Homemade Breadsticks Recipe

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This homemade breadsticks recipe is the best – even better than Olive Garden breadsticks! They are soft and moist with a buttery garlic topping.

a stack of 9 homemade breadsticks


I have been making this homemade breadsticks recipe for over a decade now. It was born out of my husband’s love for Olive Garden Breadsticks, and my unwillingness to dine at said location!

So I created this recipe for homemade breadsticks and even my husband agrees that they are the best!

They’re soft, moist with a delicious buttery garlic topping. They’re also fairly simple to make. Serve them alongside your favorite Italian dishes like homemade meatballs, pesto pasta, pasta primavera, tortellini soup, and so much more!

a stack of breadsticks, one with a bite taken out of it

Homemade Breadsticks Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Warm water. Make sure the water is around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Honey. granulated sugar is a good substitute for honey.
  • Salted butter. unsalted butter works well in this recipe.
  • Olive Oil. technically avocado oil or canola oil would work in this recipe – but olive oil yields the most authentic flavor.
  • All-purpose flour. bread flour is a good substitute for all-purpose flour
overhead view of the ingredients in this Homemade Breadsticks recipe

How to Make Breadsticks

This breadstick recipe has a few steps, but they’re pretty straightforward and foolproof! Let’s walk through how to make breadsticks step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Make the Topping

Begin by making the garlic topping by combining the sea salt and garlic powder in a small bowl. Then set it aside to use later.

garlic salt topping for breadsticks in a small bowl

Make the Dough

Next, make the breadstick dough my combining the water, honey and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let the mixture sit until foamy (5-10 minutes).

Alternately you can mix the ingredients together by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.

two photos showing How to Make Breadsticks - proofing the yeast

Once the yeast has proofed, add the olive oil and melted butter and stir to combine.

two photos showing How to Make Breadsticks - adding wet ingredients

Then, add 2 cups of flour and sea salt to the wet mixture and stir with the dough hook until combined.

two photos showing How to Make Breadsticks - adding flour and salt

Next, add an additional 1 cup flour and stir until incorporated. If necessary, add up to ¼ cup additional flour until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky.

Knead until dough is smooth and soft with the dough hook – or by hand.

two photos showing How to Make Breadsticks - adding more flour and the dough after kneading into a ball

Then, transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).

two photos showing How to Make Breadsticks - dough after rising in a glass mixing bowl

Form the Breadsticks

Once the dough has doubled in size, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Then, divide dough into 10 equal pieces (I suggest using a food scale and weighing the dough. For me, the entire batch weighed 804 g, divided by 10 each breadstick was 80.4g).

Roll each portion of dough out into a 10” long cylinder and place them on 2 baking sheets (5 on each), evenly spaced.

Loosely cover with a damp tea towel and let the breadsticks rise until puffed/doubled (about 30-60 minutes).

two photos showing How to Make Breadsticks - formed breadsticks on a baking sheet before and after rising the second time

Bake the Breadsticks

Once dough begins to rise, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 min or until the breadsticks are lightly browned. (note: In the photos below, the breadsticks are a little darker than I usually like them)!

Remove the breadsticks from the oven and immediately brush each one with butter, then sprinkle with garlic salt mixture.

two photos showing How to Make Breadsticks - breadsticks before and after baking

Serve

Serve the homemade breadsticks warm with your favorite Italian dishes. Here are some of our suggestions:

overhead view of 6 breadsticks on a serving board with marinara sauce

Store/Freeze

Store leftover breadsticks in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Reheat in the oven set to warm or in the microwave for 10 seconds.

a breadstick being dipped into marinara sauce

Homemade Breadsticks Recipe FAQS

Are breadsticks supposed to be hard or soft?

There are a few different varieties of breadsticks, these Olive Garden copycat breadsticks are supposed to be very soft.

What are Olive Garden breadsticks made of?

Olive garden breadsticks have many unnecessary ingredients like mono & diglycerides (a harmful emulsifier), soy (found in their garlic topping), margarine etc. That is why I chose to create this recipe for homemade breadsticks. If using organic ingredients you can ensure they are made from only flour, yeast, honey, real salted butter, pure olive oil, and fine sea salt.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, if feeding a large crowd you can double this recipe to make 20 breadsticks.

a stack of 9 homemade breadsticks

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Homemade Breadsticks Recipe

Laura
This homemade breadsticks recipe is the best – even better than Olive Garden breadsticks! They are soft and moist with a buttery garlic topping.
5 from 3 votes
Course Appetizer, bread
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 10 breadsticks
Calories 227
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time11 minutes
Rising2 hours
Total Time2 hours 31 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Breadstick dough

Topping

Instructions 

Make the Topping

  • Combine the sea salt and garlic powder in a small bowl, set aside.

Make the Dough

  • In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water, honey and yeast and let sit until foamy (5-10 minutes). (Alternately you can mix the dough by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon).
  • Add olive oil and melted butter to the proofed yeast mixture.
  • Add 2 cups flour and sea salt to the wet mixture and stir until combined.
  • Add additional 1 cup flour and stir until incorporated. If necessary, add up to ¼ cup additional flour until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky.
  • Knead until dough is smooth and soft.
  • Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).

Assemble

  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Divide dough into 10 equal pieces (I suggest using a food scale and weighing the dough. For me, the entire batch weighed 804 g, divided by 10 each breadstick was 80.4g).
  • Roll each portion of dough out into a 10” long cylinder.
  • Put on 2 baking sheets (5 on each), evenly spaced.
  • Loosely cover with a damp tea towel and let the breadsticks rise until puffed/doubled (about 30-60 minutes).

Bake

  • Once dough begins to rise, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 min or until the breadsticks are lightly browned.
  • Remove from oven and immediately brush each breadstick with butter, then sprinkle with garlic salt mixture.
  • Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Ingredients and substitutions
  • Warm water. Make sure the water is around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Honey. granulated sugar is a good substitute for honey.
  • Salted butter. unsalted butter works well in this recipe.
  • Olive Oil. technically avocado oil or canola oil would work in this recipe – but olive oil yields the most authentic flavor.
  • All-purpose flour. bread flour is a good substitute for all-purpose flour
Store/Freeze
Store leftover breadsticks in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Reheat in the oven set to warm or in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1breadstick | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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