Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks

Step 1

Place warm water, sugar, and yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let stand for 10 minutes. It will be thick and frothy. Mix briefly, then add salt, butter, and gradually add 2 cups of flour, mixing on low for 2 minutes. Slowly add about 2 cups of the remaining flour, more if necessary to get a dough that begins to clump on the mixer paddle and pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Continue to mix on low for 5 minutes to knead the dough.

Step 2

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. (See notes below.)

Step 3

Lightly sprinkle work surface and your hands with some of the remaining flour and scoop the dough onto the surface. Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a log shape, then cut each log into 8 equally sized pieces. On the work surface, roll each dough piece with your palms into a roll about 8 inches long and 1 inch thick. Place on cookie sheets which have been lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches between each bread stick.

Step 4

Cover again with plastic wrap and allow to stand in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Meanwhile melt the butter, and just before baking brush the bread sticks with butter and sprinkle with sea salt or coarse Kosher salt. Bake for about 15 minutes, until they are just beginning to brown.

Step 6

Add the garlic powder to the remaining butter and brush the bread sticks. Serve while warm with marinara sauce if desired for dipping.

Step 7

Kitchens are different temperatures and sometimes have drafts blowing. The raising dough needs a constant temperature around 70-80 degrees F. One way to do this is in a modern kitchen is to put a bowl with 2 cups water into the microwave and cook on HIGH for 2 minutes. Leave the bowl of water in the microwave and add the covered bowl of dough alongside it. Close the door and the warm steamy interior will encourage the dough to rise properly.

Step 8

Looking to make this recipe vegan and dairy-free? Because this recipe has no eggs, it can easily be adapted to your diet. Just replace the butter in the recipe with your favorite plant-based butter substitute, and you can enjoy these breadsticks with the guilt on the side.