Homemade Olive Garden Bread-sticks!

     Everyone loves Olive Garden's buttery garlicy bread-sticks.  Today I made them!  Really.  When I took the first bite, I was like, WHOA!!!  Why haven't I done this before?!  Now I don't have to drive across town!  (Well, I don't actually drive.  Yet.)  Hehe!!!

     Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110-120 degrees F)
• 1 package Active Dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

     In your mixer bowl, fitted with the dough hook attachment, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water.  Let it sit for 10 minutes, covered.  It should look like this after 10 minutes:

     Nice and frothy.  While you are waiting for that, mix the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.  Melt your butter.  (If using the microwave, melt it on very low heat!  It will explode if you are not careful!)  After your ten minutes is up, add in the flour mixture and the butter.  Like this:

     Then turn the mixer on low and let it mix until combined.  Mine was a bit dry, so I added a little more water and it was fine.  It will look something like this:

     Then dump the dough out onto a LIGHTLY floured surface, like a cutting board or a clean counter.  Knead it for a minute, maybe two, until it is smooth and looks like this:

     Beautiful, right?  Kneading is my favorite part, always.  Then you knead, sorry, NEED to pull pieces off of the ball of dough (shame, really) and roll them into strips, thin and long.  I made mine too thick, but next time I will make them thinner.  (I forgot that they get bigger when they proof.)  Mine looked like this:

     The recipe said that it should have made more, closer to ten, but that didn't happen.  Cover the pan and leave it in a warm place for at least 45 minutes.  Then pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (375 if you are using a convection oven) and stick the pan in for seven minutes.  Make the garlic butter while their baking.  You will need:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt.

     Melt all of these together in a pot/microwave.  After the seven minutes are over, open the oven and brush each bread-stick with some butter.  Bake for another seven minutes, or until golden brown.  Then brush them again and let them cool.  You will want to eat them right away, but don't.  You will burn your fingers.  (I know, because I tried.)

    See how beautiful?  Look again. Now stop reading this and run into your kitchen and make some right now!  Why are you still here?  Shoo!

Your welcome, everyone.  Bye!

Miss Molly