This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
These soft sourdough breadsticks are light and fluffy, with just the perfect amount of chewiness. Made with active sourdough starter, they have just a bit of tang and a beautifully soft texture that makes them perfect for serving alongside dinner or as a snack straight from the tray.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Soft and Fluffy Texture – With a touch of honey and olive oil in the dough, these breadsticks are slightly enriched, giving them a tender crumb and an irresistible pillowy bite. I’ve based the recipe on my popular sourdough discard pizza dough recipe, so you know it’s good!
Simple Pantry Ingredients – You only need a handful of everyday ingredients to make these. Flour, sourdough starter, olive oil, and honey come together to create really delicious sourdough breadsticks.
Perfect for Sharing – Finished with parmesan, herbs, and flaky salt, they taste just like something you’d get at a restaurant, but they’re so easy to make at home. These soft sourdough breadsticks are similar to the Olive Garden breadsticks.
Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter – I recommend using an active, bubbly starter for the best rise and soft texture. If you’d prefer to use discard, you can, but you’ll need to add a pinch of instant yeast to help the dough along.
- Water – Just regular room temperature water is fine here. If your kitchen is on the cooler side, using slightly warm water can help kickstart fermentation.
- Honey – Adds a bit of sweetness and helps keep these breadsticks nice and soft. You could swap for sugar if needed, but I do love the flavor honey brings.
- Olive Oil – Gives the dough a lovely softness and richness. Use a good quality olive oil if you can, as you will taste it in the finished breadsticks.
- Bread Flour – Provides structure while still keeping the breadsticks soft and fluffy. You can use all purpose flour in a pinch, but bread flour will give you the best results.
- Salt
- Butter – Gets melted and brushed over the breadsticks while they’re still warm to give them that classic soft, glossy finish.
- Garlic Powder – Adds a gentle garlic flavor. I’ve included just a little so it’s not overpowering, but you can adjust to suit your taste.
- Parmesan Cheese – Finely grated works best so it melts slightly into the warm breadsticks. I like to use a microplane to get it really fine.
- Italian Herbs – A little sprinkle adds extra flavor. Use your favorite blend or whatever you have on hand.
- Flaky Sea Salt – Just a light sprinkle over the top really finishes these off and makes all the flavors pop.
How to Make Soft Sourdough Breadsticks
Add the sourdough starter, water, honey and olive oil to a medium sized mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and give it a good stir to combine the ingredients.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Want to Use Discard Instead?
I prefer to use active sourdough starter to make these soft sourdough breadsticks, but if you would prefer to use discard, swap out the 100g of sourdough starter for sourdough discard and add a pinch of instant yeast to help things along.
Now add the bread flour and salt on top of the liquid ingredients. If you are using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough until it’s soft and supple (around 2 to 3 minutes on speed 1-2).
If kneading by hand, use your hands to bring the ingredients together into a rough dough in the bowl and then tip out onto a clean surface and knead by hand until the dough is soft and supple. This takes around 5 minutes by hand (unless you’re doing a double batch, it may take a bit longer).
Once the dough is kneaded, place it into a bowl and let it bulk ferment until the dough has risen around 50% in the bowl. This will take a good few hours as the dough is enriched. Placing it somewhere warm always helps to speed this along.
Once the dough has risen, you need to divide it into 10 equally weighted pieces. I have made these around 55g each. Take each piece of dough and pinch it into a ball. Let these balls of dough sit for around 10 minutes so the gluten can relax.
Now shape your breadsticks. Pull the balls of dough into a rough rectangle with the long edge closest to you. Then fold the bottom edge over and push down and then over again and pull the dough towards you to tension it.
If they aren’t as long as you want them to be, let the dough relax again and then gently roll them on the counter until they are as long as you want them. I’ve made mine around 8″ in length.
Place the soft sourdough breadsticks on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a damp dish towel and allow them to proof. You want them to get really soft and puffy before you bake them, so don’t skip this step!
