by Kelly J. Larson

Breadsticks are the ultimate comfort food around here. We like them with soup or salad and sometimes as the meal itself. They’re so perfect — a portable and handy homemade bread, baked with butter and Parmesan cheese. Mmmm. The fact that there can be about 15 soft and cheesy breadsticks on the table in a less than an hour make this recipe very appealing.

Breadsticks

Dough

• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon yeast (I use SAF instant)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Additional Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• garlic salt
• 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in stand mixer. After about five minutes, add salt and flour, one cup at a time. Knead for 3 minutes.
2. Cover bowl and wait 10 minutes.
3. Spread softened butter over the entire surface of a large cookie sheet or a silicone tray.
4. Lightly sprinkle flour onto a clean countertop or baker’s mat, then scrape the dough from the bowl onto the surface. Shape dough with your hands or a rolling pin into a fairly even rectangle, similar to a long shoe box.
5. Using a pizza cutter, slice dough through the middle of the rectangle, cutting into 1-inch strips, then twist each one and place onto a prepared baking pan, spaced slightly apart from each other. Repeat until all the dough is used. (Tip: When I get to the shorter ends, I cut the strips a bit wider, then just pull to make them longer and more uniform with the other strips of dough.)
6. Sprinkle garlic salt and cheese over the breadsticks, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise about 20 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees, then bake 15 minutes.

Makes 15 breadsticks, 135 calories each. Recipe source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, my kitchen muse.