Ohhhhhh, these are good. So good. Crispy, chewy, buttery, cheesy and garlicky. Oh, and they are so easy to make.

These are not your average bread sticks. These are very rich. I like them as is and dipped in a good marinara sauce. I must warn you…..if you serve these before a meal or along side a meal, you will get full on these and not be able to finish your meal. You won’t be able to stop eating them!  Just give me a basket of these and a bottle of wine and all is good. Did I just say a bottle of wine?? I meant to say a glass of wine. Yeah, right.

If you are hesitant to work with yeast, please don’t be. This is the easiest recipe ever. Just make sure your yeast is not expired and you will be fine. But if you still feel uncomfortable, you can always use a ball of pizza dough from the grocery store. But please, please try this dough.

Ok, are you ready?

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1½ teaspoon dry active yeast
1 cup lukewarm water

For the spread:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons salted butter
3 fresh garlic cloves, minced very fine
1 tsp parsley or chives
2 cups Italian Shredded Cheese (I used a mixture of parmesan, asiago, fontina and provolone)
Optional:  pizza sauce for dipping

In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Slowly add the water, making a dough. The dough should come together and be soft, not dry and shaggy.
Knead for two minutes and form a ball.
In another bowl, add about a tsp of oil and place your dough ball in. Move the dough ball around, coating it and the bowl with the oil.
Cover with a dish towel for 1 hour or until dough has doubled.
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Lightly oil a baking sheet. Place your dough ball on the sheet and press it out with your fingers, to a thickness of approximately 1/4″
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, olive oil, garlic and chives/parsley. Spread it all over the dough.
Sprinkle dough with the shredded cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the dough has browned and cheese is all melty.
Cut into sticks and serve immediately.
I should tell you….these really are best eaten the same day. Oh darn! They aren’t as good the next day, reheated.