Easy Breadsticks

Bunch of breadsticks wrapped in towel in a ceramic colander.

5 from 1 vote

These homemade breadsticks are so easy to make and super versatile too. Soft and fluffy, they're extremely moreish so you'll be making them on repeat to enjoy with soups, salads, pastas, dips & more.

Course Bread, Party Food, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Keyword easy breadsticks

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Proving time 2

Total Time 2 27

Servings breadsticks

Calories 113kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Ingredients

300 g strong white bread flour see notes
2 tsp (7g) sachet quick/instant/easy bake yeast
1 tsp fine salt
200 ml lukewarm water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon caraway seeds see notes
more olive oil for brushing

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Put the flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl or bowl of your stand mixer and give it gentle mix to incorporate the two into the flour. Ensure that when you add both salt and yeast into the bowl you keep them on separate sides.
300 g strong white bread flour, 2 teaspoon (7g) sachet quick/instant/easy bake yeast, 1 teaspoon fine salt
Add olive oil and lukewarm water and start mixing it in either with your hand or dough hook attachment (if using stand mixer) and start bringing the dough together.
If kneading by hand, tip the dough out onto lightly floured counter and knead for approximately 10 minutes. When using dough hook and stand mixer knead the dough on the low speed for approximately 5 minutes until dough feels smooth and elastic.
If dough feels dry and you've still got lots of loose crumbs at the bottom of the bowl then add tiny bit more water, drop at a time. For wet and sticky dough add a sprinkle of flour instead.
200 ml lukewarm water, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Towards the end of kneading, add caraway seeds or other add-ons and knead them into the dough to distribute evenly. Be gentle if adding something different than seeds like chopped olives or sun-dried tomatoes.
***Quick Tip*** To check whether your dough has been kneaded enough and is ready for proving press it gently with your finger. If it springs back slightly it's ready, if it doesn't knead for a bit longer.
½ tablespoon caraway seeds
Once your dough is ready, put it back in lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm and draught free place until doubled in size (1-2 hrs).
***Quick Tip*** I like to put mine next to the radiator or inside the airing cupboard and more often than not it's doubled in size within an hour or so. However, it will all depend on temperature of the surroundings so yours might take longer.
Once dough is ready, turn it out gently onto floured countertop without deflating it first as we're trying to keep as much air in as possible. Flour your hands gently too.
Stretch the dough gently into a rectangle approximately 16 x 34cm/6 x 13in (it doesn't have to be exact).
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into approximately 12 strips (I got 13). You want them to be about 2.5cm/1in wide.
Take each strip of dough, twist it and place on the baking tray lined with baking paper. Make sure to leave some space between them.
***Quick Tip*** You will find the dough to be quite soft and stretchy as you pick it up. I would recommend having your prepared baking trays close by so that you don't need to carry pieces of dough far as they might stretch a bit too much. If it happens, simply re-shape them into the rough shape of a breadstick and so that they fit on your tray. You can see below that mine weren't perfect but more rustic in their appearance.
Cover the trays with clean tea towels and let shaped breadsticks rest as you preheat the oven to 200°C(Fan)/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Bake your breadsticks in preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes until golden. If you prefer crispy breadsticks, continue baking for another 4-5 minutes.
Once out of the oven brush them with extra virgin olive oil whilst still warm. It's optional but gives them lovely shine, softens the crust further and ads to the flavour.
Move breadsticks onto wire rack to cool slightly and enjoy!
more olive oil for brushing

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, per breadstick (based on 12 breadsticks) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
If you don't have strong flour, you can use plain (all-purpose) flour instead.
See Variations paragraph for some ideas on alternative add-ons.
Best eaten on the day but can be stored in a dry place in cotton bread bag or plastic ziplock style bag for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

TIPS:

For best results, always use digital scale to weigh out the ingredients. It's particularly important when baking.

When heating up water make sure you heat it up to lukewarm temperature of roughly 37°C/100°F (digital food thermometer comes handy here). You should be able to dip your little finger in the liquid and just feel warmth. Warm liquid will help to activate the yeast. If you get it too hot, wait until it cools down as hot water will have an opposite effect on the yeast.

I find the amount of liquid to be pretty spot on. However, we all use different flours therefore you might need to add either drop more water or flour when kneading depending whether the dough is too dry or too sticky.

We love these breadsticks soft and fluffy but you can bake them 4-5 minutes longer to make them crunchy instead.

Depending on your oven you might want to turn your baking tray after around 8 minutes for even baking.

Nutrition