Easy Whole Wheat Breadsticks are the perfect side dish for soup, pasta, and salad nights! This cheesy, whole-grain version is faster than ever with the help of the Instant Pot. Read on for all the details!
You know, I'm not a huge bread eater.
Well, scratch that. I live for homemade whole wheat bread with my special mix of almond and peanut butter for breakfast every morning, but after that, my interest in bread plummets.
The kiddos, however, could live on bread every day all day and they get a little annoyed that it rarely makes an appearance at dinner time.
Possibly their favorite breadsticks of all time are Little Caesars Crazy Bread so when I saw this homemade version over at Cooking with Karli, I knew I needed to give this a try.
Of course I had to go and make it whole wheat, but believe me when I say, you will not be sad about this whole grain version whatsoever!
And might I add, my kids were over the moon excited to see this hit the table next to their Meatball Soup. They cut their breadsticks in half and filled them with the meatballs from the soup. Pretty genius, I must say.
And I discovered that as long as I had a good soup (Tomato Basil!) or my favorite Poached Pear Salad nearby, eating bread at dinner was pretty much heaven in a basket.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE WHOLE WHEAT BREADSTICKS
- They're the soft, light Little Caesars breadsticks you love, but WHOLE WHEAT!
- The breadstick toppings! Am I the only one that eats the top of the breadsticks and lets the kids fight over the bottom half? Keep it simple with butter and coarse salt, go fancy with parmesan, butter, garlic salt, and dried herbs, or go cheesy with a handful of pepper jack or mozzarella cheese!
- The dough does a quick rise in the Instant Pot so you don't have to plan so far ahead to have “Hot-N-Ready” breadsticks for dinner.
- They are the perfect soup dunker! They keep their integrity as they soak up a serious amount of tomato soup. Dream breadstick, right?!
HOW TO MAKE QUICK WHOLE WHEAT BREADSTICKS
- Place all the ingredients into the mixer
- Start mixing, adding extra flour if needed, until the sides of the bowl are clean
- Place dough on a sheet pan size piece of parchment paper
- Grab the corners of the parchment paper and set it inside the Instant Pot liner
- Set the Instant Pot to Yogurt – LOW
- Let rise until doubled in size, about 20-25 minutes
- Place parchment paper and dough on a sheet pan and press into a rectangle
- Cut into strips
- Brush with butter
- Let rise 20 – 25 minutes until nearly doubled in size
- Top with desired toppings
- Bake until lightly browned
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
There are few things better than breaking a hot-out-of-the-oven breadstick in half and watching the steam puff into the air. Then, of course, the next step is to burn your entire mouth because you can't possibly wait another second.
TIPS FOR MAKING SOFT WHOLE WHEAT BREADSTICKS
- I say it all the time, but I'll happily say it again: USE WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR! Whole wheat, AKA red wheat, is darker, denser, and stronger in taste. White whole wheat flour is light in color and flavor and won't weigh down bread when used right.
- Don't add too much flour. I add flour just until the sides of the mixer are clean. When my dough is halfway done kneading, I like to stop the machine and press my fingers into the dough. It should be tacky and will barely leave any dough on your fingers. If it's wet and leaves sticky dough on your fingers, you need a bit more flour. Sprinkle it in as it kneads, a tablespoon at a time.
- Use SAF yeast. I love it so much, it's all I use!
- If you want light, soft breadsticks, I highly suggest you use the wheat gluten called for in the recipe. It honestly makes a big difference.
- Don't over bake the breadsticks! Take them out of the oven when they are just barely starting to get color on them. If you're a Little Caesars Crazy Bread fan, you know they are very lightly browned, this is what we're going for. If you overbake them they will be dry.
- Butter! I love breadsticks brushed in plenty of butter with a pinch of kosher salt, Maldon Flaky Sea Salt, or garlic salt. It creates a lovely golden crust as it bakes and smells amazing.
