These are so easy to make that you'll be looking for things to serve them with! Next time try this easy, 30 minute baguette! It's perfect for garlic bread.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- soft and chewy like Fazoli's or Olive Garden
- so much buttery garlic flavor
- so easy to make breadsticks from scratch
Big, soft, and dripping with garlic butter - breadsticks are the best thing about eating at an Italian restaurant like Olive Garden or Fazoli's!
They're even better when you make them at home because they're so fresh and you can have just as many as you want - better get your sweatpants on.
Unlimited garlic breadsticks. Mmmmm.....
🧾 Ingredients
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🔪 Instructions
Step one: make the dough
This is easiest if you make it in a stand mixer - you can make it by hand but you'll need to knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add ½ cup of the warm water, the packet of yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar together in a small bowl. Whisk to blend and set aside about 5 minutes or until foamy.
- Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the remaining water, sugar, and about 1 ½ cups of flour.
- Beat on medium speed until the mixture forms a smooth batter. Add the cooled melted butter, the remaining salt, and about a cup more of flour.
- Continue to beat on low speed until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook.
- On low speed add a little of the remaining flour and knead with the dough hook, adding more flour, until the dough is smooth and elastic (see tips). You may need a bit more flour than called for in the recipe - especially if you used cup measure rather than weighing it.
- Form the dough into a smooth ball.
Step two: first rise, shaping, & second rise
- Butter a large bowl and transfer the dough to it. Turn the ball of dough over so it is buttered on all sides.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and set in a warm place to rise until doubled. This will take an hour to an hour and a half.
- You can stop at this point, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Begin again about 1 hour before dinner to have fresh breadsticks with dinner.
- After the dough has risen punch it down.
- I like to weigh it and divide into 12 equal pieces. Let the pieces rest about 10 minutes - it makes them easier to roll.
- Roll each piece into an 8-10 inch rope and place them on a parchment covered cookie sheet.
- Lightly brush with melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled - 30 minutes to an hour.
Step three: baking
- Melt the remaining butter. Mix the salt, garlic powder, and oregano in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Brush the breadsticks with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder mixture. Place in the oven.
- After 5 minutes brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder mixture and return to the oven for about 8 to 10 more minutes, or until they are golden brown and done.
- Remove from oven. Brush generously with remaining butter and sprinkle with garlic powder mixture.
⏰ How to make breadsticks ahead of time
Follow the instructions above all the way through shaping the breadsticks.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper that's been sprayed with nonstick spray.
- Brush the breadsticks lightly with melted butter.
- Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with nonstick spray and cover the unbaked breadsticks tightly with the sprayed side toward the dough, sealing the plastic wrap around the baking sheet.
- Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake remove from the refrigerator.
- Let rise for 2 hours.
- Brush with melted butter and bake as directed above.
🧊How to freeze unbaked breadsticks
- Make the dough as directed through the shaping of the breadsticks.
- Follow the instructions for making the breadsticks ahead of time but place in the freezer for 2 hours.
- Remove from baking sheet.
- Place in airtight freezer container with parchment paper between the layers and freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw and bake:
- Place frozen breadsticks on a parchment covered baking sheet.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking as directed in recipe.
🥐 How to make "brown and serve" breadsticks
Follow the instructions for Fazzoli's breadstick recipe above all the way through putting the breadsticks in the oven.
- Bake for 6 minutes or just until done but not until golden brown - interior temperature will be about 195F.
- Remove from oven and let come to room temperature.
- Flash freeze right on the baking sheet.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To bake preheat the oven to 350F. Place frozen breadsticks on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic mixture.
- Bake until golden brown.
- Brush with more butter and garlic.
- Serve hot.
🥄 Equipment
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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
🥫 Storage
These soft garlic butter breadsticks are best the day they are made. You can store leftovers tightly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
Freeze for longer storage.
🔥 To reheat
Wrap in aluminum foil and reheat in a 325F oven for 10 minutes or until hot.
🧊 To freeze baked garlic bread sticks
- Let the breadsticks cool to room temperature.
- Wrap in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil. This helps prevent freezer burn.
- Freeze for up to three months.
To serve: thaw and warm in a 350F oven.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: Make sure all ingredients are comfortably warm - about 110F. Use an instant read thermometer if you aren't sure.
- Weighing the flour will give you the best results - sometimes 16 ounces of flour can be 3 cups and sometimes 3 ½ depending on a lot of variables.
- You can use bread flour if you prefer.
- When dough is smooth and elastic it will feel similar to your earlobe if you pinch it. It will also "pull back" if you stretch it away from the main ball of dough.
- I removed 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and substituted it with 3 tablespoons of gluten flour for a chewier texture.
- Sprinkle the bread sticks with a little Parmesan cheese when you brush them with butter the last time.
- The easiest ( and best) way to divide the breadstick dough evenly is to weigh it. Divide it into 12 2-ounce pieces. Since they are all the same size they will bake more evenly.
- I like the flavor of butter in these but you can use olive oil for a more traditional flavor if you prefer.
