Garlic Breadsticks

I made some marinara a couple of weeks ago and wanted some breadsticks to eat with it. What is better than warm and fresh breadsticks? Nothing, of course, and that's why I decided to go ahead and make some! I used a few different recipes to come up with this one. It made a lot (20), so I think next time I will halve the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 c. + 2 tbsp. water

2 tbsp. oil

3 c. unbleached bread flour

3 tbsp. nutritional yeast

3 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. basil

2 tsp. yeast

Instructions:

- I used my bread maker to knead the dough and rise, but you could do this yourself. If you are using a bread maker, just follow the instructions and add in all of the ingredients. If you're doing it yourself, activate the yeast by dissolving a little bit of the sugar in the water (it should be warm). Slowly stir in the yeast, making sure it does not clump. Set aside until it starts to get bubbly, which should be about 10 minutes. Mix together the remaining ingredients along with the yeast, knead until it becomes a smooth dough, and let rise in an oiled bowl, covered, for 90 minutes.

- Once dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release some of the air. Divide dough into 20 balls (they're each about 1.5 inches in diameter) and let sit on a floured surface for a few minutes. While these are resting, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Roll out the dough to form 8" ropes. I found it was easier to roll it out in my hands rather than on the counter.

- Place dough ropes on a non-stick baking pan, making sure to leave a little bit of space in between each one.

- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden in color.

- Allow breadsticks to cool for a few minutes before you eat or you will burn your mouth (like I did!).

These were very good. I wish I would've added more garlic but luckily I put enough garlic in the marinara to make up for that. They were slightly crispy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. They would've tasted even better with a little bit of melted margarine brushed on top but I thought I'd leave it off this time. In any case, these were phenomenal. They tasted like they came right out of a restaurant! The leftovers lasted a few days in a freezer bag, which is good because we had a lot remaining. They also tasted good reheated in the oven for a few minutes! I am excited to make these again and try different spices and seasonings for different tastes :)