Monday, August 29, 2011

{Olive Garden Breadsticks}

Oh man, I loved these! These would just complete any meal really. Pasta, soup, salad...you name it. Make these when you get a chance. Make sure you serve them hot out of the oven.

*These are a little more dense then Olive Garden's. But the flavor is incredible and pretty right on with the garlic butter. I also updated the picture, because the other one was too dark. Enjoy :)








Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt (yes, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon, which I use every time and they turn out great.)
2 Tbs butter, softened
4-5 Cups flour


Topping:
3 Tbs butter melted
sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder



For the dough, pour the water into a stand mixer with the sugar and yeast, let that sit and froth for about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Mix the dough on low. Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time, until dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean. Mix the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed, until its soft and easy to work with.
Let the dough rest in the bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour and then roll it out. Roll the dough out into a long log, spray a knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 12-14 pieces. Roll those pieces into about 6 inch long snakes. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, ( I usually only use one) and lay the breadsticks out leaving about 2 inches between each one.
Place them in the oven with the temperature turned to 170 degrees. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.( I have also let them sit at room temp until they are doubled in size and then bake them in the oven)
Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Now preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. While they are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1 tsp garlic powder. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the butter/garlic mixture.

178 comments:

  1. these look absolutely delicious and tempting!

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  2. Pretty sure I make myself sick off of these every time we go to Olive Garden. I always eat too many. :)

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  3. I am going to make these tonight with some Minestrone soup! Thanks!

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  4. I've made these before and they were really good! :) Pinned your recipe.

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  5. Can you use a hand mixer?

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  6. can you mix by hand r with a hand mixer?? i don't have a stand mixer...

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    Replies
    1. You could for the first part, then when the dough it too thick for a hand mixer, add the rest of the flour and stir in and knead for 5 - 10 minutes

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    2. Can you use bread flour?

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  7. You can use a hand mixer it may be a little difficult though. I would just use hands and keep blending it and kneading it until the dough is soft and no longer sticky to work with. :)

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  8. Hi! These look great! Did you use bread flour or all purpose? And what kind of yeast?

    Thanks!

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  9. Hey Brandy,
    I used all purpose flour, and active dry yeast. Thanks for the comment!

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  10. I wonder how these would bake up on a pizza stone?

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    Replies
    1. Post if you try it. I would love to know. I would think it would be great.

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  11. ooh these look delish. I'm a sucker for any kind of bread but these are always a favorite of mine at the restaurant and being in Japan and soooo far away from an olive garden this is a must try! ty for sharing :)

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  12. LOVE THIS! I think I will make some potato soup tonight just so I can fix these! To the poster above, I am a Pampered Chef consultant and they will cook up awesome on the stones!
    Thanks for the recipe!!

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  13. Do you put the bread in the oven while it's preheating to 400 degrees and then cook it an additional 12-15 minutes?

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    1. You proof them in a warm (175 degree) oven and when doubled you turn your oven up to 400 degrees. Don't forget to brush them with butter and salt in between the doubling in size and the actual cooking for 12-15 min.

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    2. You can also leave the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour (recommended). If you put them in an oven at 175, I would place a little water in a pan underneath the breadsticks. The humidity is what helps them rise.

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  14. when you say one T is it teaspoon or tablespoon?thanks

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  15. I made mine and mine just cracked open and didn't double in size. Right now they are cooking at 400 degrees and I'm hoping they will be delicious! I'll let you know.

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  16. Mine turned out horrible. They cracked and didn't double. They didn't rise and were very dense.

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    Replies
    1. Sounds like you should check your yeast viability.

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  17. Did you make sure and let the warm water, sugar and yeast sit and froth for about 10 minutes? That is the key to making them rise and not turn out dense. I'm sorry they didn't work out, if you try making them again try letting the yeast sit and see if that makes a difference. :)

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    1. Make sure your warm water is between 100 and 110 degrees. too hot and it will kill the yeast so they won't rise. And if your house is too cold they will take forever to rise. good luck, these look yummy

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  18. I think i am going to make these this moment... whats the sense in waiting?

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  19. Just to let you know, the recipe doesn't say to let the water, sugar and yeast sit. :) I will be trying these though! They look amazing!

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    1. it says to let it sit for 10 minutes

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    2. do you not know anything about yeast ??? its called PROOFING the yeast its PROVING the yeast is active when it foams its active the sugar activates it as does the warm water 10 minutes is standard time

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  20. Do you mix the warm water, sugar and yeast together and then let sit and froth? Or just pour the water in and don't even mix?

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    1. Stir water, sugar and yeast yo mix and then ! it. Sugar feeds the yeast. Water just lukewarm. Yeast should be stored in refrigerator and used by the "use date" on the package. I use active dry yeast rather than cake yeast. I am not sure hos you handle that. If you have a bread machine you can put in there according to directions and stop it at dough stage when you can remove and shape into any type shape.

