*tap tap*

Is this thing on?

I’m so sorry for my absence of late. I’ve been a little pregnant, you see (throws confetti).  And while this is awesome and nothing short of a miracle, I’ve been rocking the kind of symptoms that have left me avoiding the kitchen like the plague. But there’s starting to be a teensy light at the end of the tunnel, and this week I actually cooked something. I did not, I’m afraid, take pictures of it. Baby steps. So to speak.

ANYWAY.

These are a knockoff of Olive Garden’s bread sticks; I found the recipe in an old Food Network magazine. They have the yum.

Garlic butter breadsticks

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 1/4 cups AP flour
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt

• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Pinch of dried oregano

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together in stand mixer bowl till dough forms (this will take about five minutes), then knead with the hook attachment for about 2 minutes, or by hand for about three minutes or until very smooth
2. Roll into a 2-foot long log, then cut into 16 pieces (just cut the log, then logs in half over and over till you have 16 pieces; measuring is for the birds), and place these 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper; cover with a cloth and let them rise until doubled. The original recipe said this would take 45 minutes, but with my A/C cranking it took more like 2 hours, which is fine — just watch for them to get nice and puffy
3. Preheat the oven to 400F while you melt the butter for the topping
4. Brush the breadsticks with about half the butter then sprinkle on the salt
5. Bake until very lightly golden, about 12-15 minutes, while you combine the garlic powder and oregano; pull the breadsticks out and brush them with the butter, then sprinkle on the garlic/oregano mixture