What Kind Of Salt Do They Put On Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: Buttery and garlicky, AKA amazing!
Texture: These breadsticks have a bit of a golden crust but are soft and fluffy inside yet chewy throughout.
Ease: Really easy! Homemade breadsticks may sound intimidating but there's only a handful of ingredients and I've included step-by-step photos so you know exactly how to make them.
Appearance: Mouthwatering.
Pros: Have Olive Garden breadsticks at home whenever you want!
Cons: These are dangerously addictive.
Would I make this again? Mhmmm.

Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick copycat recipe with step-by-step photos.

So it's almost 8am on this Friday morning and I realized I had schedule this post to go live at 3am, like I always do with my posts, but had completely forgotten to write anything before my "recipe rundown." I didn't write anything really to introduce you to these copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks or anything else at all. Whoops. Blogger fail. In over four and a half years of blogging, I don't think I've ever done this before so that's good at least.

It has totally been one of those weeks. I've been making the dumbest mistakes. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen I dropped a tin of cinnamon rolls upsidedown on the ground. Yesterday I made chocolate cupcakes and didn't love how they turned out, so I baked another batch. The second batch somehow tasted like dirt. Yet despite all these little fails, I've been feeling really creative and inspired and have been brainstorming fun things to do next year. Where there's a will, there's a way. Hopefully I don't hurt myself in the process.

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
The dough recipe only has six ingredients! Get your ingredients and your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook ready to go. You can make this dough by hand, just get ready to knead for about 10 minutes.

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Mix your wet ingredients in the bowl of the mixer and add some of the flour. Turn the mixer on low and add the remaining flour, mixing until incorporated.

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for about 7 minutes.

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
The dough should be smooth and elastic after kneading. This dough is such a breeze to work with!

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Once doubled, your dough is ready to be portioned and formed into breadsticks!

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. This is made easy and precise with a scale, each portion should weigh 2 ounces. You don't have to use a scale but it makes things easier!

Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe
Roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch log shape. The logs don't have to be perfect, they'll puff up a bit during the second rise.

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Cover again with plastic and let the dough logs rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake in a 400°F oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Homemade Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe with step-by-step photos.
As soon as the breadsticks come out of the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the salt and garlic powder mixture. Serve warm. Be careful, these are ADDICTIVE!

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more scrumptious bread recipes!

For the dough:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
16 ounces (about 3 1/3 to 3 1/2 cups) bread flour

For the topping:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and butter. Add in the salt. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and begin to gradually add the flour on low speed. Increase speed to medium and knead the dough for about 7 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
Remove the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Divide the dough into 12 (2 ounce) portions. Roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch log. Place the dough logs on nonstick baking mat or parchment-lined baking sheets, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake for about 12 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.

*When it comes to bread baking, weighing your flour will always ensure the best and most consistent results. If you like to bake, consider investing in a kitchen scale if you don't already have one, it makes a big difference!

*Want to prep the dough ahead of time? Check out my free Make Ahead Baking Guide and follow the directions for making yeast dough in advance!

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

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