- Cheese! I love parmesan sprinkled over the butter because the cheese gets brown and nutty. My kids prefer pepper jack or mozzarella cheese for that stretchy, cheesy bite. I suspect nutritional yeast would also be yummy here.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE BREADSTICKS
- Store: Cool breadsticks and store in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Microwaves tend to dry breadsticks out, but a quick 10-15 seconds won't hurt them. I like to wrap them in foil and place them in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes or so. They taste more “freshly made” using this method, in my opinion.
- Freeze: These breadsticks freeze well in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Press out as much air as possible to help prevent freezer burn. To thaw, let them sit at room temperature for a few hours.
VARIATIONS
- Twisted Breadsticks: Brush the breadsticks with butter and add desired toppings. Grab both ends and twist a few times.
- Pesto Cheesy Breadsticks: Brush with pesto, top with mozzarella, then twist. These are a big favorite in my house!
- Cinnamon Breadsticks: Brush with butter then sprinkle with coconut sugar or regular sugar and cinnamon, then twist.
Is there really ever a bad time for soft, buttery, cheesy breadsticks? I'm starting to reconsider my initial statement above about not being a big “bread for dinner” fan.
How does your family roll? Is bread in some form an essential for dinner or does it only make an appearance once or twice a week? I'm honestly very curious!
Anyway, I hope these Whole Grain Breadsticks make an appearance at your next soup night! There couldn't be a better smelling side dish in the world.
Enjoy!
SOUPS RECIPES PERFECT FOR DUNKING BREADSTICKS
- Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup
- Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Magic Sunshine Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
MORE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD RECIPES I RISE IN THE INSTANT POT
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE WHOLE WHEAT BREADSTICKS
- Instant Pot
- Bosch Mixer (best mixer in the entire world!)
- SAF Yeast
- Wheat Gluten
- Whole Wheat White Flour
Easy Whole Wheat Breadsticks
Easy, Whole Wheat Breadsticks made quicker with the help of the Instant Pot!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 80 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat white flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon wheat gluten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
Breadstick Toppings
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Optional: grated pepper jack, mozzarella, or cheddar cheese, grated parmesan cheese, garlic salt, italian seasoning, etc
Instructions
- Place 2 cups of flour, yeast, wheat gluten, salt, warm water, olive oil, and honey into a stand mixer (like a Bosch or KitchenAid) and start mixing. Slowly add the remaining cup of flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.
- NOTE: You may or may not need the full cup of remaining flour. If the dough is still wet and sticking to the sides of the bowl, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the sides of the bowl are clean.
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes at medium speed.
- Tear off a piece of parchment paper the size of a sheet pan. Place dough in the center, grab the corners of the parchment paper, and lift it into the pressure cooker pot. Secure lid on top (it doesn’t matter if the knob is in sealed position or not).
- Press YOGURT and adjust to LOW.
- Let the dough rise for 20-25 minutes, until it’s doubled in size.
- Grab the corners of the parchment paper and lift dough onto a sheet pan.
- Press the dough into a rectangle, about 9×13 inches.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into strips.
- Brush dough with melted butter and cover with plastic wrap.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Let dough rise for about 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle cheese, salt, and/or Italian seasonings over top, if desired.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until just starting to brown.
- Dive in! Breadsticks are always best right out of the oven!
Notes
- I always use Instant Yeast, my favorite brand is SAF.
- Whole Wheat WHITE Flour is important for light, airy breadsticks. If you use the darker whole wheat (also called red wheat) they will be more dense and have a stronger wheat taste.
- Wheat gluten makes whole wheat bread lighter and softer. If you’re not using wheat gluten you may want to use 1 cup of white flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour to keep the breadsticks from being heavy.
- These breadsticks are amazing simply brushed with butter and a little coarse salt, but feel free to top them however you like!
Keywords: whole wheat breadsticks, crazy bread, easy bread recipe
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