Easy Breadsticks
on Feb 25, 2019, Updated May 08, 2024
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Light and fluffy Breadsticks make the perfect addition to pasta night! They could not be easier to make, easy to cut, and bake. Serve your breadsticks plain or or top them with garlic butter!
Breadsticks are such an easy side to add to any meal! Every time we make homemade pizza I like to whip together a batch of these delicious breadsticks since it doesn’t really take any extra time.
This is the same dough recipe that I use in my perfect pizzeria-style crust recipe. I seriously use this dough all of the time! The dough makes 2 large pizzas or 1 large pizza and about a dozen bread sticks. I normally double the recipe and make 2 pizzas, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can add flavor your breadsticks with a variety of toppings and seasonings.
- These breadsticks are soft, chewy, and delicious!
- They don’t require a lot of time or energy to make.
Recipe Ingredients
- Water—Make sure it is warm.
- Yeast—To give the breadsticks their rise and texture.
- Sugar—Feeds the yeast.
- Salt—Balances the flavor of your breadsticks
- Olive Oil—Locks in the moisture of your breadsticks
- Flour—All-purpose.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Breadsticks
- Whisk together the water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and let the mixture sit for a few minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead the dough on a well-floured surface. Once kneaded, allow the dough to sit in a bowl covered with plastic wrap until it has about doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven while the dough is rising.
- Roll the dough out and use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the dough into a dozen sticks.
- Bake the breadsticks until they begin to lightly brown.
Recipe FAQs
If your yeast has been around for a while then it is a good idea to make sure it is still good. Add 1/4 teaspoon of your yeast and a pinch of sugar to a bowl of warm water. Wait for 5 minutes. If the yeast is still active, you will see little bubbles along the top of the water and it will start to foam.
One of my favorite ways to add flavor to my breadsticks is to brush the tops with garlic butter before they go in the oven. You can also sprinkle them with freshly grated parmesan and Italian seasoning.
Let’s be honest, breadsticks can really hold their own without anything else! However, if you are looking for a more well-balanced meal then you can serve your breadsticks alongside your favorite meal. We like to pair our breadsticks with a homemade lasagna.
Expert Tips
- It is important to knead the bread until it’s soft and tender. It shouldn’t be sticky when you are done kneading it.
- You can roll it out and cut it right on a baking mat or on parchment paper OR you can roll and cut the bread sticks out on your counter top and then transfer each one to a baking sheet. Both are great and easy options.
- For some extra flavor, brush the tops of the hot breadsticks with butter when they come out of the oven and then sprinkles them with a little Parmesan cheese.
- In addition to making breadsticks, you can use this dough to make delicious pizzas.
How to Store Your Breadsticks
If you have any leftover breadsticks then you can store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days and in the fridge for up to a week. Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Make sure you keep them in an airtight container to keep them fresh. When you are ready to enjoy your frozen breadsticks, simply let them thaw and then heat them up in the microwave.
More Delicious Quick Bread Recipes
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Easy Breadsticks Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Allow mixture to stand for 5 minutes.
- Add one cup of flour and mix to combine. Add another cup of flour and mix through. Mix for 1 or 2 minutes. The dough should be the consistency of cake batter.
- Add another cup of flour and mix through. Add flour until you can’t mix it by hand very well.
- Sprinkle some flour on your table and turn the dough onto the table. Knead the dough by hand until it is smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed. This should take 6 to 10 minutes of kneading.
- Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 15 to 60 minutes (this time varies a lot for me, I just let it rise according to how long it is until dinner time).
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide the dough in half. Use one half for a pizza and the other half for breadsticks or use both halves for breadsticks. Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment (about a half inch thick) and then use your pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 strips (about one and a half inches wide).
- Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until the bread sticks are light brown. If the bread sticks stick together a little, just re-cut them after they have baked.
- If you want more breadsticks, repeat, but if you want a pizza, use the other half of the dough for a pizza crust. (Here’s a full post on how to turn this recipe into pizza.)
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
- It is important to knead the bread until it’s soft and tender. It shouldn’t be sticky when you are done kneading it.
- You can roll it out and cut it right on a baking mat or on parchment paper OR you can roll and cut the bread sticks out on your counter top and then transfer each one to a baking sheet. Both are great and easy options.
- For some extra flavor, brush the tops of the hot breadsticks with butter when they come out of the oven and then sprinkles them with a little Parmesan cheese.
- In addition to making breadsticks, you can use this dough to make delicious pizzas.
Wonderful recipe! So easy & they look perfect 👌🏻 This is a keeper! Thank you.
Such an easy and nice recipe, perfect with some dips when having guests. It is funny, you said that you always make pizza on Fridays. I don’t make it every week, but when I do make pizza then ALWAYS on Friday. 🙂 No idea why, I have never purposely thought about it, I suppose Friday just seems the right day to eat pizza.
What is it with pizza and Fridays, lol. Same here, it always seems to be on a Friday! Happy homemade pizza and bread stick making!
My kids love cheesy bread whenever we order pizza (and cinnamon sticks). What do you think the best way would be to make these delicious looking breadsticks, cheesy inside breadsticks?
Just discovered your blog and I can’t wait to make some of these awesome recipes!
Hmmm. The most I’ve done is add some Parmesan on top but that sure isn’t pizzeria cheese bread. Did you try it?! I’d love to know what you did because my kids would LOVE cheese sticks!
Can you freeze these?
Can you use this for garlic breadsticks? If so how?
If we want them garlicy I’ll just melt a little butter and throw in some garlic powder and then brush that over the cooked bread sticks when they come out of the oven. EASY!
Thank you! I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Melissa…thanks for all the wonderful recipes. I’m new to clean eating and your blog, so forgive me if you mention this elsewhere, but what is your preferred flour? I notice in many of your recipes you simply say “flour,” so I didn’t know if I should assume simply ww or a different kind? Also, I’m assuming when just yeast is stated its active dry yeast and not rapid rise? Thanks for your help!
Thanks for asking Morgan! If I use whole wheat I probably tell you, or I’ll mention it in the notes of the recipe. I get nervous making everything WW because I’m afraid people won’t make it, so I normally have tried all the recipes using both. The bread sticks that you have commented on are definitely ones I make whole wheat 90% of the time. I grind my own white wheat berries so I have the equivalent of white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour (I like a fine grind), both of those you could buy but they are bit nicer to work with than just traditional store bought whole wheat. I use rapid rise but I have used active dry a lot. I prefer the rapid rise because I think swear that the active has an after taste that no one can taste but me, but it bothers me. But as far as rising go, both work well. Does that help?! ENJOY!
Great! Thanks, Melissa! I appreciate the help! (this is my first week of clean eating so Im allowing myself a cheat or two…your chocolate chip cookie recipe might have to be one of those!)
Well if you are eating clean to lose weight that might not help, but if you are eating clean to overhaul and do a lifestyle change than you SO need those cookies (they are totally party of my 80/20 rule!) They will be the most amazing cookies you’ve ever eat. Guaranteed! Good luck girl and feel free to contact me. I love this topic!
The breadsticks look great. What is that dipping sauce?
It’s pretty much an Alfredo with cream cheese and spinach! I used it as the sauce for a pizza that turned out fabulous! Don’t worry, that recipe is coming up 🙂