Cheese Breadsticks

Fresh homemade breadsticks that are coated in crusty grated cheese. These are simple to make and perfect alongside a warm bowl of soup or chili!

Overhead picture of a pile of fresh baked breadsticks

Years ago, I used to work at a local convenience store that made some fresh baked goods. One thing that the store would bake was cheese breadsticks. I loved working in the back and making these breadsticks. The aroma of fresh baked breadsticks throughout the store was amazing and they would sell so easily. To this day, any time I am in a store or bakery that sells fresh cheese breadsticks, I just have to buy one!

There is no need to go to a bakery to get cheese breadsticks and with this recipe, you can bake them fresh right at home. These breadsticks are cheesy and crusty on the outside while also being soft and fluffy in the middle.

A baking sheet filled with freshly baked cheese breadsticks.

This recipe super easy and will make 12 cheese breadsticks. They are ideal for an after school snack, to eat while watching the game, or just to have available in the kitchen for any time someone in the family gets a little hungry. These are also awesome for an on the go snack, whether it is while driving on a road trip, a picnic or something else.

I love bread with cheese and here are some more breads and biscuits with cheesy goodness!

Kneaded dough in the stand mixer bowl.

How to Make Breadstick Dough

The first part of making breadsticks is preparing the dough. In the past, I have used bagged frozen pizza dough that I purchased from the supermarket. While that worked fine, I have since been making my own bread dough and I find that both the taste and texture of the breadsticks are far superior.

If you are looking for more information and tips for making bread dough, check out this link Artisan Bread.

Fresh risen dough in a glass bowl.

After the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down and knead it with your hands for 30-60 seconds. Divide the dough into 12 equal sized portions.

Dough rolled out flat with a rolling pin.

Time to Roll the Dough

Roll the dough into a large flat oval about 1/2 inch thick. Depending upon the size of the area that you are able to roll the dough, you might need to divide it into smaller portions. I have a marble rolling surface and I find that if I divide the dough in half, I can roll it perfectly to the size I need.

Raw dough cut with a pizza cutting wheel into long strips.

Once rolled, cut the dough into equal sized portions. I use a pizza cutting wheel and it cuts the dough very easily.

A piece of dough rolled into a long log and brushed with water.

Take one portion of the dough and roll it into a breadstick shape that is 12-14 inches long. Lightly brush it all over with water.

A raw breadstick rolled in grated cheese.

Roll the breadstick dough in grated cheddar cheese. The first couple times I made these breadsticks, I did not brush them with water before rolling them in the cheese and the grated cheese would not stick to the dough. Brushing them with water lightly works great to get the cheese to stick to the outside of the breadstick. 

The rolled breadsticks resting on a baking sheet before they go in the oven.

Place the rolled breadsticks on a baking sheet or stone. With the remaining dough, make 11 more breadsticks and place them side by side, about 1 inch apart.

Twelve cheese breadsticks ready to be baked.

How Long to Bake Breadsticks

Bake the cheese breadsticks in a 425F oven for 15-18 minutes. The breadsticks should be just starting to brown and the cheese bubbling.

Fresh baked breadstick torn to show the fluffy inside.

Take the breadsticks out of the oven and let them rest a few minutes before serving. These breadsticks are so delicious and definitely best served warm. We also enjoy dipping them in pizza sauce. So good!!

Cheese breadsticks wrapped in a kitchen towel.

Recipes to Serve with Breadsticks

Here are some delicious soups and chili recipes that are perfect alongside these homemade cheese breadsticks.

Cheese Breadsticks

Cheese breadsticks wrapped in a kitchen towel.
5 out of 5
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How to make cheese breadsticks at home with this simple recipe. A basic rustic yeast bread dough is used as a base for this recipe and rolled in cheddar cheese.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rising time: 2 hours
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12 breadsticks

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp dry active yeast
  • 1 cup water 95-105F
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp water for brushing

Instructions

  • Stir to dissolve the yeast in a bowl with the warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Stir the salt and sugar with the flour and dump into a stand mixer bowl. 
  • Using the dough hook, turn on the stand mixer to low speed. Slowly pour in the water and yeast mixture. Continue to let the stand mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough should come away from the bowl and not be sticky/tacky to the touch.
  • Grease a large bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball, place in the bowl and flip so all sides are coated in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place with no draft and let rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
  • Punch the dough down and hand knead it for about 30 seconds. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
  • Roll one portion into a long breadstick about 12-14 inches in length. Brush the breadstick with water. Roll the bread stick in grated cheese so that a bunch of cheese sticks to the outside of the breadstick. Place the breadstick on a large baking sheet or stone. Do this with the remaining portions of dough. Place the breadsticks side by side on the baking sheet approximately 1 inch apart.
  • Bake in a 425F oven for 15-18 minutes or until the breadsticks are baked through and the cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown on top. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Calories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 8gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 507mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Nutrition Disclaimer

 

Categories

Overhead picture of a pile of fresh baked breadsticks

Did you try this recipe?

Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. Or, take a picture to share on Instagram and tag me @theblackpeppercorn.

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Recipe Rating




13 comments

  • 5 stars
    Absoulty amazing used to love getting these from tescos but they stopped doing them I love baking so thought why not try myself and was really surprised they was delicious and now get asked to make them all the time thanks for recipe

    • Reply
  • I just tried this procedure and twisted a little by brushed egg on it before baking. It was perfectly baked but my surprised it stocked on the baking pan so bad. The second load I already put in oven, I pulled it out and quickly transfer to other pan with parchment paper and it baked without sticking

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    So delicious!! These cheesy breadsticks turned out amazing!!!! I will not be buying them from the store anymore. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe 😊

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Awesome recipe, I did add diced pickled jalapenos to a few of the breadsticks for me.

    • Reply
    • Wouldn’t it be easier to mix the cheese into the dough? I am going to try that method.

      • Reply
  • How can I substitute Instant Dry Yeast to this recipe. Package says it does not need to be “activated” with water.

    • Reply
    • For instant dry yeast, I would stir the dry yeast with the flour, salt and sugar in the stand mixer bowl in step 2 of the instructions. Then in step 3 you would pour in just the warm water. The rest of the instructions, should still be the same. I hope this helps. If you try it, please come back and let me know how it turned out. I would love to hear!

      • Reply
  • Can you freeze these?

    • Reply
    • Do you mean freezing before or after they are baked? I am not sure how it would work if they are frozen prior to baking. You could definitely freeze them after they are baked.

      • Reply
  • Instead of brushing with water to get the cheese to stick could you use butter or oil? Or does that change the night of the outside of the bread? Great recipe, I can’t wait to try tomorrow! Thank you ?

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Made these for my family yesterday. And they are already gone. Recipe was easy to follow. Thank you for sharing this. It’s one I’m definitely gonna be using alot.

    • Reply
    • So glad you guys enjoyed them. They sure do not last long here either!

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    These look absolutely delicious, Steve! I love your clear step by step pictures too!!

    • Reply

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