Whole Wheat Breadsticks
Soft and chewy whole wheat breadsticks brushed with melted butter and dusted with grated parmesan cheese taste just like the delicious garlic breadsticks from Olive Garden.

Once I nailed the recipe for my whole wheat pizza dough, I knew there would be so many ways we could use it.
While you could use half of the pizza dough to make a pizza and the other half to make a batch of breadsticks, you could also prep the dough and use all of it to make a big batch of breadsticks to enjoy tonight or freeze for later.
This would be a perfect make ahead bread to prep before a holiday dinner for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Be sure to check out all my freezing tips below.
Why This is the Best Recipe
I love making homemade breads to make pizza night or soup night more special. I think this is the best whole wheat breadsticks recipe because:
- Tastes Like Olive Garden Garlic Breadsticks: If you're a big fan of those fluffy garlic breadsticks and could eat an entire basket all yourself like I could, you will love this whole wheat version. They have the same texture but just the added boost of the nutty whole wheat flavor.
- Freezer Friendly: You can stash some into your freezer for another dinner later or prep them ahead of a holiday feast.
- Simple Real Ingredients: Wait till you see how few things you need to make this easy recipe!
Ingredients
To make the whole wheat breadstick dough, all you will need is:
- All Purpose Flour
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Olive Oil
- Water
- Active Dry Yeast
- Kosher Salt
- OPTIONAL: I seasoned my dough with 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs for a little more flavor.
To get golden brown breadsticks out of the oven, you'll brush them with melted butter both before and after baking. To make the seasoned butter you'll need:
- Butter
- Garlic Salt
- Italian Herb Blend Seasoning
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
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Bread Machine Tips
As the author of The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, I'm very passionate about baking homemade bread with a bread maker.
If you're curious and wondering if a bread maker is worth it, not only do I think the answer is yes but I've reviewed the most popular bread machine for beginners.
For this recipe, I used my Cuisinart bread machine because I love how easy it makes preparing dough.
Prep the Dough
For full step-by-step photos illustrating how to prepare the dough in a bread maker, visit my whole wheat pizza dough article here or just reference the instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Shape the Breadsticks
If you're using the entire batch of dough to make 16 breadsticks, I recommend starting by dividing the dough in half.
Then working one half of the dough at a time, divide each half into 8 equal portions.
Roll each portion of dough against your working surface with your hand to form a 10-inch long piece of dough.
Line up the breadsticks on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the breadsticks rise for 15 - 30 minutes until they have smoothed out and are puffy.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400ยฐF. It helps to let the pans of breadsticks rise on the stovetop while the oven warms up.
Remove the plastic wrap.
Melt the butter in a mixing bowl and add the garlic salt and Italian herb seasoning. Stir it together and brush the tops of the breadsticks.
You'll only use about half of the butter right now, save the other half for brushing the breadsticks a second time when they come out of the oven.
When the breadsticks are fresh from the oven, brush the remaining butter over the top and then immediately sprinkle them with the grated parmesan cheese.
The wet butter will help the parmesan to stick, if you wait till it dries the cheese will just slide off.
Make Ahead Tips
When I'm baking for my little family of 4, 16 breadsticks would be far too much for one dinner. I usually use half the dough to make a pizza like my harvest apple pizza and the other half to make just 8 breadsticks.
However, this recipe works great for freezing ahead. You can bake the entire batch of breadsticks now and enjoy a few for dinner tonight and freeze the rest for later.
To freeze them, only prepare half of the seasoned butter mixture. Brush it over the breadsticks before baking as directed.
Then let the baked breadsticks cool completely. Tuck them into freezer bags and freeze for up to 6 months.
Let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Place them on a baking pan and warm them in the oven.
Meanwhile prepare the second half of the butter mixture. Brush it over the tops of the warmed breadsticks and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top before serving.
Serving Suggestions
The obvious pairing for these whole wheat breadsticks to serve them on pizza night with your favorite homemade pizza.
However, I love to use them to make pasta night more special. The nutty whole wheat and buttery garlic flavor would pair really well with some of my other Olive Garden copycats like my Olive Garden chicken scampi or this Olive Garden Crockpot chicken.
The whole wheat flavor holds up against spicier dishes like my Crockpot cajun chicken pasta, too.
Serve them with an Olive Garden salad for the perfect finishing touch!
More Bread Machine Recipes
Does this recipe make you excited to try more bread machine recipes? Here are some of my newest favorites for you to try:
๐ Recipe
Whole Wheat Breadsticks
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups (342g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (137g) whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend optional
For the Breadstick Seasoning
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare the Whole Wheat Dough
- Add the ingredients in the order they are listed to your bread machine's bread pan fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Select the Dough program and press "Start". Most machines take about an hour and a half to complete the cycle.
Shape the Breadsticks
- Transfer the dough to a working surface and remove the bread machine paddle. Don't flour your surface, it is better if the dough can stick slightly since it will be easier to roll out.
- Use a pizza wheel to divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. (Or you can use one half of the dough to make a pizza and the other half to make 8 breadsticks.)
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll each portion of dough between your hand and your working surface to shape a 10-inch long piece of dough. Line the pieces up on the baking sheets with 1.5-inch spaces between each piece. You should be able to fit 8 breadsticks per sheet.
- Cover the breadstick pans with plastic wrap and let them rise for 15 - 30 minutes or until they look smoother and puffier.
Bake the Breadsticks
- Preheat the oven to 400ยฐF.
- Stir together the melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt in a small bowl. Brush butter over the top of the breadsticks. You'll use about half of the butter mixture now, save whatever is left for the second brushing after they've baked.
- Bake the breadsticks for 14 -16 minutes or until they are a toasted brown color. You may want to rotate the pans half way through baking so they brown evenly.
- Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining seasoned butter mixture and immediately sprinkled the grated parmesan cheese over the top so that it sticks.
Recipe Notes
Make-Ahead Tips:
You can prep the whole wheat dough up to 3 days in advance and just keep it in the refrigerator in an oiled mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out. You could also pre-bake the breadsticks and freeze them. Use just half of the seasoned butter mixture when you bake them. Cool them completely and then store in freezer bags. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Warm them on a baking sheet in the oven, prepare the second half of the seasoned butter mixture for brushing over the top when they are warmed through. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top and serve.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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Can you kneed by hand?