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Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Buttery and garlicky, AKA, heaven!
Texture: A lightly golden crust hides the soft and fluffy interior, with the perfect amount of chew.
Ease: Homemade breadsticks may sound intimidating but there’s only a handful of ingredients. You can do this!
Why you’ll love this recipe: Better than the restaurant, and super impressive.
I cannot tell you how positively tantalizing these breadsticks smell while baking.
As someone who went to culinary school and has studied the science of homemade bread, I’m not afraid to admit there’s nothing very fancy about this recipe.
In fact, it only has 7 ingredients. No complicated resting or rising periods. It’s about as simple as it gets.
And yet, it transports me back to being a kid going to Olive Garden as a special treat, only to fill up entirely on breadsticks.
This homemade breadsticks recipe is about 1,000x better than the restaurant version. I promise, your whole family will go crazy for this copycat recipe at Sunday night dinner. Especially when paired with a rich soup or sauce for dipping!
These were sooo good, my kids said better than Olive Garden. As someone that thinks that restaurant is over rated and I can make better pasta at home, I’m so excited to have a recipe to top their breadsticks. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
You don’t need any fancy skills, equipment, or know-how to nail this recipe. You do need to be forewarned…
These breadsticks are positively irresistible!
Delicious!! I never review any recipes, but this one definitely deserves it. These were so simple to make, soft and chewy, and perfect for dipping in soup. Will be making these often!
Key Recipe Ingredients
Bread flour: Its higher protein content helps develop gluten, creating taller, well-rounded breadsticks with a chewy, fluffy texture.
- Swap: Use the same amount of all-purpose flour. Keep in mind that your kneading time will increase to properly develop the gluten, and your breadsticks may turn out more soft than chewy.
Instant yeast: Also called rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast, this can be added directly to the other ingredients without proofing separately.
- Swap: Substitute active dry yeast at a 1:1 ratio. Add it directly to the dry ingredients, but expect the dough to take about 20% longer to rise. To speed things up, you can instead dissolve the yeast in the warm water with a pinch of the recipe’s sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until bubbly, before adding it to the other ingredients. Learn more about the different types of yeast and how to substitute them here.
Sugar: Adds a little sweetness, helps feed the yeast, and contributes to a softer texture. Do not omit or reduce.
Butter: Adds richness and tenderness to the dough.
Warm water: Helps hydrate the flour and activate the yeast. Be cautious your water isn’t too warm or you’ll kill the yeast (about 100–110°F).
Tessa’s Tips for Perfect Breadsticks
- Use the right water temperature. Be sure to use water that is not too hot. Hot water will kill the yeast and prevent the breadsticks from rising. 100-110°F is perfect.
- Don’t skip the sugar. There’s a little in these breadsticks to help activate the yeast, tenderize the breadsticks, and make them a little softer. Don’t skip the sugar! I promise you won’t find the breadsticks sweet. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.
- Measure the flour correctly. Be sure to measure your ingredients correctly. When measuring by volume (using cups), it can be super easy to accidentally over-measure ingredients, especially flour. To avoid dense or dry breadsticks, I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale, but if you don’t have one, use the spoon-and-level method.
How to Tell When Dough Is Risen
- After kneading, shape the dough into a ball.
- Place in a lightly oiled mixing bowl. I like to use glass and take a picture so I can see how much it’s rising later.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, foil, or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location. Ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F and 90°F. Lower temperatures will require more rising time.
- The dough is done rising when it’s about doubled in volume and passes the “ripe” test. Gently stick two fingers in the risen dough up to the second knuckle and then take them out. If the finger marks remain, the dough is ready for shaping. If not, cover and let the dough rise longer until it is.
How to Shape Breadsticks
- Once the dough is risen, press it down to deflate it slightly.
- Place the dough onto a clean surface (not a floured surface).
- Use a bench scraper to section the dough into 12 equal pieces. Don’t worry if they’re not perfectly equal in size – but if you prefer, you can weigh the entire mass of dough, divide that number by 12, then portion each piece perfectly by weight.
- Roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch log. Don’t worry if they’re not perfectly shaped.
Storage & Make ahead
Storage: These breadsticks are best served warm, right out of the oven, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To refresh them, place the breadsticks on a baking sheet and reheat in a 425°F oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until warmed through. For extra flavor, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt before serving.
Freeze: You can freeze baked breadsticks for up to 2 months. Let them cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. On the day you’re ready to serve, thaw the breadsticks at room temperature for a couple of hours. Place them on a baking sheet and reheat in a 425°F oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until warmed through. For a fresh-from-the-oven finish, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt before serving.
Make Ahead:
- Refrigerator option: Allow the dough to complete its first rise, then shape the breadsticks. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover well to prevent them from drying out, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, let the breadsticks sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. If they haven’t doubled in size yet, let them continue rising until they have. Bake as directed in the recipe.