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  21. I am making these right now, and they are looking fantastic!! Thank you for sharing! I would like to blog about these on my blog, do you mind?
    www.mytaylormade.blogspot.com

    Wonderful recipe!
    Shan

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  22. Shan- Blog away! :) Thanks so much for your comment, I hope they turn out delicious!

    Family of 5- I would give it a little mix just to make sure none of the yeast sticks to the bottom of the bowl.

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  23. They turned out AMAZING!! And everybody loved them!!

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  24. possibly I over kneaded, but mine came out really dense and didnt rise well. Thoughts?

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    Replies
    1. could possibly be too much flour

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    2. Sift your flour. If you don't have a sifter, fluff it with a fork before measuring and it WILL work. I had the same problem.

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  25. Hi, I just made these and they came out great. I think you mean tsp for salt, not Tbs, right? Because I used 1 tsp, and most burgers and garlic powders also have salt, so after adding those, with only 1 tsp., they are still quite salty. Not overly salty, just right - any more would have been too much. Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to make these often.

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  26. Wah, I tried substituting Instant yeast instead and it did not go well. Did not rise. My sister in law made these and they were awesome, so I will try again!

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  27. ok i might be crazy but are all the measurements Tablespoons?

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  28. Yes everything is Tablespoons except the garlic powder which is a teaspoon :)

    Nanna-I have never used instant yeast so I'm not sure. But that could be why they didn't rise well.

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  29. I was wondering how many bread sticks you usually get out of this? My best friend and I are having are annual family Christmas this weekend and we are having a Jersey Shore Sunday Dinner themed dinner. We will have 6 adults and 2 kids. Also I really do not want to flop this so do you mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water until frothed and then let sit for 10 min. or mix them all together for 10 min? Thanks!

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  30. Yes, put the water, yeast and sugar together and let it sit for about 10 minutes to froth. This recipe makes 12-14 breadsticks.

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    1. All I have is regular yeast...will that work?

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  31. This didn't work for me either. I think I figured out why....you may need to be more specific on the adjective "hot" water. I thought you meant boil water and let it cool a little. But after I found it didn't rise and my hubby asked how hot the water was I checked the yeast packet. It says no warmer than 114 degrees. So if your water is too hot it kills the yeast.
    Moral of the story, take the temp of the water before adding yeast. Between 100-114.

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  32. Can you freeze them and if so, at what stage(s). We are just 2 people in our household and I don't need 14 bread sticks. I would probably eat them all :).

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    1. To freeze the bread sticks, you have a couple of options: bake for half the time, cool and freeze OR bake them all the way, cool and freeze. If you take the first option, when you thaw them out, finish baking them. If you take the second option, just thaw and heat them up. If you reheat in a microwave, put them in a brown paper bag and sprinkle them with a bit of water, so they don't dry out. I don't recommend the microwave, but I will use it in a pinch.

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  33. This didn't work for me either. :(

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  34. what name brand of yeast I get??

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  35. Thanks for the tip GingerPeachT, I did change it to warm water. And I would guess you could freeze them, I would just freeze them and then let them thaw and rise and then stick them in the oven when you're ready to cook them.
    The brand of yeast I use is Fleichmann's Active Dry Yeast.

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  36. I have a question my two year old loves breadsticks but you can't find them in stores anymore the ones that are good anyways so I found this and wanted to make them but I just want to make a few at a time can this recipe be frozen and just unthawed then bake?

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  37. I want to make these for a dinner next week. I was confused and not sure if you answered this question...you said "Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Return them to the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Once it's preheated to 400 degrees bake them for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown." Does this mean you keep your risen bread sticks in the oven while you are heating it up to 400 and then (when the light goes off showing it's 400 you start timing for 12-15 minutes?

    Also, some people might not be familiar with this restaurant and get confused when you say to roll them out to long sticks and put on the cookie sheet. They might really make them too long and obviously they won't rise quite the same. Maybe if you insert to roll them out about 6 inches it would be more helpful to some.

    They do look delicious though.

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  38. To the anonymous person who posted last.... you pre heat the oven On the Warm setting which is generally about 170 deg for 15 min then pull them out of the oven and brush on only a portion of the butter.. While you are doing that turn the oven onto 400 deg when its heated to that temp then place the bread sticks back into the oven for 12-15 min.... I know with mine I made them into about 4-6 inches long and they had no problem rising and cooked amazing :)

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  39. Just made them! Super delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and they were amazing! They were a bit dense but I think I made them too big, next time I will probably divide the dough so I get 16-18. Very good though!

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  40. Can you make these in bread maker?

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  41. I have never made anything in a bread maker but you could certainly try. Let me know how it turns out.

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  42. I have a recipe for Zuppa Toscana and I love making these with the soup!! Thanks for sharing!

