Inspired by Olive Garden's BreadsticksMarquee pick

Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks Recipe

From the kitchen of The Big Apron

Inspired by Olive Garden's breadsticks. A soft yeasted dough, a one hour rise, and a garlic butter brush the second they leave the oven. Cold butter on warm bread is the move.

Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks Recipe

The whole game is the brush. The dough underneath is a soft enriched yeast roll, easy and forgiving, the kind of thing where a stand mixer and a damp towel get you 90% there. What separates a great Olive Garden style breadstick from a fine one is the butter that hits the second it leaves the oven. Cold butter on warm bread, garlic blooming into the surface, coarse salt grabbing onto the slick top. Hand-roll each rope to seven inches and an inch thick. Size sells the silhouette.

Prep
25 min
Cook
14 min
Total
1 hr 50 min
Servings
12
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

12 servings

  • 1 cupWarm water (110F)
  • 2 1/4 tspActive dry yeast
  • 2 tbspSugar
  • 3 cupsAll-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tspSalt
  • 2 tbspOlive oil
  • 4 tbspUnsalted butter, melted, for the brush
  • 1 tspGarlic powder
  • 1/2 tspItalian seasoning
  • 1 tspCoarse sea salt for finishing

Instructions

  1. Bloom the yeast: combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Wait 10 minutes until foamy.

  2. Whisk flour and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead with a dough hook 8 minutes until smooth.

  3. Cover and rise in a warm spot 1 hour, until doubled.

  4. Turn out the dough. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each into a 7-inch rope.

  5. Place ropes on a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving space between. Cover and rise 30 minutes.

  6. Bake at 400F for 12 to 14 minutes until golden.

  7. Whisk melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Brush the breadsticks while still warm. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Substitutions
  • Active dry yeast to Instant yeast. Skip the bloom step; mix straight in.
  • All-purpose flour to Bread flour. Chewier crumb; rises slightly higher.
  • Italian seasoning to Dried oregano plus dried basil. Equal parts. A teaspoon of each is plenty.

Pairs well with: Marinara dipping sauce, Caesar salad, A glass of red

Pro tips

  1. Hand-roll each rope to 7 inches and 1 inch thick. The size sells the whole game.
  2. Brush with butter the second they leave the oven. Cold butter on warm bread is the move.
  3. The coarse salt on top is the difference between a good breadstick and a great one.

Try the original

Want to taste the source?

Browse our other Olive Garden copycats, or visit a location near you. The full nearest-restaurant lookup lands with the Restaurant vertical.

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