- Freezer option: For longer storage, freeze the shaped dough after its first rise. Arrange the breadsticks on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, arrange the frozen breadsticks on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them thaw at room temperature. Allow them to rise until doubled in size and a gentle indentation remains when you press the dough with your finger. Bake as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Be sure to knead the dough properly so the breadsticks hold their shape and don’t become sad flat sticks. I call for a stand mixer to make easy work of kneading in this recipe, but you can also knead by hand. Be prepared for a bit of a workout, as you’ll need to knead by hand for about 15 to 20 minutes. You can see my full tutorial on how to knead dough here.
These Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks are not vegan. However, several readers have had success with Country Crock plant-based sticks (avocado oil-based) or using olive oil in the dough and Earth Balance for the topping. If you give anything else a try, let me know how it goes in the comments!
Yes, if you have a large enough mixer (at least 6 quarts). Most home mixer bowls won’t mix such a big batch of dough well enough. If you’re using a 5-quart tilt-head mixer, your mixer may become overheated with that amount of dough. So I recommend simply making a single batch of dough twice.
A side salad
Marinara sauce
Creamy soup, like my Pot Pie Soup
Your favorite pasta dish
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Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (250 grams) warm water, about 100-110°F*
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3 cups (381 grams) bread flour, plus more as needed**
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine the water, yeast, sugar, melted butter, and salt. Begin to gradually add the flour while the mixer runs on low speed. Increase speed to medium and knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes, or until it is tacky and very elastic. Add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is extremely sticky.
- Remove the dough and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours (the exact proof time will depend on your kitchen environment; the warmer it is, the faster your dough will proof).
- Once doubled in size, divide the dough into 12 portions (use your kitchen scale for accuracy, but it should be approximately 57 grams per piece). Roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch log. Place the dough logs on your parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush with melted butter. Combine the salt and garlic powder and sprinkle evenly over breadsticks. Serve warm.
- To refresh, place the breadsticks on a baking sheet, and reheat in the oven at 425°F for 4-5 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also re-brush with butter and sprinkle again with garlic powder and salt, if you wish.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2023 with new photos and recipe improvements. Photos by Joanie Simon.
These were sooo good, my kids said better than Olive Garden. As someone that thinks that restaurant is over rated and I can make better pasta at home, I’m so excited to have a recipe to top their breadsticks. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
I’m making these tonight! Can’t wait.
Hi Jayme! Woohoo! They are so good! Let us know how it goes 🙂
They tasted great but the texture wasn’t like Olive Garden bread sticks. Delicious, even though the bread turned out too airy and not as chewy as Olive Garden’s. I tried 2 batches, one following the recipe and one without the second rise of the dough. Same result each time (and the sticks were the same size the second time because they rose as they baked), which makes me wonder if adding butter to the dough causes the too-soft bread?
Still, a nice bread for sandwiches and for dipping. Just not Olive Garden-esque.
These turned out great! Light and fluffy! I think they were way better than olive garden. I kneaded by hand, only for about 2-3 min.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. My extremely picky kiddo loved this!!
I’
m going to try this next week when my son and his family come to visit. I will be making my spaghetti and the bread sticks will be perfect.
Can’t wait to hear how your breadsticks turn out, Patsy!
Amazing. It’s Feb in New England so it took longer to rise but they came out great. We’re snowed in and out of bread so I made half of them into round buns and skipped the salt and garlic at the end. Very awesome. I may need to make more as the kids are chowing
I’m going to try these can I use all purpose flour and vegetable oil.?
Hi Sue! Tessa talks about the flour in the Tip Box, above the recipe, under the heading ‘Do I Have to Use Bread Flour? Can I Use All-Purpose Flour Instead?’. These breadsticks don’t contain oil, but if you’re skipping the butter and replacing that with oil, check out Tessa’s tip under the header ‘Are Olive Garden Breadsticks Vegan?’ for more on this. I hope this helps! Let us know what you think of these breadsticks once you give them a try 🙂
They were good, but idk what I did wrong. The breaksticks did not brown on the top only the bottom
Hi Lynn! So glad to hear that you enjoyed these breadsticks. Typically, breadsticks may not brown on top if you skip the sugar, your oven temp is off (learn more about that here), or you didn’t bake quite long enough. Your breadsticks likely browned on the bottom more quickly because of the type of baking pan you were using, but perhaps they needed a few extra minutes to brown all over. You can also add an egg wash to the breadsticks, if you wish, to encourage more browning. I hope something here helps, and I hope you’ll give these breadsticks another try! Happy baking 🙂
trust. you will be
Delicious!! I never review any recipes, but this one definitely deserves it. These were so simple to make, soft and chewy, and perfect for dipping in soup. Will be making these often!
These turned out really good except I had a hard time rolling them out – they kept shrinking back and ended up with shorter fatter breadsticks but it still tasted good.
Hi Bethy! So glad to hear that you enjoyed these breadsticks! If you are experiencing issues with yeasted doughs snapping back while shaping, this is typically due to the dough being too tight and needing a little longer to proof. If this happens next time, try covering your dough with a kitchen towel and allowing it to sit for 10-15 minutes, and then try shaping them again. I hope this helps! Happy baking 🙂