Easy breadsticks recipe

Name: Easy breadsticks recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 450 g (2 ¼ cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting; 1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast; 1½ tsp salt; 250 –275ml (1 cup warm water)

This recipe for breadsticks is so easy, it’s a great bake for children to do. They’ll love kneading the dough and forming the bread sticks (as well as eating them!)

These easy breadsticks are a great bake for little chefs as they’re really quick and simple to make. My kids always enjoy getting their hands messy kneading bread dough and these breadsticks were no exception. I love showing children that you can make something out of just a few ingredients so with only 4 storecupboard ingredients these bread sticks are perfect for that. And, who doesn’t love bread when it’s fresh from the oven?!

I think any homemade bread is delicious and that’s certainly true for these. These bread sticks are soft and delicious – think more like a big dough ball than a thin crispy bread stick from the supermarket. Like all fresh bread from the oven it smells fantastic, and if you eat it still a little warm you’re in for a real treat.

How can kids help make these easy bread sticks?

I love making any and all kinds of bread with my kids and these bread sticks are no exception. My kids always love getting to measure the ingredients out and mix it all together before getting their hands messy and kneading the bread dough.

Kneading bread is a great, tactile experience for toddlers and children and a fab way of getting them busy in the kitchen. If you want you can take a little short cut and use a bread machine or mixer to start the kneading then finish it off by hand. It’ll save you a bit of time and makes sure it’s been kneaded sufficiently.

Making these bread sticks also gives kids the chance to roll and shape the dough to form the sticks – a fun task for little ones to do. And if they are used to playing with clay or play dough one which they should find really easy.

Can you make breadsticks without bread flour?

Yes. We made ours with bread flour but these would work equally well with plain or all-purpose flour. If you use plain flour, the texture isn’t quite the same, but they do taste just as nice.

Flavoured breadsticks

Breadsticks are really simple so make a great base for adding extra flavours. You might want to try adding some grated parmesan to the dough to make a slightly cheesy breadstick.

Poppyseeds or sesame seeds also add a nice bit of extra crunch and flavour to the breadsticks. Simply sprinkle some of your chosen seed on top of each breadstick before you bake them in the oven.

What can you serve bread sticks with?

Breadsticks make a great snack for kids, (even better when they’ve made them themsevles!) They’re also a perfect nibble for any social occasion. I like to serve them next to a baked camembert – there’s nothing better than dipping these into the oozey cheese. Or try a little bit of garlic butter.

In the winter perhaps serve them with a lovely bowl of homemade soup. They’re a great alternative to crusty bread or croutons.

How do you store breadsticks?

I love bread sticks when they’re fresh from the oven, but if you want to make them ahead or have some left over they will keep in an air tight container for a day or two. If you want to serve them warm the next day, reheat them in the oven for 3-5 minutes at around 170C /150C Fan / 350F.

You can also freeze them either baked or unbaked for up to 2-3 months. To freeze them baked, just pop them straight into a freezer bag. If you’re freezing unbaked bread sticks, freeze them separated on a baking tray before putting them once frozen into a freezer bag.There’s no need to defrost them, simply pop them straight in the oven adjusting the cooking time up slightly.

What other easy bread recipes for kids are there?

If your kids enjoyed making these bread sticks they might also some of our other easy bread recipes for kids including:

Finger rolls
Easy white bread recipe
Soda bread
Homemade bagels
Hedgehog rolls
English muffins
Dough balls
Soft bread rolls
Homemade garlic focaccia
Iced buns

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these bread sticks
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Measuring jug
Baking tray
Wire rack

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Difficulty: Easy

Time: 30 minutes + 30 minutes proving + 20 minutes baking

Serves: 12

Ingredients

450g (2 ¼ cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1½ tsp salt
250–275ml (1 cup) warm water

How to make easy breadsticks

Start by dusting two or three baking trays with flour. My wee one enjoyed doing this (very thoroughly) with our pastry brush, but you can just sprinkle the flour with your fingers. Alternatively you can just put a sheet of baking paper down on your baking tray.

Measure everything into a mixing bowl

Get your kids to weigh the flour and add it into a large mixing bowl, or a freestanding mixer.

Add the sachet of yeast in one side of your bowl and the salt in another.

Measure the water into a measuring jug then get your kids to slowly add it to your bowl. Mix everything together either using the dough hook of your mixer, a bread machine or some wooden spoons.

Knead your dough.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for ten minutes or use the dough hook of your mixer or bread machine for five minutes. We tend to start using our mixer and then finish the kneading by hand, because although my kids love kneading bread dough, they don’t always have the patience to do it for long enough.

If you knead by hand, get your kids to hold the dough with one hand and push it away with the other to stretch it. Bring it back together and repeat. It’s ready when it starts to look smooth. This is a good recipe to practice kneading on if you’ve never done it before. The dough is much more forgiving than a fancy loaf of bread if your kids don’t do it properly.

Make the breadsticks.

Divide the bread dough into 12 equal sized balls.

Then get your kids to help roll them into long sausages. Ours were all about 25-30cm long and a few cm thick.

Place them on the prepared baking trays with a little space between each one.

Cover the baking trays with lightly oiled cling flim and leave them somewhere warm for around half an hour until they have risen slightly.

Bake the breadsticks.

Preheat the oven to 200C /390F

Pop the breadsticks in the oven for 18-20 minutes. They’re ready when they are nice and golden and feel slightly crisp to touch. If you tap them they may sound a bit hollow.

Remove them from the oven, and pop them on a wire rack to cool slightly.

Serve and enjoy!