Garlic Bread Christmas Tree Pull Apart

Anytime we have Italian food for dinner, Nate wants some sort of bread. I had some Rhode's rolls in the freezer so I used them to make this bread concoction last night.

Ingredients:
16 Rhode's rolls
2-3 Tbsp. butter, melted
garlic bread seasoning

Preparation:
Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Spray with a little bit of non-stick spray. Lay out the rolls in a Christmas tree shape. One for the trunk, then a row of 5, then a row of 4, then a row of 3, then a row of 2, and then one for the top. Don't place the rolls right next to each other, leave a little room between to allow for rising. Cover with some saran wrap that you've sprayed with a little non-stick spray so it doesn't stick to the top of the rolls. Let rise for 3-4 hours. Once risen, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm!

Garlic Bread Rosettes

We wanted some sort of garlic bread to go with some lasagna tonight and these fit the bill. I saw the idea over at Taste and Tell and we really enjoyed them and will definitely be making them again.

Ingredients:
1 (11 oz.) package of 12 refrigerated breadstick dough (we used Pillsbury)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Preparation:
Open and separate dough into 12 breadsticks. Roll each piece out into a thin 10-12" long rope. Tie each rope piece into a knot, tuck the top end piece under the roll and bring the bottom end and tuck up into the middle of the roll. Place rosettes on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Melt butter and stir in garlic bread seasoning and sesame seeds. Brush over the tops of the rosettes (we had some butter mixture left over). Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until a light golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy!

Pumpkin Shaped Rolls

This is one idea from Pinterest that actually turned out! I've tried several recipes I've seen on Pinterest that have been a big let-down. This idea comes from Thistlewood Farms. They are so easy to make and would be great for Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Rhode's rolls
egg
green Sour Patch Kids or whole pecans cut into thirds for the stems

Preparation:
Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place the rolls on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 2 hours. Uncover rolls and use a sharp knife to cut 7-8 sections into the rolls, leaving the middle intact. Now press a hole into the center of each roll to make room for your stems. Recover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise for another 1-2 hours. After finished thawing/rising make sure there is still an indent for your stem and if needed, press again. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush egg wash over tops of rolls (I forgot to do this and they still turned out great). Bake rolls for 13-17 minutes or until golden brown. Insert stems into center indents of rolls. Serve.

Homemade Gorditas

Yum! This was such a fun twist on taco night. The gordita wraps are soft and pliable with a great texture. I saw this idea over at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice and knew we would have to try them. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 + 1/4 cups boiling water*
1 + 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. instant yeast
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
taco fillings-
ground beef
shredded lettuce
salsa
shredded cheese
hot sauce
sliced olives


Preparation:
In a mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the all-purpose flour with the boiling water. Mix until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl mix together the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, salt, and yeast. Also add the vegetable oil. Mix this together with flour/water mixture. Knead by hand for 2-3 minutes on a lightly oiled surface. You want your dough to be a little bit sticky. Spray a mixing bowl with non-stick spray, add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place. Once risen divide dough into 8 equal sized portions. Cover them and let rest for 30 minutes. After resting, roll each dough piece out into a 7"-8" circle. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium Heat. Once hot add the dough to the dry skillet and cook a few minutes per side or until they are speckled with golden brown spots. If they are sticking, lightly grease the pan, but I had no problems with sticking. Keep the gorditas warm on a baking sheet, covered with tin foil in a really low oven (I had mine set at 170 degrees F). Once your gorditas are cooked, fill with ground beef and your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

*I had to add some extra water to my dough in order to incorporate the second helping of flour. I added an extra 1/3 cup.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Braid

This was a definite hit. Nate had three helpings last night. This recipe is definite comfort food that would be perfect on a nice cold night. It smells so good while baking too. I got inspired for this dish by a recipe on the Rhodes roll blog. There are good step by step pics on how to cut the dough on there.

