Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

Dominoes-style garlic breadsticks, cheesy and delicious! Perfect for your pizza nights or parties!

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It’s a bit ironical that while most of my baking skewers towards the sweet, my tastebuds actually crave more savoury. But by default I always seem to have a long list of sweet things I want to bake. So when I start getting requests for a savoury recipe, I take it as the chance to do something I would otherwise keep pushing for later.

Garlic breadsticks recently became one of the most requested recipes on my blog. So much so that I got tired of saying “coming soon” and decided to finally get on with it. These cheesy garlick-y breadsticks are incredibly delicious and are perfect for get-togethers or as a side to your pizza nights! They’re also one of the easier bread recipes to try compared to a loaf or buns because there is hardly any shaping or folding technique required.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESY GARLIC BREADSTICKS

The recipe requires only some basic ingredients – flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter, and water. In this recipe I also like to add a little milk because it makes the breadsticks softer.

Apart from this you’ll need garlic (duh!), more butter, cheese (for the filling) and some seasoning. I like ready made pizza seasoning because it has a little bit of everything and adds quite a punch to the bread. But you could use just oregano or if you don’t mind a bit of spice, then a mix of oregano and chili flakes (or a hint of paprika).

PROVING THE YEAST

Like with any recipe that requires yeast, you start by proving or blooming the yeast. As a rule, for all of my blog recipes, I prefer to work with instant yeast which I find consistent and easy to use. Although instant yeast doesn’t need to be proved separately, I still do it to ensure that my yeast is good to use. If you use active dry yeast, you’ll need to add just a tad more – ¼ tsp than the quantity in the recipe and work the same way. Start by taking warm milk in a bowl. Add to it the sugar, and gently sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir the yeast into the milk and cover the bowl. In about 10 minutes, the milk would have become frothy and/or bubbly. If it hasn’t, I recommend you start over with a new packet of yeast.

Read my detailed guide on yeast here or watch this 30-second time-lapse video on the process of yeast proofing. 

Next, you mix flour and salt together. This is important because salt slows down yeast’s fermentation and mixing it with the flour ensures it doesn’t interact too directly with the yeast. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast-milk.

KNEADING THE DOUGH

Start to knead and bring together the dough. It will obviously be dry so start drizzling the water. A very important step in bread-making is getting the ratio of water:flour right. The right balance is what will ensure a good, soft, and tasty bread. Water ratio can change based on the absorption quality of your flour. So start with a little and add as you go, adjusting to get a soft but non-sticky dough.

Next, add the oregano, garlic and melted butter. Here’s a tip – I add the garlic to the butter and then melt it to extract more flavor. Continue to knead for 7-8 minutes – which may feel like a lot but is absolutely essential to gluten development. 

RESTING THE DOUGH

Put the dough in an oiled bowl, and cover it with a kitchen cloth or cling wrap. Keep this aside for atleast an hour. Yeast does wonderfully in warmer weather, so if you live in a place that’s colder, or the weather is nippy, just place the bowl inside your microwave or oven or inside the warmest shelf in your kitchen. If you feel the dough hasn’t doubled in an hour, let it sit for 30 minutes more.

PREPARING THE FILLING

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling for the breadsticks. Melt butter and garlic together in a bowl – oh the smell of the garlic while doing this!! Add coriander and more seasoning. You could use parsley too in place of coriander or even dried herbs. I think fresh herbs just make this taste much better. Save just about a tsp of this filling to spread on top of the dough before baking.

Notice the air bubbles in the fermented dough.

Punch down the dough. An activity I recommend highly for times when you’re angry. Haha. There’s never a time I won’t be excited to do this.

SHAPING THE DOUGH

Knead the punched down dough for 30 seconds, and then divide into two equal sized balls.

Now, identify a flat surface where you want to roll the dough. It could be a tray or even your kitchen counter. Sprinkle some semolina or regular flour. I feel semolina gives it a nice crunch. Don’t go overboard with the quantity. Place one of the balls of dough on top.

Roll it out into an even round of approx ¼ inch thickness. You don’t want it to be too thick because the breadsticks will become chewy with little filling.

Brush with the prepared filling all over the dough or spread with a spoon.

Add the cheese over half of the dough. I use a blend of pre-cut mozzarella and cheddar cubes. Any other cheese that melts well or a blend will work too. I’ve tried this with Amul cheese cubes as well as pizza cheese and both times it came out well. You can also skip the cheese completely or add a lot more (cmon really is this even a choice?) You could even add corn kernels or jalapenos to make it a stuffed garlic bread. The options are varied!

Now take the half of the dough without the cheese and fold it over the half where you added cheese. Creating a semi-circle.

Next, seal the edges – very important if you don’t want your filling to spill out during baking. If you feel your edges aren’t sticking together, you can lightly brush the edge of the dough with water, and then use your fingertips to seal the ends. Repeat the process with the other ball of dough.

Transfer the filled and sealed dough to a parchment lined tray and cover and set aside again for 30 minutes. Technically, breadsticks don’t require a second proving, however i’ve found it to give a softer bread.

After 30 minutes, make cuts along the dough, approximately 1 inch apart. Do not cut all the way to the bottom.

Brush the top with a little milk and then with the remaining garlic butter filling. Sprinkle more seasoning if you like.

BAKING AND COOLING

Bake in a pre-heated oven. I bake in an OTG, with only the bottom element on because it bakes my breads better. However, the top doesn’t acquire color, for which I switch to the broil/grill mode for the last 5-6 minutes of the baking time.   

   

Let it cool and then cut into strips and serve. We like to eat this with some marinara sauce or a cheesy dip or even just good ol’ mayo! 

If you try the recipe, do give me a shout-out on Instagram or leave me a comment here!

For measurements and conversions, do refer the ready reckoner for a quick handy guide! 

SOME OTHER BREAD RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE 

• Whole-Wheat Sandwich Loaf
• Ladi Pav/Pav Buns
• Mini Whole-Wheat Cheesy Buns
• Potato Jalapeno Focaccia 
• Cinnamon Rolls