Sourdough Breadsticks

One of my favorite restaurants serves salad and breadsticks as an appetizer. Those breadsticks are always perfectly soft and buttery. I decided it was high time to make a sourdough version. These sourdough breadsticks are buttery, delicious, and long fermented. They pair well with soup, salad, or on their own with a cheesy dipping sauce!

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Converting yeasted bread recipes to sourdough is actually quite simple. You just have to reduce the liquid a bit since you are adding sourdough starter. In my experience, the best ratio is for every 2 1/4 tsp of dry active yeast, add 1/2 cup of sourdough starter. If a recipe calls for 1 tbsp of yeast, add 1 cup of starter.

Anytime I am wanting to convert a yeasted recipe, I take this simple ratio into consideration and adjust the liquid portion of the recipe.

For breadsticks, you basically use a simple sourdough bread recipe and the flavor punch comes with what you slather on the them when they come out of the oven.

For these breadsticks, I am choosing to use a portion of all purpose flour and a portion of freshly milled flour. The all purpose flour will add the lightness and airiness needed for a good breadstick, while the freshly milled flour will add more flavor.

The dough can be made the night before or the morning you want to make them. This type of schedule flexibility is another reason I love sourdough! You can even shape them, cover them, and place in the fridge until you are ready to bake them.

What you will need for this recipe:

1. Active Sourdough Starter
2. Water
3. Flour
4. Salt
5. Olive oil
6. Butter (for topping)
7. Herbs (for topping)
8. Garlic (for topping)

The night before or the morning you want to make these, add the starter, water, and olive oil to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can totally hand knead this dough as well.

This is the stand mixer I use: https://collabs.shop/xmipvy

Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and turn the mixer on low speed to combine. Add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough releases from the side of the mixing bowl. Turn on speed 2 and allow to knead for 10 minutes or until stretchy and smooth.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise at room temperature for 4-24 hours. If your home is warm, you want to keep an eye on the dough if doing a longer fermentation to watch for over fermentation. The dough will lose its gluten structure and become liquidy. Best to catch it before it starts breaking down. I choose to do between 8-10 hours in my kitchen.

Once dough has risen for 4-24 hours, turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Give it a couple of turns to punch out the air bubbles. Divide into 12 equal portions.

Roll out each portion into a rectangle that is 6 inches long. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You are looking for an even rectangular shape that is thin enough to roll up from the long end.

Roll the dough tightly and pinch the seem closed.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake breadsticks for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of softened butter and your choice of herbs. I like to use minced garlic and italian seasoning.

Once breadsticks come out of the oven, brush the tops generously with the butter mixture.

Serve warm with soup or salad. Or, just eat them on their own!

Hope you will give this recipe a try!

See you soon!