Ingredients:
1 loaf frozen Rhodes bread dough, thawed
2 large chicken breasts, seasoned, cooked and cut into 1" chunks
3 small heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups alfredo sauce (I used one jar of Classico's light alfredo)
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
garlic bread seasoning
pepper

Preparation:
In a large skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. When hot add diced onions and sautee until soft, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are done, stir in the alfredo sauce, milk, chicken, 2 tsp. (to taste) of garlic bread seasoning, and some pepper to taste. Cook until hot and bubbly, stirring every so often and adjust seasoning as needed. Add broccoli. I cook the broccoli covered in the microwave for about 2 minutes, not so much that it's mushy, but not quite cooked through completely. Then it can finish cooking in the oven and still have a good texture. Keep alfredo mixture warm on the stove. Spread out a piece of parchment paper on your counter and then roll out your dough into a rectangle that's about 12x16." Spread chicken and broccoli filling down the center of the dough in a 4" wide strip. Now make cuts on both long sides of the dough that are 1 1/2" wide. You want to come within 1/2" of the filling. Fold the top and bottom strips toward the filling then start braiding. Take cut strips and stretch over filling going left over right until the entire thing is braided. Gently lift braid up using the parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. Melt remaining Tbsp. of butter and brush over the braid and then sprinkle some garlic bread seasoning over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-26 minutes or until golden brown and dough is cooked through. Slice and serve hot with a nice green salad. Enjoy!

Pizza Hut Style Breadsticks

It's been a little while since I've posted a bread recipe. I just don't make it that often. Any recipe dealing with yeast intimidates me. But I braved this recipe and it turned out quite nice. I love love love breadsticks, a definite comfort food for me. I saw this idea online at Meg's Everyday Indulgence and Nate and I really enjoyed it. The topping tastes very similar to Pizza Hut's breadsticks. We'll be making these again. I served this with some simple grilled chicken and a green salad. I got about 2 dozen breadsticks out of this recipe, next time I'll cut it in half. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees) (I had to add an extra 1/3 cup water to my dough)
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 package instant dry yeast
4 cups flour
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3-6 Tbsp. olive oil

For the seasoning:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. dry Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. basil

Preparation:
In your mixer, with the dough hook attached, combine yeast, dry milk, and sugar. Pour in warm water and let stand for 5 minutes. Add in vegetable oil. Add salt and slowly add in flour a little bit at a time. Knead for 4-5 minutes. Remove dough and divide into 2 equal portions. Get out 2 baking sheets and spread 3 Tbsp. onto each one. Roll out a dough ball onto each pan. It won't take up the whole baking sheet, but it should be rolled out to a decent size. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. It took about 1 1/2 hours. Once dough is risen uncover and use a pizza cutter to cut into breadsticks. I cut in half width-wise and then into strips. Melt butter and spread over the dough. Combine the remaining seasoning ingredients (Parmesan, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, garlic salt, and basil) and sprinkle over the top of the buttered dough. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Enjoy warm!

Garden Monkey Bread

Nate totally loved this bread! It's a super easy and fun alternative to rolls for dinner. We'll definitely be making this again. I saw the idea over at Goodness Gracious. I cut the recipe down for just the two of us so this is baked in a 6 cup bundt pan. I served this garden monkey bread alongside some do it all marinated chicken and a green salad.

Ingredients:
2 (7.5 oz.) cans of biscuits
3 Tbsp. green bell pepper, diced
3 Tbsp. red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled (optional, we left it out)

Preparation:
Slice each biscuit into thirds. In a mixing bowl combine biscuit pieces, cheese, and diced peppers. Toss gently and mix well. Grease your bundt pan and add the biscuit mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from bundt immediately and serve warm. Enjoy!

Simple Focaccia Bread

Focaccia bread has to be one of my most favorite versions of bread. I love it! I can't believe it's taken me this long to make it. Bread making is not my forte my any means, but this recipe really is easy. I found this idea over at Semi Homemade Mom and just adjusted a couple things. It's definitely a keeper for us. I served it with this Island Chicken, so good. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you may need to adjust flour amounts slightly depending on your climate)
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) rapid rise yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cup warm water
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2-3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
shredded Parmesan cheese (I omitted this just to save a few calories)

Preparation:
In the bowl of a mixer combine flour, sugar, and yeast. Mix well. Add salt, water, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Use dough hook attachment and mix for a few minutes or until well combined. Dough will be just a bit on the sticky side. Grease a glass 9x13" baking dish and stretch out dough to fit bottom of dish. Cover with saran wrap or a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes until dough had doubled in size. After rising, uncover and use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke some holes in the top of the dough. Brush top with remaining olive oil and then sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Recover and let rise an additional 30 minutes. Bake focaccia bread in a 375 degree F oven for about 25 minutes or until it has a nice light golden brown coloring on top. I think it is best served warm.

