Quick and Easy Breadsticks

Oh goodness.  If you want to drive yourself absolutely crazy with delicious breadsticks baking right in your own oven, keep reading.  Want to drive someone else crazy?  Invite them over for dinner when you make these breadsticks and then don’t let them have any.

Don’t be silly.  You can’t eat all of these by yourself, so be a nice person and share them.

I wish that I could claim this recipe as my very own, but Jamie at Jamie Cooks It Up is the proud owner of this one.  I….am simply someone who tried the recipe, loved it in every way, and have now blogged about it, and will definitely continue to use it often.

These are easy, easy, easy.  And I ought to mention that they can be a tad addictive.  They can be made, start to finish, in about an hour.  It takes the pizza guy longer than that to deliver a mediocre breadstick product, so make these yourself and scoff at the thought of ever ordering another breadstick (even from that place that offers unlimited breadsticks and salad with your meal).

Oh, and this little post comes with a testimonial that you can believe:  Gavin (4 years old with the wisdom of the ages) multiple times, with great enthusiasm, proclaimed these to be better than Cinnamon Chex.  Kade (20 months old) was enamored with picking the crispy cheese off them.  Something for everyone.

Quick and Easy Breadsticks
Recipe by Jamie Cooks It Up
Printable Recipe 

Note: A single batch of this dough can be made in a stand mixer.  For a double or triple batch of it, make it in a mixer such as a Bosch. 

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2- 4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup butter–the real stuff
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
• Johnny’s Garlic Seasoning

1. Mix the water, sugar and yeast together in a measuring cup or in the bottom of your mixer. Let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the salt
2. With the mixer running, add the flour, one cup at a time, until it is well incorporated and dough just leaves the sides of the mixing bowl. Be careful not to add too much flour, this is a medium soft dough.  Mix on high for 5 minutes. Then, turn off mixer and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
3. Melt the butter and pour half of it into a jelly roll pan (large cookie sheet). Use a pastry brush to paint the butter around the inside of the pan, including the sides.
4. Place the dough in the center of the pan. Let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes. This is important because it gives the dough a chance to relax, which makes it much easier to work with.
5. With your hands, spread the dough out flat onto the pan until it reaches all of the edges. Doing all of the spreading and cutting of these bread sticks, in the pan makes cleaning up your counter so much easier! 
6. Pour the other half of the butter onto the dough. Spread it around with your hands. You’ll feel like a kid again getting to play with your food.  Very cathartic. Sprinkle the Johnny’s Garlic Seasoning all over the dough.  Then sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the Johnny’s.
7. With a pizza cutter cut the dough into three rows lengthwise, and then into about 12 little cross-wise rows. 
8. Put the pan into a 170 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes. This helps the breadsticks to have a quick rise time.
9. Without removing the breadsticks from the oven, turn your oven up to 350 and bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. (This could take up to 20 minutes depending on your oven.)
10. When the breadsticks come out of the oven, let them sit and rest again for about 5 minutes. Then redefine your cutting lines with the pizza cutter.
11. It is easiest to use a pair of cooking scissors to cut the edges where the pizza cutter can’t reach.