Perfect Bread Sticks with Buttery Garlic Topping

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Perfect Bread Sticks with Buttery Garlic Topping

The name says it all for these bread sticks. They are a great accompaniment for Italian meals or with soups and stews.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Resting Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 50 mins

Servings: bread sticks

Calories: 177kcal

Author: Terri @ that's some good cookin'

Ingredients

For the Dough:

1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast (I used SAF instant yeast)
pinch of sugar
3/4 cup warm milk, (warm in microwave or in pot on stove--just warm, not hot)
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3-3 1/2 cups white flour

For the garlic bread topping:

3 tablespoons dry, grated Parmesan cheese (yes, like the kind in the green bottle)
2 tablespoons dry granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dry parsley flakes, crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dry basil flakes, crushed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dry oregano flakes, crushed
6 tablespoons butter

Instructions

For the dough:

Pour yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar. Stir well. Allow yeast to proof until bubbly and active, about 5-10 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the proofed yeast, warm milk, oil, eggs, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour.
With the paddle attachment, on low speed mix ingredients for five minutes. The batter should be smooth.
Change to the dough hook and add 1 cup of flour. Mix on low speed until flour is incorporated. Add only enough remaining flour, a little at a time, until a medium soft dough forms. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky.
Continue to knead the dough in the mixer or by hand on a lightly floured counter-top until smooth and elastic. There will be very small bubbles just under the surface of the dough when it has been kneaded enough.
Gather dough into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turn dough over once so that the surface is lightly coated with oil. Cover bowl with a slightly damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Punch dough down and work out the large yeasty bubbles. Divide into 16 equal sized pieces. The use of a kitchen scale will help to make the pieces equal in weight, if you care about that sort of thing ;).
Working each piece of dough against the counter-top, form 16 ropes, about 6-inches long.
Using two, parchment lined or well greased baking sheets, place 8 ropes on each sheet. Cover with damp kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with Garlic Bread Topping.

For the garlic bread topping:

In a small mixing bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Set aside. Note: The ingredients can also be placed in a jar and shaken. Only 1 tablespoon of this mix will be used in this recipe. The remaining mix can easily be stored in the jar in the refrigerator.
Melt butter in a small bowl in microwave. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the garlic bread topping into the melted butter. Brush each hot breadstick with a little over 1 teaspoon of the mixture. Serve.

Notes

When working with yeast dough, watch the amount flour that is added to the dough. It is easy to add too much flour, making a heavy end product. Fresh out of the oven, the warm bread will taste terrific, but as the bread product cools, it becomes heavy and dry.
Proper kneading is key to great texture. Kneading develops the gluten, which is the 'secret ingredient' in a soft, yet slightly chewy texture.
The Yeast. Put the yeast in warm water or milk, about 110-degrees F. If the water or milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If the liquid is too cold, the yeast will not activate. Inactive yeast will just sit there, doing nothing, and your bread will not rise. If you're into flat, brickbat bread that tastes like yeast, then by all means mess up the yeast. Sugar, just a pinch, is needed to help activate the yeast; it's what the yeast eats to expand (don't we all!) With a little practice, proofing yeast will become second nature.

Nutrition