TWISTY SISTA' BREAD STICKS

By Gina Davis
@GMarie65

I have never really been happy with bread stick recipes for some reason. Either they were to crunch or too much like rolls. So the best I could figure out was to just come up with my own. They are called Twisty Sista because my daughters when they were younger use to twist them for me, and they invented a little song about how they were Twisty Sista's doing the twist dance and all BUT my son who is the oldest had to pick at them singing "No they were just twisted." Lol, I miss them days a lot! They are grown with babies of their own now so I will have new twisters!!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

These breadsticks make your kitchen smell amazing while baking. They turn out crisp, yet soft on the inside. I used the roasted garlic, and loved the subtle flavor. Next time, I may add a bit more though. I can't wait to serve these alongside some pasta or with a nice salad. They're delicious! The Test Kitchen

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote

Comments:

8 Comments

Serves:

Makes 12 bread sticks (prep includes raise times)

Prep:

2 Hr

Cook:

20 Min

Method:

Bake

Ingredients

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1: large head of garlic, cut top off to expose cloves lightly salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; place in small baking dish or pan cover with foil and bake at 375 degree for 40 minutes
1 c: warm water (110 to 115 degree)
1/2: warm milk
2 1/4 tsp: active dry yeast (you can use rapid rise just reduce your raise times)
1 Tbsp: sugar
3 1/2-4 c: bread flour or all-purpose
2 Tbsp: roasted garlic; can also substitute minced garlic
1 Tbsp: fresh basil or 2 tbsp dried
2 Tbsp: olive oil (or vegetable oil)
: coarse salt (i use kosher)
: fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/2 stick: butter, melted
: shredded cheese (use what you like)
: sesame seeds
: poppy seeds
: anything you like on bread sticks

How to Make TWISTY SISTA' BREAD STICKS

Step-by-Step

1Make the dough:
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, combine the sugar, yeast, warm water and warm milk. I just add my milk and water together and warm in microwave for about 25 seconds. You want your liquids at 110 to 120 degree. (You can use 1 1/2 water if you do not want to use any milk product.) Stir it around and then let sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast is foamy and dissolved. (If your yeast does not bloom you might want to start again this means it died somewhere along the way.)
2Once yeast has bloomed add olive oil and give it a quick stir.
3Add flour, salt, garlic and basil. Mix by hand or with dough hook for 1 minute. Once it is all combined mix by hand or with your dough hook for 7 minutes. If dough is wet add a couple of tablespoons of flour at a time util it pulls together. It will be soft and tacky but not super sticky. (It will stick to your hands but pull off clean.) Dough will slowly spring back when poked with finger.
4Spray or oil a large bowl with cooking spray or oil. Shape dough into a ball and place in mixing bowl. Spray dough with cooking spray or rub with oil. (I use Pam Olive Oil Spray.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm draft-free spot until doubled in size (this takes 1 - 2 hours). If in question mark the outside of your bowl with a marker and that gives you a starting point.
5Once dough has doubled punch it down to release the air (just make a fist and push into dough 2 to 3 times). Divide the dough into two equal balls and let rest in separate bowls or on the counter top covered with a towel for 10 minutes.
6Preheat oven to 375 degree. Line a large baking sheets with parchment paper or you can use silicone baking mats you can also spray lightly with cooking spray or dust lightly with cornmeal. Just set the pans to side.
7Take balls of dough and pat or roll it out into roughly a 6x10 rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
8Top each rectangle with melted butter, salt and cracked pepper. Using a pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut rectangles into long strips about 1.5 inches in width. Then, twist each strip (I have found the easiest way to do this is to just use the palm of your hand and roll in opposite directions on the counter top). Or you can just leave them un-twisted :)
9Once bread stick are twisted place on prepared baking sheet sprinkle with salt and pepper and let rest for 10 minutes
10Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15 - 18 minutes. Remove from oven and push the bread sticks together and top with your cheeses and toppings. Return to oven for 4 - 6 minutes until cheese is nice and melted. Don't want toppings? Just bake for 20 - 25 minutes and brush with butter when done.
11I am sorry I can not tell you how these keep as leftovers they never make it past the dinner table except in someones belly lol.