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  43. I just have to try this pne ! They are also my favorite when we get to go to the Olive Garden. Its over 100 miles ome way to get to it. This reads and looks very easy . Reading the comments answered my wondering why my dough didnt rise well and was so dense and uncooked last time. The yeast wasn't fresh and I failed to allow it to sit nad rest while frothing before I added the flour in. DUH on me !! Thank you for such a marvelous place to learn.

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  44. I just tried these and they didn't turn out so great...my error, I'm sure! They're edible but look nothing like the picture. LOL I've tried to make breadsticks like this before and they turned out the same. I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong. :)

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  45. I made these last night and they were pretty bad...I used the same yeast you said you used, and I let the yeast, water and sugar sit for 10 minutes...I followed the recipe exactly. Someone told me too much salt sometimes kills the yeast? I wonder what I'm doing wrong. A whole tablespoon of salt seems like quite a bit. They also tasted pretty salty and they were extremely dense. I might try to make them again, but what suggestions do you have?

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    1. I think bread is hard to get until you learn how the weather affects the yeast activity. Also sometimes sea level effects baking. Don't give up, just try and figure out the nature effects and pay attention to the wetness/heaviness of the dough. I know you can do it. Just have to practice. Have patience. Get someone who bakes bread to work with you. It is so worth it. I am not really anonymous, my name is Tracy. Good luck.

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    2. I know when I make bread, I don't add the salt until after I have kneaded the dough and it is not sticky anymore. After you have achieved a gluten window (when you can take a small amount if the dough stretch it very thin until you can see light through it without braking or ripping.) after you do this, add the salt and knead a little more. The dough will feel stiff but that's normal! :)

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  46. Tried these. Followed to a T. Very confusing recipe. Were dense and had no taste.

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  47. Sorry these didn't work out for you. I have made these quite a bit and also follow the recipe to a T and they are always great. Weird. The recipe is pretty mapped out, I don't understand what is confusing...

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  48. Followed the directions exactly and they were delicious!

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  49. Just made these. I used all 5 cups of flour so I needed to add a little more water. I don't think it is confusing at all. They were yummy. I served them with Lasagna Soup your Olive Garden salad. Every one was happy.

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  50. Recipe was great! Worked like a charm using the bread machine too - add water & butter first, then dry ingredients. I just used the quick dough cycle then followed the rest of your recipe exactly the same. (I did use bread machine yeast).

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  51. These turned out great. however, I did only use TEASPOON of salt. Neither the recipe nor I need that much salt. lol. I did freeze half after they were rolled to 6 inches. Just took a long sheet of waxed paper and kept adding another as I rolled the paper up. They were only frozen about an hour because my daughter and grandkids came over, so I decided to bake the frozen ones. Just warmed in the
    170 degree oven til double then baked as per recipe. If they were hard frozen, I probably would have let thaw and warm first. Very good. Thanks for this recipe.

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  52. Trying these tonite with chicken and dumplings! I will definitely be cutting back on the salt, as I am not a big salt person and a full tablespoon of salt sounds like wayyyy too much, especially with brushing more salt on the tops. Will post after making what I thought, but they look super delicious!!

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  53. did you use a dough hook, or the normal mixing paddle?

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  54. Which type of flour do you use self rising or all purpous? Thank you

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  55. Jens- I used a mixing paddle for the mixing part, then swapped it out for the dough hood to knead it.

    I used all purpose flour. But I think others have said they used self rising and it worked too

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  56. Can I make the dough ahead and store in fridge for a couple hours?

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  57. Altitude and low humidity play games with baking.
    Salt acts as a yeast retardant so don't bake bread at high altitude without it.

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    1. I live in the High desert area, about 4000 feet above sea level... what do I have to change to get great bread sticks?

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  58. Just made these and they came out perfect! Everybody loves em =) Thanks so much for the recipe!

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  59. Does anyone have the Olive Garden Marinara recipe to go with it???

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  60. I made them today! D E L I C I O U S!!!!!!!
    I splited the recipe in 2 for making just 6 and they turned great.

    Next time I'll play changing the recipe and adding less salt (huge amount of sodium).

    Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, can't wait to surprise my friends and family with homemade bread :)

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  61. We had super high humidity today but I didn't need the full 5 cups of flour. That surprised me. I borked something up with my either my oven temp, choice of pans, or rack location within the oven because the bottoms of my sticks were almost burned...whoops. Still good though! I have high hopes for the next go 'round :)

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  62. Just tried these. A little dense, didn't raise enough I am guessing! I will try again!

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  63. For those not used to working with yeast, be sure to use warm water. Hot water will kill the yeast.

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  64. Oh my...just made these and they turned out amazing...followed the directions exactly! This is so awesome, they are exactly like Olive Garden!

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  65. I've made these a couple times now (used active dry yeast, not instant) and they turned out fantastic tasting although the first time they were over done on the bottom. I lowered the oven temp by 10 degrees and that did the trick, the second time they were PERFECT!