Bunny Buns

You know how I love a good festive recipe! These are no exception. I knew I had to make these in time for Easter. They come from the Rhodes webiste and they turned out great. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
12 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but not risen (I used the Texas sized rolls)

Preparation:
Cut a small piece off of one roll for a tail. Roll remaining piece into a 12-inch rope with pointed ends. Twist top of rope together. Place on a large sprayed baking sheet and pull pointed ends apart for ears. Roll small cut off piece into a ball for the tail and add on top of the bottom loop. Repeat with remaining rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise 30-45 minutes. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes or until a faint golden brown. We had them fresh out the oven, yum!

Fancy Dinner Rolls

First of all, congrats to Sarah and Mike on their newest addition! Now onto carbs, mmm... carbs. So good, yet so bad for my diabetes. I rarely make bread or rolls with our dinner. Tonight was a rarity. These rolls are so delicious, and so light and fluffy, and such a cinch to make! I saw the idea over at That's Some Good Cookin' and we will definitely be making these again. You start with a simple Rhode's roll and jazz it up a bit, and I'd say these are definitely nice enough for company. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
frozen rolls (I used Rhode's brand)
melted butter
salad seasoning (I used McCormick's Salad Supreme)

Preparation:
Thaw the rolls. After they've thawed, shape the rolls into knots. Roll each roll into a rope that's 8-10" long. Cross the ends and tuck one end up and through the loop and the other underneath. There are step-by-step photos and instructions here. Place the rolls on a baking sheet that's been sprayed with non-stick spray. Also lightly spray the tops of the rolls to prevent the plastic wrap from sticking. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and then stick the baking sheet in a warm place and allow the rolls to rise until they double in size. Once risen, brush the rolls with a little bit of melted butter and then sprinkle some salad seasoning over the tops. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Snowflake Rolls

This is such a fun and festive way to dress up regular old dinner rolls. Anything holiday makes me happy! I love being to make an everyday dinner just a bit more special. I saw the idea online today at Plain Chicken just in time to get my rolls defrosting for dinner. I was so glad! I got better at the snowflakes the more I made them, I think next time I make them they'll look a lot better. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
12 Rhodes frozen bread roll dough
4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp hot water
1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Preparation:
Lightly spray a round 9" cake pan with cooking spray. Arrange 12 rolls in the pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size. Mine usually take 3.5-4 hours. Combine flour, butter, hot water and garlic powder. Transfer to piping bag fitted with #4 tip. I don't have a piping bag so I just used a sandwich sized ziploc bag and snipped the corner. Pipe snowflake design on top of each roll. One finished piping, put the rolls in the fridge while the oven heats to 350 degrees F. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the rolls are a nice golden brown and cooked through.

Next time I will pipe the snowflakes a little thinner so they turn out a bit better looking.

Stuffed Garlic Bread

This was such a hit! This may be the only way Nate wants garlic bread anymore. It is seriously so good. Total comfort food. You could totally add some diced pepperoni, green peppers, onions, or olives and make it a meal and just serve a green salad with it. I know we'll be making this time and time again.

Ingredients:
1 loaf of french bread
butter, melted
garlic bread seasoning
freshly shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
Using a sharp bread knife cut diagonal slices into the bread. Don't cut all the way through. Once you've finished going one direction, cut diagonally the other direction. Again, don't cut all the way through the bread. Wrap bottom of the bread with tin foil and place on a baking dish. Use a pastry brush and brush butter in all the crevices of the bread. Then sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning, and finally with some cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until cheese is nice and melted. Enjoy warm!

Picture Updated 01/03/13

I shared this recipe over at Six Sisters' Stuff, Weekend Potluck, and Farm Girl Friday.

Amazing Potato Rolls/Spudnuts

Here's a dough recipe from Katie that can be made either into rolls or into donuts. It's definitely a keeper recipe, she's been making it since Zak was a baby. Katie says the potatoes in the roll keep the rolls soft and moist so that left overs are nearly as yummy as hot out of the oven! I know bread is such comfort food and so I don't think there can ever be enough bread and roll recipes in your repertoire.


