Olive Garden Breadsticks

Who else is excited about soup season? Soup is one of my favorite foods, and I like to eat soup at least once a week. I like pretty much every variety, from broccoli cheese soup to tomato basil soup. I love that there are so many different flavor combinations, and it’s always warm and comforting. Soup is the perfect meal for a cold night! Of course, if you’re making soup for dinner, you need some fabulous bread to go with it, and that’s where these copycat Olive Garden breadsticks come in! They taste just like the breadsticks from Olive Garden, but even better, because you can make them at home! Best of all, they’re easy to make, and way cheaper than store-bought.

You’ll start by mixing up a simple breadstick dough. If you have a stand mixer, it makes the kneading part a little easier, but you can definitely mix the dough up by hand, too! Once it’s mixed, let it rise about one hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Next, divide the dough into twelve equal sized pieces that are about two ounces each. If you’re neurotic like me, you can use a kitchen scale. I actually ended up with thirteen breadsticks, based on that two ounce weight. The more the merrier! 🙂

Roll each piece of dough out into a long rope (about nine inches long) and place 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. They totally don’t have to be perfect. Even if they’re a little wonky, they’ll still turn out delicious.

Cover the breadsticks and let them rise for about one hour. During the last ten minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 425.

Bake the breadsticks 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown, then brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt. If you don’t have garlic salt, you could mix some garlic powder and regular table salt together, but I love how much flavor the garlic salt adds. Yum!

These breadsticks are chewy and crisp on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside. I’m kind of shocked by how much they taste like Olive Garden breadsticks, except even better!

They’re definitely best when eaten the same day, but they’re so delicious that leftovers shouldn’t be a problem. These breadsticks are a must-make during soup season!

For more bread recipes, check out:

• Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Soft Dinner Rolls recipe
• Spinach and Artichoke French Bread

Olive Garden breadstick recipe:

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Olive Garden Breadsticks

Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks - this delicious recipe is simple and tastes just like the real thing - but beware, they're addicting!

Course Bread

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Let Rise 2 hours

Total Time 27 minutes

Servings 12 breadsticks

Calories 701 kcal

Author The Baker Upstairs on lilluna.com

Ingredients

Breadstick

• 1 cup and 2 Tbsp warm water
• 1 1/4 tsp yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp oil
• 3-3 14 cups flour

Topping

• 2 tbsp butter melted
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. Add the salt, oil, and two cups of flour, and mix until combined. Add additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and only slightly sticky to the touch.

2. Knead the dough until smooth, sprinkling with flour as needed to make the dough manageable. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise one hour, or until doubled.
3. After the dough has rise, punch it down gently and divide it into 12 equal sized balls. Roll each ball out into a nine inch rope, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone liner. Repeat with remaining dough, using two baking sheets. Cover and let rise one hour.
4. During the last ten minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 425. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with garlic salt. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

Olive Garden Breadsticks

Amount Per Serving

Calories 701 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7g 11%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 5mg 2%

Sodium 409mg 17%

Potassium 193mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 137g 46%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 2g

Protein 18g 36%

Vitamin A 1.2%

Calcium 2.7%

Iron 45.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.