Cheesy Sourdough Breadsticks
Easy, cheesy sourdough breadsticks get gobbled up every time I make them. They are incredibly tasty and the perfect beginner sourdough recipe. A simple sourdough dough gets mixed together, fermented for a few hours and then topped with freshly shredded cheese and herbs. Bake these up and enjoy the melty goodness of cheesy sourdough breadsticks.
Equipment
Ingredients
Levain
- 50 grams ripe sourdough starter
- 50 grams water see recipe notes on temperature
- 50 grams all purpose flour
Sourdough Breadsticks
- 140 grams ripe levain 100% hydration
- 170 grams water see recipe notes on temperature
- 300 grams bread flour
- 6 grams granulated sugar about 1 teaspoon
- 5 grams salt about 1 teaspoon
Sourdough Breadstick Toppings
- 52 grams olive oil about 4 Tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon garlic herb seasoning see recipe note
- 200 grams shredded mozarella cheese about 2 cups, see recipe note
- 50 grams shredded parmesan cheese about 1/2 cup, see recipe note
Instructions
Levain
- Mix together 50 grams ripe sourdough starter with 50 grams flour and 50 grams water. Cover and let sit for about 3 -4 hours at 78-80ºF. The levain is ready to use when it has doubled in size and is very bubbly and active.
Cheesy Sourdough Breadsticks
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ripe levain, water, bread flour, sugar and salt. You can use your hands, a spoon or a dough whisk.
- Knead the dough about 15-20 times until it forms a rough ball. Cover the bowl and stick the dough in a warm, 78-80ºF place to rise. I use a bread proofer, or my oven with the light on works too.
- Bulk Fermentation: Let the dough rise for 4-5 hours until puffed up, elastic and soft. Keeping the dough at a consistent 78-80ºF temperature is optimal for fermentation and means the dough will be ready to top in 4-5 hours.
- Prepare a half sheet rimmed baking sheet by spreading 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on the pan. Tilt the pan around until the whole sheet pan is lightly covered in olive oil.
- Shape Dough: Take the lightly risen dough and pull/shape it into a rectangle. Use your fingers to spread it out on the sheet pan. If the dough resists, let it sit for a few minutes and try to stretch it again, doing your best not to rip the dough.
- Once the dough is mostly in a rectangular shape - it doesn't have to be perfect - spread 2 Tablespoons olive oil over the top of the breadsticks. Sprinkle the garlic herb seasoning on top of the olive oil and then sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Proof: Place the sheet pan of breadsticks in a warm (80ºF) place for 1-3 hours. The longer you let the dough rise, the more puffy the breadsticks will be.
- Bake: Place a baking stone in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat for about 30 minutes before baking the breadsticks. Place the pan of breadsticks on top of the baking stone. If you don't have a baking stone, just place the breadsticks in the pre-heated oven to bake. Bake for about 15 minutes until brown and crispy on the outside and soft/delicious on the inside. Enjoy warm!
Notes
Levain: If you have a ripe/active sourdough starter at 100% hydration you want to use in place of the levain. Read more about why I like using a levain method here.
Garlic/Herb Seasoning: Use whatever seasoning you want. Whatever seasoning combination you use will come through on the breadsticks. If you don't have any seasoning you can mix up: 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix together and use in place of the garlic/herb seasoning.
Shredded Cheese: You can use any combination of your favorite cheeses for this recipe. I much prefer to shred my own cheese instead of use pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese often has extra additives that prevent it from sticking to each other, which can make it melt differently. Shredding your own cheese gives better texture and flavor to your baked goods.
These breadsticks are meant to be thin and flat. If you are looking for a fluffier version, increase the recipe by half and let the breadstick dough rise for a couple hours after being topped with cheese.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!