Dissolve in 1/2 c. lukewarm water... 3 pkg. yeast
In a separate bowl, mix 2 min..........1 c. hot water
1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 c. mashed potatoes (or instant reconstituted)
1 T. salt
Add....................................3 c. water (potato water is good)
yeast from above
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. dry milk
If you are making donuts then add....1 t. nutmeg
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. lemon rind
And finally add................................14 cups of flour (or enough flour until it cleans the sides of the bowl)

Knead 5 minutes until smooth. Place in lightly greased/oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Allow to raise until double in bulk. (About an hour)
Make sure to cover with damp towel. Punch dough down and roll out into desired shape. Bake at 350 for approx 10 minutes until golden brown.

If you are making spudnuts: Roll out to 1/2" thickness on lightly floured surface and cut with lightly floured doughnut cutter. Place on lightly
greased pan until double in bulk (approx. 30 minutes). Fry in 375 degree oil about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towel. Glaze while still
warm. Drain on cooling racks with wax paper beneath. Makes approx. 120 spudnuts.

Frankly, I have never made these into doughnuts because the rolls are so delicious! I use this recipe for my ham and cheese roll ups. That is because the left overs are also very tasty the next day! It is also very excellent for cinnamon rolls. Enjoy!

Pizza Bread

Sooo amazing! This was absolutely divine. I'm so glad I have another batch of pizza dough in the freezer. I'm definitely going to have to make this again soon. It's so easy to make too. I'll probably have this be one of the meals Nate makes for me after my foot surgery next week. You can use whatever fillings you'd like, and the dough get's this nice crust on the outside and is soft on the inside, so good! I tried grating my own whole milk mozzarella, and it was so good, I don't know if I can use the pre-shredded stuff again. Make this asap, you'll love it!

Ingredients:
1 ball amazing pizza dough
melted butter
garlic bread seasoning
freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella
pizza toppings of your choice (I added green pepper, onion, Hormel's turkey pepperoni our favorite!, and Canadian bacon)

Preparation:
Roll pizza dough out into a rectangle. You don't want it to be too thick or you'll have trouble getting the middle cooked. Brush a really light coat of melted butter over the dough and then sprinkle garlic bread seasoning over the top. Add your mozzarella cheese, then your pizza toppings. Carefully roll up the dough lengthwise, making sure your toppings stay inside. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray. Transfer your pizza bread onto the middle of the cookie sheet. I find it's easiest to make the pizza bread on a cutting board and then I can easily roll it onto the cookie sheet. Brush a small amount of butter over the top of the bread and sprinkle with some garlic bread seasoning. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a nice golden brown. Slice and serve hot with our favorite pizza sauce for dipping!

Pretzel Rolls

I've been wanting to make these rolls forever! I love soft pretzels, love them! That was one of the conditions of us buying season tickets to BYU football. I told Nate that he would need to buy me a soft pretzel at every game. These rolls are so good. I really enjoyed them. I found the recipe at My Life as a Mrs. I followed the recipe exactly and had great success. I made mine bun size to use for sandwiches, but if you wanted to serve them as rolls, just shape them smaller. I hope you enjoy her recipe as much as I did!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup warm water (110°F)
1 package active dry yeast (not instant rise yeast)
2 teaspoons sugar
4-½ cups unbleached all-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted
¼ cups baking soda
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
Pretzel Salt, for sprinkling (I only had kosher salt, but I'm definitely going to be buying some pretzel salt!)

Preparation:
In the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with the dough hook attachment), add the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let rest 5-10 minutes until foamy (mine didn't look all that foamy but still turned out).
Add the flour, salt, and melted butter and mix using the dough hook until combined well. Cover with a plastic wrap (or a towel) and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk (again, mine didn't look like it rose all that much, but turned out amazingly). Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured clean surface.
Line 1 large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the dough into 8 pieces (4 1/2 - 5 ounces each). To shape the dough "take a piece of dough and start forming a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal. Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand."
Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet pinched seam side down, with at least 1” between each roll. I like to stagger mine: 2 rolls side by side, then one down one row but between the two in the top row... Then 2 more side by side, followed by one down a row but between the 2 in the top row... etc (this will fit all 8 on one cookie sheet). Cover with a towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes until they rise & double (mine didn't rise a whole lot).
Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven rack in the middle position. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil. Remove from heat and slowly add the baking soda (I dumped mine in and it boiled up and overflowed all over my stove - lesson learned! hah) place back on heat and lower to a simmer.
Place 2-3 of the rolls at a time into the poaching liquid, seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds and then carefully turn the roll over and poach for another 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pan, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
Using a pastry brush, brush each roll with the beaten egg, making sure to coat all sides completely & then prinkle each roll with a little pretzel salt. Using a sharp straight edged knife, cut a slash (or 2) -or- an “X” shape in the top of each roll. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot!