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  66. Followed the recipe exactly. Turned out really well. They were still a little more dense than olive garden's. I made 12 with this recipe but next time I think I would make them smaller. Also, I did use a full tablespoon of salt and they definitely were not too salty. The taste was really good!

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  67. This might be some people's problem: One packet of yeast does not quite equal 1 Tbsp. I had to use a little yeast from another packet. I'm not sure if that will affect the outcome or not b/c I'm in the middle of making them, but just thought I'd share. Looking forward to these! We're going to have them with my homemade Zuppa Toscana soup! :)

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    1. Would you be willing to share your Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe!? Its my fav!!!

      Steph

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  68. these look really good, I need to try this recipe!

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  69. I read your "Readable Eatables" section and you misspelled "turned." What you wrote was "tuned." Anyway, these breadsticks are amazing!!!

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  70. I am thinking mine are not going to turn out. They seem thick. I did follow directions and it did froth for 10. I am wondering if you can have too much flour or over knead it? This is my first time doing any type of homemade bread.

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  71. Thank you so much for this recipe! They turned out great! They didn't quite proof to the size I would have liked, but that was probably error on my end :) I used out of date yeast and it frothed up like it was supposed to. I did put a bowl of water in the oven to help with the humidity. Your recipe is spot on!

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  72. This is 2nd time i made these ..in my bread machine on roll setting... as i dont have a mixer... proofed as directed... used 1/2 T salt today as the first batch was a bit too salty for my taste.. used 4 C "all purpose" flour... then looked at my bread before finished mixing and added additional flour as needed...(today about 1/3 C more)took out and shaped as directed and followed rest of recipe...will let u know the outcome

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  73. is the butter unsalted?

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    1. You can use whatever you have. I know it sounds like a lot of salt in the recipe but with all the flour and water they come out tasting perfect and not at all over salted.

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  74. Made these last night and they were great! I ended up only using 3 1/2 cups of flour because it came off clean on the sides. I still got 13 bread sticks. The seemed a little dense, but not bad. I think my water cooled a little quicker than normal and I didn't stir the yeast when it was added. I will try that next time and I am sure they will be amazing. Your butter glazes with the salt and then garlic powder are spot on. It did remind me of Olive Garden.
    To the commenter above mine. I used unsalted butter.

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    1. I am so glad you liked them. They always turn out a little dense for me too, but they have such wonderful flavor. My whole family LOVES them. Thanks for the comment! :)

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  75. I work there and these sound like they would taste even better then Olive Gardens... They just put a liquid margarine over the bread sticks then shake some garlic salt over that... and the bread comes in bags already made just uncooked so we just have to pop them in the oven for a few mins. I wanna try yours!

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    1. I worked at the OG too; was actually going to post the same info: liquid margarine and bottled garlic salt (MSG) are what OG tops the breadsticks with. If these are denser than Olive Garden breadsticks, that is great! OG switched brands about 9 yrs ago; they used to be much tastier/denser/chewier. Staff called the new brand "hot dog buns" (the fluffy ones you get there today).

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  76. I made these last night and they are just perfect, and the method is soooooo easy!!

    I googled the yeast because I had 2 pouches of Fleischmanns active dry yeast and didn't know if I had the required TBSP for this recipe. Each .25 oz pkt contains 2 1/4 tsp. SO...2 pkts of active dry yeast = 1 TBSP plus 1 1/2 tsp.

    I USED 2 WHOLE PKTS OF YEAST, because most people commented that their bread sticks came out heavy/dense.

    I USED 1 TBSP KOSHER salt and this ended up being just right.

    After mixing in my kitchenaid and allowing to rest(covered) for an hour, it didn't rise much, but the dough was easy to work with forming the stick shapes.

    I ALLOWED 40 minutes on the baking sheet in a WARM oven for the sticks to rest/rise and then baked as directed.

    They didn't brown on top at all, but the bottoms were golden, and the texture was perfect, not heavy at all!

    I also gave the sticks a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to finish them, and my family raved over these!!

    Frankly I find them WAY better than Olive Garden's. OG's are dry on the outside, kind of cottony inside, and not much flavor.

    Thanks for this recipe....Now that I've tested it, I am repinning it on Pinterest!!

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    1. Yay! Thanks for the comment. I totally agree that they are better then Olive Gardens. :)

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  77. Oh, and I forgot to add that I ended up using the whole 5 cups of flour, the last 1 1/2 cup was added 1/2 cup at a time as suggested.

