Olive Garden Breadsticks
Soft, buttery, garlicky, and unlimited — because this is your kitchen. Nobody goes to Olive Garden for the entrées. Everyone goes for the breadsticks. They arrive at the table warm, brushed with garli
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 packet (2-1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- garlic butter for brushing
Method
Step 1: Make the dough
-
Warm the milk, add sugar, and sprinkle yeast. Wait 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add flour, softened butter, and salt. Mix until a dough forms. Knead 5-7 minutes until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 1 hour.
Step 2: Shape the breadsticks
-
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 7-8 inch rope. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
Step 3: Bake and butter
-
Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes until light golden. Immediately brush with garlic butter — don’t wait, the bread needs to be hot to absorb the butter properly.
Off the Galley Mike
Mike — Off The Galley
Six years as a Navy cook on submarines and destroyers, feeding 130 sailors from a galley the size of your bathroom. Now I cook the same big-flavor, no-nonsense food for my family of four — and share every recipe here. No culinary school. No fancy plating. Just real food that works, tested on the toughest critics afloat and the pickiest ones at home.
Olive Garden Breadsticks — Soft, Buttery, Garlicky, and Unlimited
Soft, buttery, garlicky, and unlimited — because this is your kitchen. Nobody goes to Olive Garden for the entrées. Everyone goes for the breadsticks. They arrive at the table warm, brushed with garlic butter, dusted with salt, and you eat four before your salad even shows up. The homemade version is better because they’re fresh from the oven instead of from a warming drawer, and you can have as many as you want without flagging down a server.
The dough is a simple enriched bread dough — flour, yeast, butter, milk, sugar, and salt. It comes together in about 10 minutes of active work, rises for an hour, and bakes in 12 minutes. The garlic butter brushed on while they’re still hot is where the magic happens.
The Garlic Butter
4 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley. Mix while the butter is warm. Brush generously on the breadsticks the moment they come out of the oven. The hot bread absorbs the butter, and the result is that shiny, garlicky, slightly salty exterior that defines the Olive Garden breadstick.
Ingredients
1 cup warm milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 packet (2-1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast, 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons butter (softened), 1 teaspoon salt, garlic butter for brushing.
How to Make Them
1
1Make the dough
Warm the milk, add sugar, and sprinkle yeast. Wait 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add flour, softened butter, and salt. Mix until a dough forms. Knead 5-7 minutes until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 1 hour.
2
2Shape the breadsticks
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 7-8 inch rope. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
3
3Bake and butter
Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes until light golden. Immediately brush with garlic butter — don’t wait, the bread needs to be hot to absorb the butter properly.
The Texture Secret
Olive Garden breadsticks are soft, not crusty. The milk and butter in the dough create a tender crumb. Don’t overbake — they should be barely golden, not brown. The garlic butter softens the exterior even further. If your breadsticks are crusty, you baked them too long.
Why These Disappear
I made 12 breadsticks for a family dinner last week. There were four of us. I got two breadsticks. My children, who claim to “not be that hungry” at dinner, consumed five each. The garlic butter is apparently irresistible to anyone under the age of 12. Plan accordingly — if you’re feeding kids, double the recipe.
The Garlic Butter Technique
The brushing technique matters. Use a pastry brush and apply the garlic butter in long, even strokes while the breadsticks are still screaming hot from the oven. Don’t pool the butter — distribute it evenly so every surface gets coated. The hot bread absorbs the butter immediately, creating that signature glossy, garlicky exterior. If the breadsticks have cooled, the butter sits on top instead of soaking in, and the experience is completely different.
Italian Night at Home
These breadsticks are the anchor for a complete Italian dinner at home. Serve alongside spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan, or a big bowl of creamy tomato soup. The breadsticks serve double duty as both a side dish and a utensil for soaking up sauce. Which is technically what they’re for, and also why I eat six of them.
Make-Ahead Options
Shape the breadsticks and refrigerate overnight on the baking sheet, covered. In the morning (or whenever), let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then bake. For freezing: bake and cool completely, freeze in bags. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes, then brush with fresh garlic butter.
Pair With
These go beyond Italian night. Serve alongside beef stew, creamy tomato soup, or any pasta dish. They’re also excellent as slider buns — cut in half and use for meatloaf sandwiches or pulled pork sliders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use instant yeast?
Yes. Skip the proofing step and add the yeast directly to the flour. Everything else stays the same.
My breadsticks are dense — what went wrong?
Either the yeast didn’t activate (dead yeast or water too hot) or you didn’t let them rise long enough. The dough should double in size during the first rise.
How many does this make?
12 breadsticks. For a large crowd, double the recipe. The dough scales perfectly.
The Garlic Butter Ratio
The garlic butter is what separates these from regular dinner rolls. The ratio is 4 tablespoons butter to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder — not fresh garlic, which can burn and turn bitter. Garlic powder provides a consistent, mellow garlic flavor without any harsh notes. The salt in the butter mixture is important too — it seasons the exterior since the dough itself isn’t heavily salted.
Shaping Tips
Olive Garden breadsticks are long and thin, not round like dinner rolls. Roll each piece into a 7-8 inch rope of consistent thickness. If the dough fights you and keeps shrinking back, let it rest for 5 minutes — the gluten is tight and needs to relax. Don’t worry about perfect shapes; slightly imperfect, rustic breadsticks actually look more appealing and homemade.
The Steam Trick
For extra-soft breadsticks, place a shallow pan of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven while baking. The steam keeps the crust soft instead of forming a hard exterior. This mimics the effect of Olive Garden’s commercial proofer and oven setup.
Feeding a Crowd
This recipe makes 12 breadsticks. For a party, make a double batch (24) and keep them warm in a towel-lined basket. They disappear fast — plan on 2-3 per person. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping, or alongside soup and salad for a complete Olive Garden-style dinner at home.
The Lazy Version
If you don’t want to make dough from scratch, buy refrigerated breadstick dough (Pillsbury makes one) and brush with the homemade garlic butter after baking. It’s not the same, but the garlic butter makes up for a lot. The homemade dough is better, but I won’t judge you for taking shortcuts on a busy Tuesday.
Why These Aren’t Just Dinner Rolls
The difference between a dinner roll and an Olive Garden breadstick is shape, garlic butter, and texture. The elongated shape creates more surface area for the garlic butter to coat. The butter-brushed exterior is what makes them taste like Olive Garden instead of a generic roll from a bag. And the milk-enriched dough is softer and more tender than most bread recipes. All three elements working together create the specific breadstick experience people crave.
Serving Size Reality
When Olive Garden says “unlimited breadsticks,” they know most tables eat 2-3 per person. At home, plan for 2-3 per person as well. A double batch (24 breadsticks) is appropriate for a dinner party of 8. Make them ahead and reheat — they warm up beautifully in 5-7 minutes at 350°F. Brush with a fresh round of garlic butter after reheating.
The Garlic Butter Brush
The garlic butter brushed on immediately after baking is what makes these breadsticks addictive. Melt butter with garlic powder and Italian seasoning, brush on the hot breadsticks while they’re still steaming, and sprinkle with flaky salt. The butter soaks into the warm bread and creates a garlicky, salty exterior that’s impossible to stop eating.
More From Off The Galley
Smash Burgers · Chick Fil A Sandwich · Big Mac Copycat · Wendys Frosty · Pulled Pork