Garlic Breadsticks - Soft and chewy, these buttery, homemade garlic breadsticks are super tasty and easy to make. They are the perfect addition to any meal. So delicious!
1 ¼cupstepid water95-100°, divided. ¼ Cup to proof yeast, and 1 cup for the dough
1package2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
¼teaspoonsugar
3 ½cupsall purpose flour
½teaspoontable salt
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
¼cup½ stick salted butter
½teaspoongarlic salt
Instructions
Proof the Yeast. Place water, instant yeast, and sugar into a large bowl or a KitchenAid Stand Mixer with a dough hook attachment. Stir until combined and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes or until yeast begins to bubble.
Make the Dough. Add flour, salt to yeast mixture and begin mixing on low to combine, adding the water little by little as you go. Mix together until a smooth, elastic dough ball. This should come together in about 1 minute using the stand mixer.
Knead the Dough. Knead the dough for 8 minutes on low speed. The dough should feel pliable, yet not be either too firm or too sticky here. Make adjustments to the feel of the dough by either adding more water to loosen it up or more flour to make it less sticky.
First Rise (60 Minutes). (See Note 1) Rub the dough ball with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and set it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 60 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
Form Breadsticks. (See Note 2) After the doubled in size, it's time to form the breadsticks. Punch the dough down to release air from the dough.Divide the dough into twelve equal portions. You can use a handy kitchen scale to weigh proportions.Roll out each into a log form and place each on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Final Rise (30 Minutes). Cover with a flour sack towel or bus tub and let rise for about one hour or until doubled in size. Thirty minutes into this final rise, adjust the oven rack to the middle and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bake for 15 Minutes. After the final rise, uncover the breadsticks and set them on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. When the breadsticks are done baking, take them out of the oven and sent them on a rack to cool.
Finishing Touches. Melt butter and brush it over the top of the breadsticks. Sprinkle garlic salt over the tops. Add any special toppings at this point. We love to add parmesan cheese.
Serve. Serve warm with your favorite toppings or with a bowl of dunk-able soup like our delicious Cheesy Potato Soup.
Notes
Freeze or Refrigerate Dough. After the first rise, you can divide the dough in two dough balls and either refrigerate or freeze what you don't want to use right now. Coat the dough balls with a little extra virgin olive oil and put each in a separate plastic freezer bag to store. Remove from freezer and place in refrigerator to thaw. Each dough ball will take about 12 hours to thaw inside the refrigerator. Once thawed, you can form the breadsticks for the final rise.
Form Breadsticks Now/Bake Later. After forming the breadsticks, you can set them aside, covered, to be baked-off just before serving. I always do this ahead of time when I am entertaining guests and want to serve the breadsticks hot, right out of the oven.