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  78. I just made these tonight, with some modifications, and they were FABULOUS! The changes I made were pretty simple:

    *I used 2 whole packets of yeast as Susan recommended. The extra yeast makes a huge difference. They weren't dense at ALL, they were soft and fluffy.
    *Also, I have been told that yeast doesn't activate as well in a metal container (like my kitchenaid mixer bowl), so I mixed the warm water (110 degrees), sugar, and yeast in the glass measuring cup, and let it get foamy in there for 10 minutes.
    *After the dough was formed, I put it into a sprayed bowl, flipped it to coat, and covered it, rather than leaving it in the metal bowl to rise.
    *Humidity (or lack of) plays a huge roll in the amount of flour used. I only needed 3 1/2 cups to get it to the right texture.
    *I made 16 breadsticks and thought they were large, so would maybe even make 18 next time, or roll them out longer than 6 inches.
    *I took Susan's other recommendation and sprinkled parmesan cheese on top, which was delicious.
    *I baked mine at 375 for 13 minutes, since some others commented that the bottoms got too dark baking at 400.

    I used the full Tablespoon of salt, as you suggested, and didn't find it too salty at all. They were perfect! I will definitely make them again. Thank you for the recipe!

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    1. I'm so glad they worked out for you. My family loves these too! Pretty sure they are better then Olive Gardens :) Thanks so much for the comment!

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  79. Why cooking spray for the sheet vs parchment paper? Have you tried the latter?
    I have no idea what they put in these sprays for propellant, but I know my parchment paper to be safe.

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    1. You can make your own "Pam" spray if you don't want to use the commercial kind... Just get a spray bottle, fill half with water, half with oil (I use Grapeseed oil) and shake, then spray. If spraying a bunch, just keep shaking every once in a while. So easy, convenient, and doesn't get that sticky residue left from the commercial sprays.
      -Tiffaney

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  80. Made these today.....I got 19 breadsticks out of the batch.....I kneaded once it was mixed and I always let my dough rise covered in the oven with the light on (generates enough heat to promote rising)for an hour....I let the breadsticks rise covered in warm oven for about 45 min....took my oven about 16-18 min.....to turn golden brown....son loves the tang of the salt & garlic on top....a BIG hit!!!Thanks so much

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  81. Ok, what Olive Garden serves these. The ones local to me in DFW use Mrs. Baird's, although I don't think the kind they use are available in stores. I'm not kidding, my daughter is on a special diet and I asked the waiter to ask the cook what was in the breadsticks, he came back with Mrs. Baird's bag with the rolls in them and told me the ingredients were on the side. I just looked at him kinda shocked. Seriously I said? He just smiled.

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  82. I noticed a lot of people saying they didn't raise. Here is an important tip: never add the salt (especially not this much) until you are adding the flour. Let the water and yeast sit for ten minutes WITHOUT the salt. Pouring salt directly on top of the yeast will kill it. Salt naturally kills a lot of things. But adding it in with the flour will dilute it enough not to kill the yeast.

    These were delicious. Hope they work for the rest of yoU!!

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  83. I made these using 1/2 TBS more yeast and little less salt. I had one pan raise in the oven as directed and the other on the table. They were both very delicious but the pan that was done in the oven was dense like others have mentioned. The pan that sat on the table covered with a towel were very light and fluffy, exactly like Olive Garden's. I will be using this recipe a lot! THANK YOU!

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  84. I worked at the olive garden and made more of these bread sticks than I care to remember. The bread comes already baked. You can buy these at the grocery store. You heat them in the oven, then just brush melted butter on them and finally sprinkle on garlic powder. That's it!!! That's exactly how they're made at the olive garden - sorry to burst your bubble.
    one difference - the OG uses butter flavored oil that comes in a large plastic container.

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  85. I just made these last night and they were AMAZING!!! I actually mixed it in my bread machine -which worked great. I didn't find them dense at all, but I turned my oven off after it got a little warm, and I let them sit longer than 15 minutes. I also decreased the baking temp to 350. They were super soft and earned high points from my husband, which is an excellent compliment when it comes to bread!!

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  86. A thought for those of you having trouble getting this recipe to rise, try checking the expiry date on your yeast, it does die after a while. If you have it in the bowl with warm water and sugar and it does not froth, your yeast is dead and will not rise the bread. Buy some new yeast :) I've made it with regular active dry yeast and instant and had great results both times, only difference being you don't have to let it sit 10 minutes with instant. Make sure your water is nice and warm, if you're like me and store your yeast in the freezer, I get my tap water almost as hot as it will go, and pour it into a metal bowl (which cools it a bit) and then once my frozen yeast goes in it also cools. If your water is not warm enough it will not rise as well.

    Also... don't add the salt to your yeast while frothing. Sugar is food for yeast, salt kills it. If you don't have the right balance it will die. Best to wait until after frothing to add salt.

    Also, overkneading the dough will make it hard and dense.

    Hope these suggestions help some of you :)

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  87. p.s. I also lowered the tempurature on my oven and moved them slightly above the middle of the rack, found in my oven they were getting very brown on the bottoms before the tops got brown.

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  88. Since the name practically suggests it, I went ahead and added some chopped green olives to the dough. I also added some cheese as was mentioned here before.
    They turned out absolutely amazing, and my 3 year old son kept asking for more...

