Make Breadsticks Like Olive Garden

The idea for the Olive Garden Restaurant was developed by General Mills, Inc. in 1982, but it was spun into Darden Restaurants, Inc. in 1995. Olive Garden is one of the largest casual dining restaurants in the world. In 1999, Olive Garden established their own cooking school in Italy, the Culinary Institute of Tuscany. Since its establishment, hundreds of Olive Garden associates have traveled to Italy to learn how to prepare authentic Italian food, including breadsticks. Offered in unlimited quantities, each restaurant bakes up its own fresh breadsticks every day. Below is a recipe for breadsticks that taste very much like the authentic Olive Garden classic breadstick.

Steps

  1. Gather the following ingredients to make 12 authentic tasting Olive Garden breadsticks:
    • 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
    • 3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
    • 1 cup (240 ml) plus 1 tbsp. (15 ml) warm water, 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 to 46 degrees Celsius)
    • 16 oz. bread flour by weight, approximately 3 cups (700 ml)
    • 1 1/2 tsp. (7.5 ml) salt
    • 1/4 cup (60 ml) unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml) garlic salt
    • 2 tbsp. (30 ml) unsalted butter, melted
  2. Pour warm water into a bowl. Add the sugar and yeast, and let it sit for 5 minutes or until the top becomes foamy.
  3. Combine bread flour and salt in mixing bowl.
  4. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer, and work in the softened butter.
    • If you don't have a stand mixer, use a wooden spoon to mix the butter and flour.
  5. Add the warm water/yeast/sugar mixture to the flour/butter mixture, and use the dough hook to knead for 10 minutes.
    • If you don't have a stand mixer, scrape the dough onto the counter top and knead by hand for 10 minutes.
  6. Put the dough into a covered bowl, and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
  7. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces by cutting it in half, then cutting each half in half and then each quarter into thirds.
  8. Roll each portion of dough into a stick 7 inches (17.8 cm) long.
  9. Place the rolls on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap, and set aside until the breadsticks double in size--approximately 1 1/2 hours.
  10. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204.4 Celsius)
  11. Bake the breadsticks for 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.
  12. Remove the breadsticks from the oven, and quickly brush the top of each one with the melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Tips

  • You can make this recipe with frozen bread dough. Thaw and bring to room temperature. Set the dough aside for its first rising, and proceed with the recipe.
  • Using bread flour rather than all purpose flour makes a recipe that more closely matches the Olive Garden breadstick recipe, but if you do not have bread flour, use all purpose flour.

Things You'll Need

  • Cookie sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Oven
  • Measuring spoons
  • Measuring cups
  • Small bowl
  • Mixing bowl
  • Stand mixer w/paddle and dough hook attachments
  • Plastic wrap
  • Mixing spoon

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Sources and Citations

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