Toasty Seeded Bread Sticks Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a mixer; sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water; mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes.
• Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot-long log; cut into 16 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch-long breadstick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the flavored salt.

Steps:

• Cut bacon strips in half and lay them out on a cutting board. Break the bread sticks into 4-inch lengths. Sprinkle the bacon with brown sugar so that the bacon is completely coated. Press the sugar onto the bacon with your fingers. Continue to sprinkle sugar and press it on until no more sugar will adhere.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Set a rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Roll the bacon strips, sugar side in, around the bread sticks in a spiral fashion. Be sure to begin as close to the bread stick edge as possible and roll very tightly. Place seam side down on the rack. Bake about 20 minutes, but watch carefully so that the sugar doesn't burn in the last minutes of cooking. Remove them from the oven and let rest for an hour on the rack to become firm.

Steps:

• Stir together water, yeast, and sugar in a medium bowl, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.) Add oil, salt, and 1 cup flour and stir until a dough forms (it should be soft but not sticky), adding more flour a little at a time, if necessary.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding just enough flour to surface to keep dough from sticking, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Oil 2 large baking sheets.
• Punch down dough, then roll out on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch square. Lightly brush dough with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, pressing to help them adhere. Cut dough into very thin strips (about 1/4-inch wide) with a pizza wheel or sharp knife.
• Divide strips between baking sheets, scattering them loosely in a free-form pattern (strips may overlap). Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until crisp and golden-brown in spots, 10 to 15 minutes (if breadsticks begin to get too dark in spots, cover area with foil.) Transfer to racks to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Do Ahead
• Breadsticks can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat if desired before serving.