ½ cups flour, salt and vegetable oil and mix on medium speed, to combine. Add another 1 ½ cups flour. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still be very slightly sticky to the touch. Add remaining ¼ cup of flour, only if needed. Knead mixture for 5-7 minutes.
3. Let rise: Transfer dough to a large, greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rest until double in size, about 1.5 hours.
4. Shape breadsticks: Once risen, punch dough down and divide it into 12 equal parts. Roll each piece of dough into a 9 inch rope and transfer to a greased cookie sheet.
5. Second rise. Cover and allow to rise again for 1 hour.
6. Bake breadsticks at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, brush tops with butter and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
7. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container, or in the freezer.
Breadstick Toppings and Variations:
- Garlic Butter topping (Olive Garden style): combine 2 Tablespoons salted butter and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Mix and spread over warm breadsticks from the oven.
- Cheesy Breadsticks: After rolling out the breadstick dough and placing on a baking sheet, spread the uncooked breadsticks with melted butter. Sprinkle ½ cup finely shredded cheese on top (I like to use ¼ cup parmesan cheese and ¼ cup mozzarella cheese). Cover, rise, and bake as directed.
- Little Caesars Crazy Bread: top with garlic butter (above) and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top
- Cinnamon Sugar Breadsticks: After rolling out dough and placing on a baking sheet, spread the uncooked breadsticks with 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Combine ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon sugar and sprinkle over breadsticks. Cover, rise, and bake as directed.
- Dipping sauce: Marinara sauce, ranch, Vanilla glaze, or Balsamic Bread Dip
- Gluten-free breadsticks: Substitute gluten free baking flour cup for cup. This will slightly alter the texture of the breadsticks/
- Vegan breadsticks: These breadsticks are vegan by nature. Use vegan oil and substitute vegan butter for topping the breadsticks.
Make ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To freeze the breadstick dough: Make the recipe to step 5, allowing the dough to rise once, punching down, and shaping it into breadsticks. Before the second rise, spray a piece of plastic wrap and place it lightly over the dough. Place the cookie sheet into the freezer and flash freeze the dough for 1 hour. Once frozen, place breadstick dough into a freezer safe ziplock and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight (for at least 12 hours). When ready to bake, place frozen dough on a cookie sheet and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Continue with step 6 of the recipe.
Freezing baked breadsticks: Allow to cool completely and store breadsticks in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or gently warm in oven or microwave.
Breadsticks pair perfectly with Italian food!
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Recipe
Easy Homemade Breadsticks
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 Tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola oil), or melted butter
- butter, for brushing on rolls
Instructions
- Add 1 ½ cups flour, salt and vegetable oil and mix on medium speed, to combine.
- Add another 1 ½ cups flour. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still be very slightly sticky to the touch. Add remaining ¼ cup of flour, only if needed. Knead mixture for 5-7 minutes.Â
- Transfer dough to a large, greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rest until double in size, about 1.5 hours.
- Once risen, punch dough down and divide it into 12 equal parts. Roll each piece of dough into a 9 inch rope and transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for 1 hour.
- Bake breadsticks at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, brush tops with butter and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
- Serve warm. Store in a airtight container, or in the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this post September 2014. Updated April 2020 with process photos and freezing instructions.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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I’m so glad I found your recipe. They are so easy and I make so many different varieties from this one dough. We like all the suggestions like cinnamon and garlic cheese. I have dough rising for dinner right now. Yummy!q
Such an easy and delicious recipe! My first time making breadsticks and they came out amazing. I put parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic salt on top. So yummy.
Me again! I used this dough to make cheese stuffed breadsticks. Followed the directions to a T but wrapped the rolled dough around mozzarella cut into 4″ x 1/2″ rectangles. Did the second rise and baked. Love this dough so much.