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  89. Is there a point in the process you could freeze this and then bake it later? As a single I don't want to make a whole batch at one time (if they're as yummy as OG's I may eat them ALL!)... I would like to be able to make the dough, freeze in single servings and bake as needed. Ideas?

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  90. Crazy question- I am assuming this is plain flour, correct? I have plain and self rising on hand always.

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  91. I've had these pinned for sometime now...I call this my wonder Dough. I use the dough for everything,even cinnamon Rolls these were the best!

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  92. Do you know if you can get the marinara sauce ? With this breadsticks will be delisius i love the sauce they do at the restorant

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  93. If you want the bread sticks to be less dense use bread flour, it is ground a litte finer and has some additives like baking soda that helps the bread rise and be less dense. When you use bread flour these taste and feel like the bread sticks from Olive Garden! Thanks for the recipe!

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  94. Could you use whole wheat flour for these?

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  95. Olive Garden does not make their own bread. It is premade breadsticks out of a package warmed up for 5 mins in oven, brushed with liquid margarine and sprinkled with garlic salt. Worked there for 8 years. in case anyone also wants to know most everything that restaurant cooks is delivered and prepared from frozen form. NOTHING is "homemade". Unless you count mixing a bunch of cans up for the soups and sauces.

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  96. The wholesale company that made the bread sticks started out with the flour, yeast, etc. Olive Garden just gets the credit! When we say the breadsticks taste like theirs, most people can relate to that particular taste and texture and enjoyment! I thank all of you that have worked at O.G. and been disappointed to know their secrets (bags, cans, etc). We customers appreciate your work so we can enjoy the end results! With this recipe we can bring it home! Thanks to all! A great recipe and so many helpful comments!

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  97. Made them last night..perfecto! I only made 6. What can I do with the leftover dough?

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  98. I decided to give this recipe a try considering i'm pregnant and in the third trimester so I have nothing better to do. At first I completely failed because I used active dry yeast and didn't pay attention to the packaging. The breadsticks didn't rise and they were hard (still yummy but very dense). The second go I made sure to pay close attention only using 1/4 cup warm water (around 110 degrees) 1/2 tbsp sugar and the yeast. I let it sit for ten minutes than added 2 cups of flour. After adding the flour I added the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar and remaining 1 1/4 cup of luke warm water. Then followed your recipe to the t and they came out perfect.

    Also before baking them (after proofing) I egg washed them because I noticed the first batch didnt turn as golden brown as I liked before the bottom started getting crispy.

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  99. Making them tonight but not sure if my yeast activated correctly guess I'll just have to wait and see how they turn out ..... Also I'm going to add pramesan cheese to the butter garlic mix and see how that is :) can't wait!!!
    ~Sabrina

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  100. Oh.My.Goodness! These are heavenly. Thank you so much for sharing! Nice and soft...even my picky kid wanted more! :)

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  101. I made them on the dough cycle of in my breadmaker. I used half whole wheat bread flour and white all purpose flour, also added a bit of gluten to help rise. In the oven now, they look delious.

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    Replies
    1. How did they turn out? I would like to use my bread machine.

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    2. Deb,

      How did you make these in the breadmaker? I don't have a stand mixer but I have a bread maker and a food processor. Could I use the food processor?

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  102. Thanks for the great recipe! One of my favorite recipes is:

    http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2012/08/aunt-trudys-refrigerator-pan-rolls.html

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  103. We have made these numerous times and low them, I use the bread flour and they aren't too as dense

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  104. I made these last night.... So good! And easy to do... Only my second time making homemade dough and they turned out great. :)

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  105. I had a SEVERE case of verbal diarrhea today. I have a TON of housework to get done this weekend, but told my husband that we were having pasta for dinner tonight and that I would make breadsticks. YOUR recipe is the one I decided to make. I've already pinned it and I'm pretty sure there won't be any left by the end of the evening (only 3 people in our house). Thanks so much for sharing! :D

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  106. I have never made bread before and i love olive garden breadsticks. So this recipe is now a number 1 in our house with spaghetti!!! Thanks sooo much for the inspiration to make things "from scratch" my family is hooked!

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  107. My 1st time making bread and these were great! I used 2 packages of the yeast like suggests by others. I also had to knead the dough by hand for about 5 or6 mins. Very good! Thank you for this! :)

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  108. If you want your breadsticks less dense use LESS FLOUR (and always use bread flour, if possible, for making yeast breads). I used about 3 1/2 c total and it was perfect. You want your dough to be slightly tacky to the touch. Spray your hands & the dough with a little pam or olive oil and it wont stick to you when you shape your breadsticks & it will be just as light and tender as the ones at olive garden

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  109. Just made these tonight! Although they may be a little denser than Olive Garden, if you weren't comparing to be a copy cat, they worked out really well! The seasoning really does taste like OG.

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  110. By flour you mean all purpose flour?

