Garlic and Herb Breadsticks

I’m one of those bread people. The kind that thinks a meal isn’t a meal unless there is a basket of something carb-tastic on the table. The kind that fills up on yummy, warm bread before the entree ever comes at a restaurant. I tried to do the no-carb thing back when the craze was at it’s height (and when I was 19 and didn’t know any better), and I lasted about thirty seconds before I desperately needed some bread. Now-a-days, I mostly try to stick to whole grains, but there are two places where I give myself a pass and stick with good ole white flour—pizza crust and breadsticks.

I can (and have) made breadsticks and pizza crust using whole grain flours, and they’re tasty, but they never compare to white flour ones. I love cooking and baking with whole grains, but I don’t care how much of a master you are in the kitchen, 100% whole grain foods taste different from refined grains. It’s not good or bad (tastewise—nutritionally, whole grains definitely win). It’s just different. I like some foods made with nutty, hearty whole grains. And I like others made with fluffy, all-purpose flour. And these breadsticks, I quite like them with a big ole heap of white flour.

This breadstick recipe is actually exactly the same as my pizza crust recipe, it just goes through a different process. This is such a good all-around Italian-flavored dough that it works for breadsticks, pizzas, and cheesy bread (yum). I’ve been tweaking and perfecting this recipe for years—and man, it’s good! We make it every single week in one form or another, and both Craig and I have the recipe memorized by heart. We make it in the mixer. We make it the bread machine (on the dough cycle). It’s pretty much fool-proof!

During the growing season, I flavor this with fresh basil, oregano and chives, but it works equally as well with dried herbs in the middle of winter. You could also leave them out all together and still have a delicious, delicious breadstick on your hands. I’ve even been known to leave out the garlic, too, and add a touch more sweetener and use the dough as a crust for a dessert pizza.

You can serve these breadsticks with marinara, ranch, or cheese sauce to dip in. You can also leave them naked (they’re that good). Or you can do what I do, and mix up a dippy seasoned olive oil. I just put about a teaspoon of Italian seasoning and a quarter teaspoon of garlic salt in a small bowl, and top it with a couple of tablespoons of really good olive oil. It’s the best breadstick dip on the planet!

Enjoy!