I kind of think these easy homemade breadsticks have actual magical powers. Seriously. These bad boys have helped me make instantaneous friends at church functions when I’m the new girl and made sad people happy. My friend Natalie, who used to work as my secretary (when I was an apartment manager; I’m not cool enough to actually have a personal secretary), loved these breadsticks; I’m pretty sure she only put up with the mind-numbing inanity of the world of apartment managing because there was a reasonable guarantee that she would get breadsticks on a semi-regular basis.
I can’t take all the credit. Or any of it, really. This is my friend Lisa’s recipe. But I use it for everything–pocket sandwiches (like Hot Pockets, only not gross), breakfast pocket sandwiches, pizza crust, pizza on the grill, pizza pockets, whatever. One major advantage is that this dough is very, very forgiving. If you’re just getting started, we recommend, checking out these tips on how to work with yeast dough, but this is a great dough to start with if you’re a yeast dough virgin or if you’ve had bad experiences working with yeast in the past.
how to make them
To get started, you’ll need some yeast, sugar, and warm water. The water needs to be about 105-115 degrees F, which you can measure with a thermometer if you want, but I always say water hot enough that would feel like a hot shower but not so hot you wouldn’t want to wash your hair or your face in it. If it’s not warm enough, the yeast won’t activate and if it’s too hot, the yeast will die. The sugar feeds the yeast.
In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water,
sugar, and yeast.
Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.
Add salt
and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour
and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl
and it barely sticks to your finger.
Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
before
after
While the dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Remove from bowl and place on a surface sprayed with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.
Roll out each piece of dough into a snake about 18″ long, then drape the middle of the “snake” over your forefinger
and twist the dough.
Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it’s okay if they’re close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures!
Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.
When there’s about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 12-15 minutes (it will depend on your oven) or until golden on top.
Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning
or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt (or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. I did that once. It was awesome). If you’d like, you can serve with marinara for dipping.
They’re amazing hot, but I’m not gonna lie, they’re also pretty amazing at 11 pm when your kids are in bed and you’re pondering the meaning of life in the dark in the kitchen.
Breadsticks
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup warm 105-115 degrees water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Butter
- Garlic Bread Seasoning
Instructions
- In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.
- Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.
- Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. While the dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Remove from bowl and place on a surface sprayed with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.
- Roll out each piece of dough into a snake about 18" long, then drape the middle of the "snake" over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it’s okay if they’re close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures!
- Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.
- When there’s about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 12-15 minutes (it will depend on your oven) or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt.
Notes
Serving suggestions:
- Omit garlic bread seasoning and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar; dip in cream cheese frosting
- Serve alongside homemade pizza sauce for dipping
Questions & Reviews
I should have reviewed this much earlier, as I have been using this recipe for over a year. I love the bread sticks, but agree with another reviewer that much more salt is needed. I have also used this for pizza and calzones and it has turned out perfect every time. I usually make a double batch and freeze 1/2 of the dough (after the first rising). I have also frozen the bread sticks after I have baked them. I wrap them in foil, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes and they are perfect. Thank you for such a versatile recipe that my family uses often!
I usually make homemade pizza on Friday night and I decided to switch it up and try this crust and your pizza sauce! My husband said it was a winner, so I will not be going back to my old recipe. Thanks for a winning recipe!
Hello! I am hosting Bunco ( a dice game ) at my house tomorrow for a bunch of church ladies. I want to make these to go along with lasagna but I don’t want to have to make them tomorrow because I will be cleaning my house all……day! Can I prepare the dough ahead of time and refrigerate until tomorrow?
These are very good! I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to make. I am not a novice but certainly not a pro at yeast bread making either 🙂 I made these tonight with our mushroom marinara and spaghetti. I wanted to add a little something more authentic with our meal that’s why I opted for homemade bread sticks. I am so glad I found this site! Delicious and so easy. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I will be making these again.
~Sherlock
Can’t wait to try these tonight! Since I only cook for two, do you think I could freeze the extra sticks and just thaw out before baking next time?
I’ve never tried it, but I imagine it would be fine! 🙂
please let me know how to freeze these, and in what stage? before baking, or raw, or after?
thanks
Phyllis
Check out the response to Melissa G. just above you! 🙂
Made the breadsticks tonight and my husband actually said, “These are the best breadsticks I have ever had.” I thought all of the previous reviews were a little exaggerated, but now I finally understand the special powers of these breadsticks!!!