👩🍳 FAQs
They use a liquid butter substitute called "whirl". We're using real butter so expect these to be SO much yummier!
You can eat them plain as a side with pasta or other Italian style food or as an appetizer with a dip like warm marinara.
Yes. Just add the instant yeast in with your dry ingredients and continue with the recipe as written.
Using garlic salt instead of a combination of kosher salt and garlic powder tends to make these too salty because you can't control the amounts.
🍽️ Serve with...
Soft, buttery homemade breadsticks go with everything! Serve this easy breadstick recipe with:
📚 Related recipes
You might also like these soft & fluffy cloverleaf rolls!
📞 The last word
Don't you love that moment when you're driving home and there's a batch of warm, buttery, garlic breadsticks on the seat?
You know not all of them are going to make it into the house. Your family knows not all of them are going to make it into the house.
The question is just how many are actually going to make it to the dinner table. Because... yum.
Only these are better, y'all.
SO SO much better. Try them with a big bowl of lasagna soup...OMG!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Soft Garlic Breadsticks
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 package yeast, ¼ ounce or 21/4 teaspoons
- 1 cup warm water, 110°F - divided use
- 2 tablespoons sugar, divided use
- 16 ounces all- purpose flour, about 3 to 3 ½ cups
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, if using table salt just use 1 teaspoon
Garlic Seasoning
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon oregano, optional
Instructions
Breadsticks
- Melt the butter. Set aside to let cool to at least 110°F.
- Add ½ cup of the warm water, the packet of yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar together in a small bowl. Whisk to blend and set aside about 5 minutes or until foamy.
- Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the remaining water, sugar, and about 1 ½ cups of the flour.
- Beat on medium speed until the mixture forms a smooth batter.
- Add the cooled melted butter, the remaining salt, and about a cup more of the flour.
- Continue to beat on low speed until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook.
- On low speed add a little of the remaining flour and knead with the dough hook, adding more flour, until the dough is smooth and elastic (see tips). You may need a bit more flour than called for in the recipe - especially if you used cup measure rather than weighing it.
- Form the dough into a smooth ball.
- Butter a large bowl and transfer the dough to it. Turn the ball of dough over so it is buttered on all sides.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and set in a warm place to rise until doubled. This will take an hour to an hour and a half.
- You can stop at this point, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Begin again about 1 hour before dinner to have fresh breadsticks with dinner.
Shaping
- After the dough has risen punch it down.
- I like to weigh it and divide into 12 equal pieces.
- Let the pieces rest about 10 minutes - it makes them easier to roll.
- Roll each piece into an 8-10 inch rope and place them on a parchment covered cookie sheet.
- Lightly brush with melted butter.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled - 30 minutes to an hour.
Baking
- Melt the remaining butter.
- Mix the salt, garlic powder, and oregano in a small bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Brush the breadsticks with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder mixture.
- Place in the oven.
- After 5 minutes brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder mixture and return to the oven for about 8 to 10 more minutes, or until done and golden brown.
- Remove from oven. Brush generously with remaining butter and sprinkle with garlic powder mixture.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Weighing the flour will give you the best results - sometimes 16 ounces of flour can be 3 cups and sometimes 3 ½ depending on a lot of variables.
- You can use bread flour if you prefer.
- When dough is smooth and elastic it will feel similar to your earlobe if you pinch it. It will also "pull back" if you stretch it away from the main ball of dough.
- I removed 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and substituted it with 3 tablespoons of gluten flour for a chewier texture.
- Sprinkle the bread sticks with a little Parmesan cheese when you brush them with butter the last time.
- The easiest ( and best) way to divide the dough evenly is to weigh it. Divide it into 12 2-ounce pieces. Since they are all the same size they will bake more evenly.
- I like the flavor of butter in these but you can use olive oil for a more traditional flavor if you prefer.
Thelma
Thank you. Made this so many time. Delicious.I used parsley with butter and other just plain and garlic. I am still making more of your bread. Just so many. Thank you so much
Judy P
Question: When I was in Home Ec. eons ago, we were taught never to use metal utensils to make bread or any yeast products because it would ruin the yeast. My standing mixer has a stainless steel bowl. Was it metal or just aluminum? It's been so many years I've forgotten the exact warning, but I don't want to make this and ruin it. Thanks, I love your recipes.
Marye
Judy I never heard of that!
Marnie
Hi Mary
Can you use granulated
garlic instead of powder and how much?
Thanks.
Love ya Mary
Marye
Yes! I'd use about 2 times the amount of garlic powder.... but I like garlic a lot. 1-1/2 to 2 times is about right.
Terra
can i use a hand mixer instead
Marye
No - it will burn it out.
Cheryl Baugh
Very nice and flaky.
Krista
Sharing this recipe was just rotten of you! Now my husband won’t stop asking for them and here I am making them again and again. How rude! 😂 Seriously, perfect texture and the flavor is out of this world good. We love these and I now have lots frozen in small batches for weeknight meal sides. Thank you so much!