I nearly had a baking disaster. I usually don’t make mistakes, but this time I grabbed the wrong bowl of melted butter and added the basting butter to the dough—about eight tablespoons instead of two. My first thought was dismay, but rather than start over I decided to bake the batch and see what would happen.
The dough began beautifully; the yeast foamed up nicely and the texture looked promising.
I shaped the last of the dough into sticks. I could have made more, but they fit perfectly on my half-sheet pan. I knew my husband would reach for the first ones—he’s a bit greedy for my cooking and always eager to taste-test.
The first sheet came out of the oven looking great. I worried they might melt into a greasy puddle, but they held their shape and developed a rich, golden color that smelled amazing.
The second tray from my upper oven browned a little less but still showed a pleasing golden exterior.
My husband cautiously entered the kitchen, knew something was amiss, and asked for a breadstick. He became my willing taste-tester. His verdict was an enthusiastic thumbs up—he grabbed another and even sneaked a third. They were a surprising success.
The texture was pillowy soft with a delicate crust, and the salty garlic butter topping was irresistible.
I typically prefer denser, chewier breadsticks, almost bagel-like, but I was pleasantly surprised by these. They were soft and flavorful, and I added recipe notes so you can adjust the butter to achieve your preferred texture—pillowy, medium, or dense and chewy.
That accidental extra butter turned out to make some of the best breadsticks my husband has tasted. I’m glad the mistake happened—it inspired tweaks for other soft breads like butter buns, hot dog rolls, and slider rolls. I hope the recipe and adjustments below help you bake exactly the type of breadstick you prefer.
We enjoyed these with a pot of soup that I’ll share soon. Until then, happy baking — Kelly
Soft Buttery Garlic Breadsticks
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup warm milk
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 2 Tbl. sugar
- 3½ cups all purpose flour, add more only if needed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted, (*see note below)
- 2 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
For Butter Topping:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- Garnish dusting with super finely grated parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- In a large mixer bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water and warm milk, sprinkle the yeast over the top, stir, and let sit 10 minutes until foamy.
- Add flour, salt, and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Mix with a paddle attachment or wooden spoon until combined.
- Knead a few minutes until the dough is smooth. If sticky, lightly dust the surface with flour or add one tablespoon at a time if using a dough hook. Don’t add too much flour and do not overknead.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment. Cut or pull off pieces of dough and roll into 10–12 sticks about half the final thickness. Cover with plastic wrap or a lightweight towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. (I place mine in the oven with the light on.)
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Remove the baking sheet from the oven first if you used the oven to rise the dough.
- When the oven is preheated, bake the breadsticks for 6–7 minutes.
- While they bake, melt ½ cup butter and stir in 2 teaspoons garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt.
- After 6–7 minutes, brush the breadsticks with half the butter mixture. Return to the oven and bake 5–6 more minutes until deep golden.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush the remaining butter over the sticks.
- Optionally, finely grate parmesan over the warm breadsticks.
- Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.
Notes
For pillowy soft breadsticks use the full amount of butter in the dough (1 stick). For medium-density, use 4–5 tablespoons of butter. For dense, chewy breadsticks use only 2 tablespoons butter and replace the milk with water.