They made these at the Pizza Factory in St. George, UT and wrap them around a stick, then bake. Serve them in a vase. Yummy
It depends how thick you like your crust but yes, generally speaking, you could get two pizzas out of this recipe! 🙂
Hi. Love your blog!! When you make this recipe for pizza dough, does it make enough for one pizza? Or could it be enough for two pizzas?
Thank you!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this dough! In the last two weeks I’ve made breadsticks (Parmesan batch & cinnamon sugar batch), BBQ chicken & Chicken Alfredo (with your guiltless Alfredo recipe!) pizzas on the grill and made a ham/bacon/Swiss Stromboli. This is definitely a keeper. I’ve made the Stromboli with many different doughs (store bought French dough and at least two other pizza dough recipes). My husband declared this one the favorite! And it is so easy! For some reason the last couple dough recipes I tried have flopped. Yours turns out perfect every time!
So, I don’t know if i am just slow or what, but I noticed that in the pictures of the ingredients there was a small shot glass of milk, but it wasn’t on the actual list of ingredients. Am I missing something?
Hi, Natalie! It’s actually a shot glass of sugar (which is the naughtier version of “A Spoonful of Sugar…”)
I am lost on the twisting part! I have made these twice, tasted great, but sooooo ugly! Halfway through the second batch of twisting I gave up and did flat ones. Can you show some pictures of how to twist these? Thanks!
Ok, so I know it has been a while since you asked this, but if you come back again (since this is the 5th time I am trying to make these and still wasn’t sure) or if anyone else is having this same problem, I *think* you roll your strips into snakes then fold it over your finger and twist the two halves together. Someone else mentioned this and all I know is they look a WHOLE lot better than the lame strips I was making
I made this dough the other day, fully intending to make the Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Stuffed Pizza Rolls, but ran out of time before the sitter arrived. So I had leftover dough, chicken, and bacon in my fridge all weekend, and finally decided to make cinammon rolls from the dough before it was ruined. I used your cinnamon roll filling from the “Everyday Cinnamon Roll” recipe, topped them with some store-bought cream cheese frosting (I know, the horror, but I had gotten it free with a coupon and “needed” to use it up somehow), and they turned out DELICIOUS!!! Can’t imagine how good your cinnamon rolls would be if I actually followed the cinnamon roll recipe! Thanks!
By the way, I used Johnny’s garlic bread seasoning. They have it at my Costco.
Made these breadsticks tonight for the first time and they were a HIT!!!! My 5 year old asked if she could marry them lol! Super delicous. Can’t wait to make them for a crowd.
I am really dying to try these breadsticks/pizza dough. But I have one silly question…
What is the difference between Kosher Salt and Iodized Salt?? I must use Kosher, right?
BTW, L.O.V.E your blog. I recommend it to EVERYONE!
Well, we tried this recipe for the first time tonight. They were awesome until the dog ate them all before we could put them away…
So to clarify…I already made them and (obviously) twisted them wrong…to twist them by your description you dangle them in half in snake form over your finger and then twist the two halves together?
I felt so stupid not understanding (I’m a ridiculously novice cook), am worried I used too much flour (but the dough rose well), etc.
Hopefully they turn out good!
Oh my goodness, THANK YOU!! I have made these probably 4 or 5 times and could not figure out the “twist” part (and I consider myself a little more than a novice cook, maybe slightly intermediate)
But I think you are right, you fold it in half over your finger and then twist the two halves together!!! I am so happy….I just re-twisted after 15 minutes of my foot long funny looking snakes rising, I hope they work!
I LOVE Your website!!!! Just a quick question…. for the breadsticks do you butter and put the garlic bread seasoning on before or after baking?? Thanks!!
Hi, Erica!! I put them on after baking, but I know some people swear by putting them on before baking. I’m always afraid of deflating the dough by brushing the butter on first, plus I’ve just always done it that way…:)
I made the dough for the first time this afternoon with full intention of making the breadsticks. However, as it was getting late in the day we decided to make pizzas instead. Now i pride myself on my homemade pizza/dough…but this was a complete halleluja moment! I baked the pizzas (simply dressed with sauce, fresh mozzarrela and proscuitto) on our pizza stone and we tucked in. This was THE best pizza/crust i’ve ever tasted. The crust was crisp and light and perfect. (i used polenta on my pizza peel and stone to make the transfer easier) My husband was just as enthusiastic and is VERY happy that there are left-overs for tomorrow!
