Twisted parmesan breadsticks

I'm one of those people who always gorges on the free bread at a restaurant and than becomes too full to eat my actual meal. I love bread and all forms of bread, including breadsticks (even the ones at Olive Garden). The breadsticks I made today are not just regular breadsticks because, wait for it, there's cheese! 

Twisted Parmesan Breadsticks

Recipe from jocooks.com

Cooking time: 1 hour 

Yield: 15 to 20 breadsticks

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp active dry yeast

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

To brush on top:

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Activate the yeast by combining with the warm water and sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes or until bubbly.
2. Add the flour and salt in your mixer and mix on low speed until combined. Add the yeast mixture and mix with a dough hook until smooth. Rest the dough and let rise for 15 minutes.
3. Lightly dust your work counter with flour. Transfer the dough and roll into a large square. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Fold in half and cut into 15-20 even strips. Twist each strip and lay on a lined baking sheet. Let rest and rise for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
5. Bake breadsticks until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and brush with melted butter. Serve warm.

Nutritional Analysis:
per breadstick: 153.7 calories, 4.1g fat (2.5g saturated, 0.3g polyunsaturated, 1.1g monounsaturated), 24.4g carbohydrates, 1.0g fiber, 4.4g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

These breadsticks are incredibly easy to make: only a few ingredients needed, no kneading, and little proofing time, what more can you ask for? 

The dough is incredibly sticky (just look at the water to flour ratio) but do not add more flour. I accidentally overlooked the part in the recipe that said to mix until smooth so I simply mixed until combined, but this didn't have a big impact on the outcome.

When rolling out the dough, make sure to dust the counter, your hands, the rolling pin, and the dough itself with flour. The dough is very easy to shape but you need flour to prevent it from sticking to your hands and counter. 

I rolled out the dough to a fairly large rectangle, a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep in mind that you will fold it over in half. 

Since the recipe didn't say how wide to make the breadsticks, I cut mine into 1 inch strips. 

If you want the twists to be visible, do not twist the strips too tight. 

Proof for 15 minutes and you're ready to bake! (Pardon the fat breadstick...it was the end piece that was slightly over 1 inch...save that one for me!)

Although the recipe said to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, mine took closer to 30 minutes. I'm not sure if my oven temperature was off or not so check your breadsticks after 15 minutes. 

Breadsticks galore! I did four times the recipe and came out with about 55 breadsticks. Golden brown goodness, you can see the Parmesan cheese popping out at the twists. These had a slight chew and just the right amount of salt. I only wish I ate them straight from the oven, which I'm sure tasted fantastic. I didn't brush butter on the bread after they were done just to be a little healthier, but I know that would have made these even better. We had to hand out the breadsticks when the second lunch came around so people wouldn't go too crazy because we knew that everyone would be grabbing 2 or 3. Make sure to have plenty for your household because people will be coming back for more!