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

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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).

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).

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.

Serve

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

• This pesto pasta with homemade basil pesto.
• Spaghetti and homemade meatballs
• This pasta primavera is one of my all-time favorites!
• Spinach tortellini or tortellini soup.

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.

Homemade Breadsticks Recipe FAQS

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