So I love the summer weather and cooking over the fire. We decided to try mini pizzas this weekend and they worked great! I used this pizza recipe dough, let it raise and rolled it into mini-pizzas (about 5 in. diameter). We then pre-cooked the crusts for about 10 minutes until they were done but still not golden. Then we packed up our car and took PLENTY of pizza toppings including BBQ chicken, grilled onions and peppers, artichoke hearts, bacon, and even cream cheese and apples for a dessert pizza. When we got to our camp site we each made our own little pizza, wrapped them in tin foil, and stuck them in the fire for a few minutes. These were delicious. By pre-cooking the bread, we only had to wait for the cheese to melt and they turned out amazing. Everyone loved them and we’re excited to have this as a new choice for our campouts.
I have recently found your blog and LOVE your recipes! I tried these bread sticks today and they did not turn out well for me. :(. They weren’t soft at all. They were hard and stiff. Do you think I put in too much flour? I am a pretty experienced cook but for some reason yeast breads never turn out right for me! I really want to give these another try.
Hi, Leigh! What a bummer. It does sound like you probably used too much flour. Seriously, it’s better to have too little than too much. You want it so it’s pulling away from the sides of your bowl and barely sticks to your finger. I hope you try them again! 🙂
I am making these breadsticks right now and hope to try the recipe for pizza dough as well. Could you tell me approximately how big of a rectangle you rolled out or the thickness of the rectangle and about how big the breadsticks are pre- twisting? Mine seem kind of skinny…but they’re on the second rise so hopefully they’ll plump up. Thanks!
I was disappointed with these. I am a veteran bread maker – I make all of our bread from scratch – even hamburger and hot dog buns. So I should have known that only 1/2 tsp. of salt was not near enough for 3+ cups of flour (I ended up using 3.5 so it was really lacking). I want to try them again – only this time I will start with 1 1/2 tsp. of salt (3 times as much!) which is what I use for my loaf bread with 3c. flour. That should make a marked improvement – as it was, for us, these were bland.
Tried this yesterday, but I think I made some error in measuring the flour. Yeast was all bubbly, but I left it lot longer than 10 mins. I measured exactly 4.5 cups of all-purpose flour. I did everything as the recipe asked. But the 4.5 cup of flour wasn’t enough. The dough kept on sticking to my hand. I am very new to this and while measuring the flour I used a tip from another recipe (sugar cookies which turned out lovely) – never scoop flour with a measuring cup, always use a normal spoon to fill the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Could it be the reason, that I accidentally used less flour? I couldn’t even roll it nicely and I had to use more floor. Also to stop the stickiness I even used some olive oil too. However I managed to make 8 rolls and they were ok :(.
Made these last night – husband and kids loved them! Super easy, although the hardest part was mixing the dough in my Bosch mixer (too big for a small amount of dough! Had to keep stopping to mix it together by hand). If I doubled the recipe next time to allow my mixer more to work with, could I freeze half the dough? Before or after first rise? How would I work with it later? Thanks for your help!
Hey, Allyson! I’m so sorry I’m just getting back to you! Yep, you could definitely double this and freeze the other half. When you’re ready to use the frozen portion, just place it on the counter first thing in the morning and by the time you’re ready for dinner, the dough will be perfect. Hope that helps!!
I just made these tonight for dinner with pasta! YUM! YUM! YUM! I am in heaven! (And so is my husband!) Thanks so much for the great and super easy recipe! I didn’t know those two words could exist together in a bread recipe! I told my husband I wanted your recipe book for Mother Day! I can’t wait to get it!
I just made this recipe into the cinnamon sugar version…. now I just need the sweet cream recipe that the Pizza factory serves them with….
My husband has been craving breadsticks and ceasar salad, but my breadstick recipe is really involved. I am totally switching to this one so his craving can be satisfied. 🙂
They look and sound wonderful!
I wish it was not such a “cool” day here, or I would make these.
I am afraid it is to cool for the dough to rise. 🙁