Garlic Butter Sourdough Breadsticks

Who else started a sourdough journey over the past year? Or maybe, it is something you have been doing for year. Either way, those of us who have a starter (or several) if our homes, know that it takes a lot of feeding to keep them active and healthy. And with all that feeding can come a decent amount of sourdough discard. If you are like me, you don't like seeing that starter go to waste! Because of that, I am always trying to come up with new recipes apart from a traditional sourdough bread recipe. These chewy garlic butter sourdough breadsticks work great as a side to dinner, a snack, or even for a meatball sub sandwich!

Ingredients

Breadsticks

• 1 cup active sourdough starter
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• ⅔ cup warm water

Toppings

• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• garlic powder
• pinch of salt

Instructions

To begin, make sure your starter is in the active, bubbly phase. Depending on the strength of your starter and the time of year (temperature makes a big difference), you most likely will want to feed your starter 6-12 hours before you start this recipe.

In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, combine sourdough starter, egg, and water. Mix until combined.

Gradually add flour to sourdough mixture. Knead by hand or with the dough hook of your stand mixer for 6-8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Cover with a damp towel and allow to sit at room temperature for about 8-10 hours. If you aren't baking right away, allow to rise at room temperature for 4 hours and then the dough can be placed in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Once the dough has finished the rising process, roll out to about 1 inch thick and cut into equal sized pieces and form into breadsticks. Allow to rise for 1-2 more hours.

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake breadsticks for 10 minutes.

Melt butter and brush on to cooked breadsticks, then sprinkle garlic and salt on top. They are best served warm.

More sour vs. less sour breadsticks

The more time these spend proofing at room temperature, the more sour they will be. If you prefer a more milder flavor, allow them to proof for longer in the refrigerator. This will obviously add to your overall time, but it will give you a more traditional tasting restaurant-style breadstick flavor.

How to make sourdough discard breadsticks fluffier

If you want to make these breadsticks more light and fluffy, you may want to try adding in one packet of commercial yeast. This will help the dough rise even further.

To do this, combine yeast with warm water and sugar (which are already in the recipe). Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, and you will see the mixture start to get foamy. Add this mixture to the flour at the same time you add in the sourdough starter and continue the rest of the

instructions as is.

Top Tip

Less is more with the flour here. The less flour you use, the lighter and more soft these sourdough breadsticks will be! Trust me-- the first time I made these, they were pretty dense and not very appetizing. Start out with less than the full 3 cups and add a little at a time. The dough will be sticky, so just be patient and add flour little bit by little bit.

The finished dough will be soft, smooth, and elastic. It shouldn't feel too heavy.

Make these sourdough breadsticks ahead of time!

The thing about sourdough compared to commercial yeast, is that the rising time is often much longer. Because of this, the time you prep, and the time you plan to serve may not always line up exactly how you want it too. This breadstick dough can be kept in the fridge (covered in plastic wrap or beeswax wrap to ensure it doesn't dry out) for up to 3 days after it has been made. Simply take out of the refrigerator and allow the dough to come up to room temperature for 45 minutes before baking.

Freeze the leftovers

If you happen to have any breadstick leftovers, these freeze really well in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes or microwave if you prefer.

Sourdough starter

If you have yet to create a sourdough starter, I have followed both these and these instructions. I also found this video from Tasty to be incredibly helpful and easy to follow.

My absolutely favorite way to obtain sourdough starter though, is to simply to get it from a friend. Similar to receiving a plant cutting, you are receiving a living thing and I love the idea that one starter can span countless homes and be shared time and time again. PLUS, it will already be strong and developed and ready for all the recipe creation you can manage.

Looking for dishes to serve with these garlic butter sourdough breadsticks?