Whole Wheat Soft Italian Bread Sticks

This is a bread stick recipe that I adapted from one that I found at Food.com (recipe #104628) to make significantly healthier. These are now more nutritious, quicker to make and still flavorful. As I posted before, I LOVE my bread machine, which incidentally I got for free by redeeming Air Miles! These bread sticks are great for the whole family to round out a supper or as a snack by themselves or with a dipping sauce. We've dipped these both in Luc's Favorite Tomato Sauce as well as Catherine from Weelicious' Ranch Dip with yummy results.These homemade bread sticks are appropriate for children over 8 months.

Whole Wheat Soft Italian Bread Sticks

- 1 1/3 cup water, lukewarm
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tbsp gluten*
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp raw cane sugar (or white sugar)
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp Parmesan or grana padano, grated
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
 
Add ingredients to the bread pan of your bread machine in the order listed, making a well in the dry ingredients before adding the yeast. 

Select the 'dough' setting.

When the cycle is complete, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Divide each half into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 5-6" rope.

Place 2" apart on greased cookie sheets, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes until doubled (for this part, I preheat my oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes to warm in and let them rise in there). 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown. 


* Makes 24 bread sticks
* Gluten (aka vital wheat gluten) helps the dough to rise. Can be purchased at health food stores, well-stocked grocery stores, and some bulk stores. 
* Freezes well.You can either freeze after baking, or you can freeze the dough after you remove it from the bread machine and upon thawing, just continue with the recipe. I usually freeze half the dough ball to bake later.