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 175ºC / 350ºF. Once it’s at temperature, lightly spray the soft sourdough breadsticks with water and bake for around 22 minutes. Keep an eye on these, you don’t want them to get too brown, you want them to stay pale and soft.
While they’re baking, prepare the topping. Melt the butter and add the garlic powder into this. Set aside with the parmesan, flaky salt and Italian herbs.
Once baked, remove them from the oven, and while they’re still on the tray, brush with the garlic butter, sprinkle with a little flaky salt and Italian herbs and sprinkle over some finely grated Parmesan cheese (I like to use a zester and sprinkle it straight over the top).
Serve warm!
What To Serve Them With
You can eat them on their own, next to your favorite pasta (especially if you make your own sourdough pasta), with soups, and salads, or pair them with a whipped feta dip or a bread dipping oil for a fun appetizer.
I love adding these to a grazing board for something a little different to crunchy sourdough breadsticks. They’re always one of the first things to disappear from the table.
How to Store + Freeze
These breadsticks are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are baked while they are soft and warm.
You can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days, but they may lose some of their softness. I often store these in a ziplock bag on the counter for a few days. I pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds when we want to use them. Sometimes I’ll brush them with a little extra butter just to refresh them.
For longer storage, freeze the breadsticks in a freezer-safe bag. Reheat gently in the oven to bring back their soft texture.
Soft Sourdough Breadsticks
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (it's so easy to knead this in a stand mixer, but as always you can easily knead this by hand too).
Ingredients
Dough
- 100 g Sourdough Starter, (fed and bubbly, see notes for using discard)
- 140 g Water
- 20 g Honey
- 20 g Olive Oil
- 270 g Bread Flour
- 7 g Salt
Toppings
- 50 g Butter, (melted)
- 3 g Powdered Garlic
- 30 g Parmesan Cheese, (finely grated)
- 1 tsp Italian Herbs, (just a sprinkle)
- 1 tsp Flaky Sea Salt, (just a sprinkle)
Instructions
- Add the sourdough starter, water, honey and olive oil to a medium sized mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and give it a good stir to combine the ingredients.
- Now add the bread flour and salt on top of the liquid ingredients. If you are using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough until it's soft and supple (around 2 to 3 minutes on speed 1-2). If kneading by hand, use your hands to bring the ingredients together into a rough dough in the bowl and then tip out onto a clean surface and knead by hand until the dough is soft and supple. This takes around 5 minutes by hand (unless you're doing a double batch, it may take a bit longer).
- Once the dough is kneaded, place it into a bowl and let it bulk ferment until the dough has risen around 50% in the bowl. This will take a good few hours as the dough is enriched. Placing it somewhere warm always helps to speed this along.
- Once the dough has risen, you need to divide it into 10 equally weighted pieces. I have made these around 55g each. Take each piece of dough and pinch it into a ball. Let these balls of dough sit for around 10 minutes so the gluten can relax.
- Now shape your breadsticks. Pull the balls of dough into a rough rectangle with the long edge closest to you. Then fold the bottom edge over and push down and then over again and pull the dough towards you to tension it. If they aren't as long as you want them to be, let the dough relax again and then gently roll them on the counter until they are as long as you want them. I've made mine around 8" in length.
- Place the soft sourdough breadsticks on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a damp dish towel and allow them to proof. You want them to get really soft and puffy before you bake them, so don't skip this step!
- When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 175ºC / 350ºF. Once it's at temperature, lightly spray the soft sourdough breadsticks with water and bake for around 22 minutes. Keep an eye on these, you don't want them to get too brown, you want them to stay pale and soft.
- While they're baking, prepare the topping. Melt the butter and add the garlic powder into this. Set aside with the parmesan, flaky salt and Italian herbs.
- Once baked, remove them from the oven, and while they're still on the tray, brush with the garlic butter, sprinkle with a little flaky salt and Italian herbs and sprinkle over some finely grated Parmesan cheese (I like to use a zester and sprinkle it straight over the top).
- Serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