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  111. I have made these a few times and they are gone within 15 minutes of them coming out of the oven. I have failed once or twice in making them, but it was always my fault... not this recipe's.
    The things I do to make sure they turn out:

    -Like everyone said, correctly proof your yeast with a littler warmer than warm water. My husband is a biochemist AND home beer brewer, so he explained to me how the process works. The temp must be 110-114 for the yeast to proof.

    -Make sure you're doing that correctly. If your breadsticks don't rise, you've done this wrong.
    Secondly, don't add TOO much flour. I only add 3 1/2 cups of flour to my recipe, honestly. If your breadsticks are too dense, you've added too much flour.

    -Make sure you mixed your ingredients AND "kneaded" in your mixer for the extra 5 minutes. Sometimes I think the bread gets too dense because there is flour hanging out in the bottom. I always turn my mixer almost on high, then walk away and clean my kitchen. When I come back it's a great ball and always turns out fluffy.

    -Let your bread rise, for crying out loud. It has been said on here before, if you live in a cold state like I do (Minnesota) your house is probably colder than normal and you need to maybe turn your oven onto 200 or so, and let your bread rise on your stove. Or, maybe just give it some more time. Don't be impatient!

    These breadsticks are by far my favorite. Thanks so much for this recipe!!!

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  112. Omg! These are amazing! First time making any bread like product and they were a hit in my house. Thank you thank you thank you for this very easy recipe. Very delicious and turned out perfect, light and delicious.

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  113. I normally make my breadstick dough in the breadmaker, but these were just as easy, and VERY good! Thanks for sharing :)

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  114. How about using a bread machine?

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  115. Hi! What does froth mean? Me & my Nana are going to make these this weekend with some Alfredo Dipping Sauce! :D

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    Replies
    1. It kind of means that as you let the yeast and sugar sit in the warm water for the ten minutes it starts to form a "froth" on the top of the water.

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  116. Hi, I teach high school Food and Nutrition and would like to use this recipe, but I only have a 48 minute class period. Do you think we could leave the dough in the fridge overnight to rise? I have done this with other dough and it has turned out well, but I don't want to bum the class out if it doesn't work. We were just talking about Olive Garden breadsticks today so I know they will be really excited for this recipe!

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    Replies
    1. I have never done it with this dough but I'm sure it will be fine. I think your class will really like these. They are yummy!!

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  117. Can the dough be frozen and used later? and can any leftover breadsticks be frozen?

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  118. Making these now with homemade Turkey Veggie Soup! Thanks for the recipe :) I will post my thoughts after consuming ;)

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  119. They came out AWESOME !!! Thank you !!! Delish :P

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    Replies
    1. Yay! Thanks for telling me. I am so glad you liked them. :)

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  120. I love your recipe but i do not like all the comment it take to much paper

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  121. Hi, what degrees are you talking in, Celsius or Fahrenheit?:/

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  122. You need to fix your web site to just print off the recipes, instead of 15 pages of comments. Thanks

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    1. I added a Print Button to the bottom of my recipes. I hope this helps!

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    2. You should probably go to your printer settings (like everyone else) and make sure you don't print ALL pages... Just print page 1-2. Its a pretty simple solution actually, but thanks Readable Eatables for adding the printer button!:)

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  123. DELICIOUS! THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE!!! I put olive oil instead of butter in the dough; and I made a onion powder+ground thyme+garlic salt sprinkle on top ~ gotta add a lot to get flavor, but that's okay!!! I added salt on top, as well. This next batch is just salt on top, and I may add cinnamon-sugar if I have a sweet tooth. With my leftovers, I freeze them, and sometimes make bread crumbs =D THANKS again Codee for the recipe!!!!! =D !!!!

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  124. Made these this weekend. Followed recommendations from those that commented on their experiences. I used non-metal bowls. In sm. bowl, I put lukewarm water w/sugar and used two pkts of Active Dry Yeast, I used bread flour and only used approx. 3 1/2 c. I topped mine with garlic and herb seasoning and powdered parmesan cheese. VERY GOOD

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  125. I used whole wheat flour, olive oil instead of butter, and cut back the salt a bit - and they turned out great! Thanks for this recipe! SO easy to make - will definitely make them again.

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  126. Just wanted to note that for those who might want to use self rising flour, YOU OMIT THE SALT in the recipe...SR flour has baking powder & salt in it so you don't need to add it.
    Bread flour has higher gluten than all purpose...I always use a-p flour.
    Water temps given in lot of recipes are too hot, even at 110°...I use warm tap water & never had a problem...but I've learned alot of stuff the hard way! First time I made bread, you could have built houses out of those bricks!! :)
    This recipe sounds great, I'm anxious to try it! Thanks!

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  127. I just made these today and they were delicious. Since I have never made bread before or used yeast before, I read through all the comments and then got started. I didn't have any expectations of success because after reading the comments it seemed it was hit or miss on the dough. Luckily I hit the jackpot. They turned out great. I was nervous working with the dough, so my breadsticks look a little funky, but the taste is wonderful.