Corn Muffins

Okay, this is a recipe that Katie and Stephanie made tonight. They served it alongside some taco soup. Supposedly this is the same recipe for corn muffins that Marie Calendar's serves. Enjoy!

2 c. dry yellow cake mix
1 c. flour
1 c. yellow corn meal
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt

Sift dry ingredients together. Then add:

1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. honey (or 1/2 c. sugar)
3 eggs

Pour into pan or scoop into muffin tin. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Mini Garlic Monkey Breads

We ate these monkey breads with our turkey meatloaf cupcakes last night, and it was comfort food at it's finest! These are so good and super simple to make. I can't wait to makes these again. I saw the idea over at Life as a Lofthouse. Make these soon, you'll love them! I halved this recipe for Nate and I.

Ingredients:
Makes 12 rolls
18 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning

Preparation:
Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Cut each thawed roll into 4 pieces. Set aside. In a bowl combine the butter and garlic bread seasoning. Place 6 to 7 roll pieces into the garlic mixture and coat with mix. Place 6 to 7 coated roll pieces into one muffin tin. Repeat the process until all 12 muffin tins are full.
Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Serve warm.

Amazing Drop Biscuits

Hands down the best biscuits I've ever had! Phenomenal! These biscuits are so good, you need to make these, and soon. We had them to with some baked chicken and salad tonight, and I'm already looking forward to having a biscuit with some scrambled eggs in the morning. I can't say enough good things about this recipe! I got this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I didn't change a single thing, so here is her recipe verbatim.

Ingredients:
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
8 Tbsp. butter, melted and slightly cooled

Preparation:
Heat oven to 475 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a 2-cup liquid measure, stir together the chilled buttermilk and melted butter until the butter forms small clumps. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula just until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture slightly pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
Using a greased ¼-cup measure, scoop out mounds of the dough and drop them onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake the biscuits until the tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush with additional melted butter. Serve warm.

Photo updated 05/15/14.

Garlic Cheese Breadsticks

Anytime Nate and I order pizza, I always ask him to order some cheese breadsticks too. I'd rather have the breadsticks and marinara dipping sauce than the pizza. They are the ultimate in comfort food.

Ingredients:
1 ball of pizza dough (I used this awesome recipe)
1 Tbsp. butter
garlic bread seasoning
shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
Sprinkle a little cornmeal on your pizza pan. Stretch out pizza dough to fit pan. Brush top of the dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning and top with cheese, and then a bit more garlic bread seasoning. You could totally leave off the cheese and just have plain breadsticks. They would be really good. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 7-11 minutes. Slice into strips, then cut strips in half. Enjoy hot with some marinara dipping sauce!

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

I love breadsticks so much. They are such a comfort food. However, I rarely make breadsticks. It's just too many carbs. I've been craving breadsticks for a while now so I indulged. I served these with some baked chicken and some asparagus-such a yummy dinner! I got this recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2- 4 cups flour
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (I only used about half this amount)
garlic bread seasoning

Preparation:
Mix the water, sugar and yeast together in a measuring cup or in the bottom of your mixer. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt and the flour, one cup at a time, until it is well incorporated. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Melt the butter and pour half of it into a jelly roll pan (large cookie sheet). Place the dough in the center of the pan. Let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes. Letting the dough rest makes it MUCH easier to shape. Spread the dough out flat onto the pan until it reaches all of the edges. Doing all of the spreading and cutting of these bread sticks, in the pan makes cleaning up your counter so much easier! Pour the other half of the butter onto the dough. Spread it around with your hands. Sprinkle some garlic bread seasoning all over the dough, and then the Parmesan cheese. With a pizza cutter cut the dough into strips and then cut strips in half. Put the pan into a 170 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes. The breadsticks should rise about 1 inch. Turn you oven up to 350 and bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy warm!