Italian Breadsticks
These Italian breadsticks bake up light and fluffy and are topped with a delicious parmesan Italian herb mixture. Serve them with marinara or your favorite dipping sauce. They’re easy to make and the perfect addition to any Italian meal!
Usually, my family devours my Homemade Crescent Rolls, but there’s just something so special about having homemade Italian breadsticks served alongside a yummy bowl of pasta! It’s an extra yummy touch! This homemade recipe is simple to put together and can be easily doubled to feed a big crowd!
Breadsticks are useful for helping you scoop up noodles and sauce – they’re like an edible spoon! When I was growing up, I vividly remember my brother’s wrapping huge amounts of spaghetti around their breadsticks and narrowly fitting it all in their mouths. It was a sight to behold! My boys aren’t spaghetti wrapping their breadsticks, but they do go back for two or three or four of these. They’re definitely a favorite bread around here!
Double rising your dough
To make this recipe, you’ll be letting your dough achieve a double rise. Each rise is fairly quick, but double rising your dough will give the yeast more time to work, giving it a stronger structure. A double rise also helps enhance the texture and flavor of the dough.
After the first rise, you’ll spread the dough out on a baking sheet coated with canola oil. Working with your hands, gently press though dough until it covers the pan. If your dough is resisting and keeps springing back, let it sit and rest for about 5 minutes. Most likely, the gluten just needs time to relax. Come back to it and try again – it should be easier to work with.
Once the dough reaches its second rise in the pan, you’re ready to score it. I like to use a bowl scraper like the one I have linked HERE. Just gently make some indentations to mark out 18 even sized breadsticks. The marks will stay indented as it bakes…making it easier to slice once it’s baked. I’m all for making things easier on myself!
Brush the top of the dough with melted butter and sprinkle on that delicious Parmesan Seasoned Topping!
Can we talk about this amazing herb topping for a sec?! It’s such a good mixture of flavors. I like to keep a supply of it in the refrigerator to have on hand. I use it in other foods like my Pizza Rollups and sometimes sprinkle it inside a toasted ham sandwich or on top of a salad. It’s just such a great combination of Italian flavors!
Bake it until it’s nice and golden. The canola oil in the bottom of the pan will give the breadsticks a kind of fried flavor! You’ll notice the bottoms get nice and golden. The flavor is amazing! Slice it up with a pizza cutter and serve the breadsticks alongside your favorite pasta or dipping sauce!
These breadsticks are absolutely amazing! You’ll fall in love with them and want to have them for every Italian meal!
Happy Baking!
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Parmesan Seasoned Breadsticks
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup warm water (110°F)
- 4 Tablespoons milk room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil plus 3 (40g)Tablespoons for coating the pan
- 2 ½ – 3 cups all-purpose flour
For brushing on the dough:
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
For Parmesan Seasoned Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the Parmesan Seasoned Topping and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, milk, yeast, sugar, salt, 2 Tablespoons of canola oil and 2 & 1/2 cups flour. Mix until well combined. Stop mixer and lightly tap on dough with fingertip. Dough should feel slightly tacky, but not wet or excessively sticky. If needed, add 1-2 Tablespoons of flour and mix until incorporated. Feel dough again. Add more flour if needed. Knead dough in mixer for 5 minutes.
- Drizzle 3 Tablespoons of canola oil onto a rimmed baking sheet, tilting the pan to completely coat the surface. Place dough on the pan and gently press the dough into a small rectangular shape. Flip it to coat both sides with the oil. Lightly cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about one hour.
- Remove plastic wrap and gently deflate risen dough. Press dough out to cover the the surface of the pan. Pull the dough, without tearing, to reach all of the outer edges of the pan. Press and smooth out any uneven parts of the dough. If the dough isn’t easily spreading and keeps springing back, let it rest for five minutes and try again – allowing the gluten to relax. Once dough is spread out to cover the surface of the baking sheet, let it rise uncovered for a second time, to puff up, double in height, about 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- With a straight edge, gently make indentations for 18 equal pieces (9 by 2). This will make it easier to slice and separate the bread sticks after baked.
- Brush the melted butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the Parmesan Seasoned Topping.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are slightly golden.
- With pizza cutter, cut the 18 breadsticks, following the indentation lines. Serve with favorite pasta or dipping sauce.
Notes
- Milk adds a softer, more moist texture to the breadsticks. If you need to leave the milk out for dietary purposes, use water and reduce by 4 Tablespoons.
- You can also use olive oil instead of canola or vegetable oil if preferred.
- This recipe can be easily doubled to feed a larger crowd. When doubling, separate mixed dough into two equal pieces and use a separate baking sheet for each, continuing with steps 3-9.
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