    Thanks!

    I'm thinking people probably missed on this when they used too hot of water and killed the yeast. Just a guess .... will make these again. Thanks! a.j.

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  128. I was so excited about this that I made this the very same day I found this website and read all the comments.
    Here is my conclusions after making and eating these wonderful bread-sticks!
    1. I used bread flour. I spooned my flour into my 1 cup dry measuring cup. I did not scoop it out of the bag. This makes a big difference in how much flour you end up with.
    2. I proofed my yeast (made for a bread-maker) with the warm water and sugar.
    3. I used my bread-maker dough setting.
    4. I used 1 Tbsp of salt that the recipe calls for.
    5. I made 12 sticks out of the dough.

    The dough was not too salty for me.
    The bread-sticks were too big because I made them the size of the finished sticks when I rolled them out. Then they doubled in size when they rose. Next time I would make them half the size and end up with 24 sticks.
    I melted the butter to brush on top and put garlic salt in it. I would NOT do that again. I would melt the butter, brush it on, let it rise again and then sprinkle with garlic salt. And I liked the ones that had sesame seeds sprinkled on the top.
    They warm up really good the next day wrapped in foil.
    They had a great taste over all and were not too dense for me. I can't wait to do this again.

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  129. Would margarine work instead of butter? Thanks! These look really yummy!

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  130. Your blogs are easily accessible and quite enlightening so keep doing the amazing work guys.Outback Coupon

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  131. Where is the rating button? Because I would give this recipe 10 stars. I'm an avid and really good home cook of 40 years. I love Olive Garden, but they aren't close enough, and I wanted to re-create a soup, salad, breadstick dinner at home. I used recipes from this site and some from the OG website, but I will only comment on this one here.

    Hands down, the best breadsticks I have ever tasted. I'm not kidding. I brought in my taste testers and they know when I'm trying something new, I want the honest truth. Don't spare my feelings, I don't want to spend hours on something that was mediocre because you wanted to please me. The vote was unanimous and I was the biggest vote caster.

    I try to follow a new recipe exactly the first time and then tweak it later after I know what it's about. I did that. It's not a deviation, but the recipe didn't tell me whether to use the paddle on my stand mixer, or the dough hook. I chose the dough hook. It took some time for the initial mix, and I had to scrape it down. But after I started adding the additional flour in small increments, it looked good.

    The recipe called for 12-14 pieces and I did 14, but I think you could easily do 20 pieces, because some of mine were large.

    My results? My worst critic in the family told me these were twice as good as any they had at olive garden. Everyone else agreed, me included. I had to "salvage" 4 breadsticks so I can experiment with refridgerating/freezing them so that they can be made ahead of time for parties.

    I'm already thinking of other possibilities. A side to fish? Fresh rosmary and dill in the dough.

    But right now I have to figure out how to post this as something other than anonymous. I'm brand new to this site. I want you to know this is a real review. I'll be back, this one recipe alone was fantastic!

    My name is Karen

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    Replies
    1. Wow thank you Karen! You just made my day :) I'm so glad you liked them!!

      Delete
  132. When I was first learning to make bread, it always came out so dense! I've learned that you can either replace 1/4 cup of your flour with instant potato flakes OR replace the water with water that you have boiled potatoes in and this will help your bread as the starch from the potatoes helps protect the bubbles that the yeast makes in your bread. Don't be worried about the potato taste, either, as you cannot taste it at all.

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  133. Mine didn't turn out very pretty, but they tasted great! Will have to work harder on presentation next time. Will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing the recipe and thanks for all of the helpful tips!

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  134. I made these for supper and the were great. Thanks!!

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  135. Just made these this weekend, I found the recipe easy to follow and they turned out delicious! My husband and I both loved them! Thank you for sharing!

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  136. trying to make exactly the same turns too hard, but if executed carefully and pay attention to the steps it can be done.. thx for sharing...
    nice tips...

    if you looking for kitchen supplies, please visit http://mykitchenkit.net/

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  137. I made my first dough and I found that it had to much flour it did not rise much and the dough was to thick...so I started again and use less flour and they came out perfect....I have made bread before and know how the dough should feel and at what consistency maybe with all that flour the bread would had came out a bit harder more like Italian bread...just saying

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  138. Some yeast goes into the flour mix. Some goes in water to proof. READ THE BACK OF YEAST PACKET FOR THE CORRECT YEAST.

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  139. I agree that some of the "putting into the oven" directions are confusing. Some recipes have you place things in a cold oven and let it heat up while the food is in there. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this to be the order: 1) Preheat oven to 170, 2) Place breadsticks in preheated oven, 3) Pull breadsticks out and turn oven up to 400, 4) Brush breadsticks with butter, 5) Place breadsticks back in oven that has reached 400 for 12-14 mins., 6) Mix up garlic butter, 7) Remove breadsticks from oven and brush with garlic butter mixture

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