An Inspired Cook

What goes better with pasta and meat sauce than a warm crusty breadstick. Breadstick dough is pretty close to pizza dough, some say they are interchangeable. I find that most breadstick recipes add more sugar than pizza dough. Also breadsticks are baked at a lower temperature than pizza. But whatever the differences, wouldn’t you agree that breadsticks pair perfectly with pasta, soup or a salad. I did use my favorite pizza dough recipe as a guide but made a few tweaks that I think worked out pretty good. These breadsticks are crispy on the outside with a soft airy texture on the inside. Once they are out of the oven, brush some melted butter over each breadstick and sprinkle a mix of parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and Italian seasonings over top for the ultimate flavor burst. I could make a meal out of breadsticks and marinara sauce but I will try to curb my cravings. But I do think soup, salad and pasta with breadsticks will be on the menu this week until they are all gone!

You don’t need to have a mixer to make breadsticks, but I find it easier. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine warm water, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil. Allow a few minutes for the yeast to activate and begin to bubble.

Begin to add the flour a cup at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to make a dough.

Once the dough comes together, add the dough hook to the mixer and blend on low until all the flour has been incorporated and begins to pull away from the bowl.

All the dough has been incorporated and formed into a ball. The dough should be wet and sticky

Sprinkle flour over a work surface and knead into the dough until it is workable and formed into a ball. Place the dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm space to rise.

Allow the dough to double in size. Before you begin to form your breadsticks, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Lay the cut breadsticks on the paper, spaced apart and cover with plastic wrap. Again, place in a warm place to rise. I must confess that I have a hard time shaping breadsticks like a rope. I find it easier to roll out the dough in a rectangle to 3/4 inch thickness. Then I use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter to slice through the dough to make 1-1 1/2 inch long strips approximately 8 inches long. Tuck any excess dough underneath if necessary. It may not look pretty to begin with but forming raw dough is forgiving once it is set to rise a 2nd time and baked. It will come out of the oven looking more rounded.

After 20 minutes, the dough has expanded in size, I let it set for an additional 10 minutes before I was satisfied that it had doubled in size and ready to go into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until the breadsticks are golden brown.

They come out of the oven warm, golden and fragrant. I’ve never made a perfectly straight breadstick but for me this is good!

While they are warm, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and brush the tops of each breadstick. Mix the parmesan/garlic/salt/Italian seasonings together and sprinkle over the warm breadsticks with melted butter.

I wish you could smell this wonderful aroma!

Breadsticks

2 1/2 cups Bread Flour
1 cup Warm Water
2 1/4 teaspoons Yeast
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Garlic/Parmesan Topping

3 tablespoons Butter, melted
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, can use freshly grated Parmesan or Kraft Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon dried Parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil. Allow a few minutes for the yeast to activate and begin to bubble up.

Add a cup of flour and stir with a wooden spoon to combine with the yeast mixture. Add another cup and when the dough begins to form, add a dough hook and begin to knead on low speed until the flour has been incorporated. Add remaining flour and continue to knead until all the flour is incorporated and pulls away from the bowl forming a ball. The dough should be wet and sticky.

Transfer the dough to a work station that has been generously sprinkled with flour. Gently knead the flour into the dough just until it is workable and form into a ball. Place dough in a bowl, place plastic wrap over top and set to rise in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After the dough has doubled in size, punch down and form into a rectangle. Roll the dough out to approximately 3/4 inch thickness. Use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter to slice 1 – 1 1/2 inch strips. I had 12 strips in total. Tuck the edges under if needed. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. Lay the strips of dough on the baking sheets allowing a little bit of space between each one. Place plastic wrap over the dough and place in a warm space to rise. Let rise approximately 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap and place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the breadsticks are golden brown.

Melt butter and brush over warm breadsticks. Mix together the parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder and dried seasonings. Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the breadsticks. Makes approximately 12 breadsticks.