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Soft and fluffy Sourdough Breadsticks brushed with garlic butter and Italian herbs. This same day recipe comes together in just 6 hours, so you can start it in the morning and enjoy fresh breadsticks by dinnertime.
These homemade sourdough breadsticks are a copycat of the ones you love from Olive Garden, but with even better flavor and texture. Made with simple ingredients and naturally leavened with sourdough starter, they’re the perfect side for soup, salad, or pasta night. If you love sourdough breadsticks, don’t miss my Sourdough Discard French Bread or Sourdough French Bread—it bakes into the most incredible cheesy garlic bread.
Why you will love this recipe
- Better than Olive Garden – These breadsticks are soft, fluffy, and brushed with garlic butter and Italian herbs, just like you find at Olive Garden—only better! And if you love this recipe, be sure to try my Sourdough Garlic Knots.
- Same day sourdough recipe – Start the breadsticks in the morning and have them in time for dinner!
- Easy and approachable – Simply knead the dough in the morning and let it rise.
- Simple ingredients – These sourdough breadsticks are made with pantry staples you probably already have on hand.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Active Sourdough Starter – Use an active sourdough starter that has recently been fed, doubled in size, and is bubbly. Learn more about properly caring for your sourdough starter here.
- Bread Flour – I prefer to use bread flour over all-purpose flour because it has a higher protein content and absorbs liquid better. In a pinch, you could use all-purpose, but you will need to reduce the amount of liquid added, about 25 grams.
- Sugar or honey – Adds just a touch of sweetness to balance out the flavors. Either sugar or honey will work in this recipe.
- Butter – Butter is added to the dough for flavor and then is brushed over the baked breadsticks for a delicious buttery flavor. Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the dough, although you can use salted butter if that’s what you have available.
- Seasoning – A mixture of Italian seasoning and garlic powder is mixed with butter and brushed on top of the breadsticks to give them a delicious buttery flavor.
See all the ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.
Instructions to make Sourdough Breadsticks
Step 1: Add all of the dough ingredients, except the butter, to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the melted butter to the dough and knead for an additional 10 minutes or until it passes the windowpane test. To perform the windowpane test, pull a section of the dough thin enough to see light through without it tearing. The dough will feel sticky at first, but resist the urge to add more flour, give it time. The dough will become very silky.
Step 3: Let the dough rise, covered, until doubled in size, about 3-4 hours at 80°F.
Step 4: After the dough has doubled for the first rise, punch down the dough and dump it onto an unfloured work surface.
Step 5: Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 equal portions, about 63 grams each.
Step 6: Roll each piece of dough back and forth between your palms until it forms a log about 7-8 inches long.
Step 7: Arrange 6 breadsticks on a lined sheet pan, cover, and let them rise in a warm spot for 2–3 hours.
Step 8: Once the breadsticks are puffy and airy preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 9: Bake for 20-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Step 10: While the breadsticks bake, mix the melted butter with garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Brush the butter on top of the breadsticks as soon as they come out of the oven.
Recipe Tips
- Let the dough double for the first rise in a warm spot to speed up the process. Use a bread mat (use code country10 for 10%) or proofing box to keep the dough warm, or see more tips on how to keep your dough warm here.
- Avoid using flour when shaping the breadsticks. Flour can make it hard for the dough to stick together.
- To ensure all the breadsticks are the same size, weigh out each dough ball.
- Don’t rush the second rise. Let the breadsticks puff up until noticeably airy; under-proofed dough will bake up dense and pale.
Sample Schedule
Here is an example of a timeline for making sourdough breadsticks in one day. The timeline can depend on the temperature and the activity of your starter, so your time may vary. This timeline assumes a dough temperature of 80°F.
| Step | Time |
| Feed sourdough starter a 1:5:5 ratio (17 grams starter: 90 grams flour: 90 grams water) left at room temperature. | Night before: 8 pm |
| Mix dough & first rise | 8 am |
| Shape & second rise | 12 pm |
| Bake | 2 pm |
Option for overnight first rise
If you would like to let the dough rise overnight or for a longer period of time, like my overnight sourdough cinnamon rolls, you can reduce the temperature from 80°F to about 68-70°F for 8-12 hours. You’ll know the dough is ready to shape when it has doubled in size.
Storage instructions
Store in an airtight container on the counter for about 5 days. To reheat, add the breadsticks back to the oven for a few minutes until they are warm and toasty or heat in the microwave.
These Sourdough Breadsticks also freeze great. Add them to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, you can leave them on the counter or wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave until soft.
Recipe FAQ
I prefer to use bread flour over all-purpose flour because it has a higher protein content and absorbs liquid better. In a pinch, you could use all-purpose, but you will need to slightly reduce the amount of liquid added.
Yes, if you prefer to use olive oil instead of butter, you can substitute it in the dough and for topping.
Yes. If you want to prep the dough ahead of time, you can refrigerate the shaped, unbaked breadsticks and bake them later. Follow the instructions to shape and let them rise on a baking sheet. Once they’re puffy and nearly ready to bake, cover the buns and place them in the fridge for up to 12 hours. You can bake them straight from the fridge—no need to bring them to room temperature.
More sourdough bread recipes
Soft Sourdough Bread Recipes
Same Day Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Sourdough Bread Recipes
Sourdough Garlic Knots
Sourdough Discard Recipes
Sourdough Discard French Bread
Same Day Sourdough Recipes
Buttery Garlic Sourdough Naan Bread
Tried this Sourdough Breadsticks or another recipe from the site? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments—can’t wait to see what you’re baking!
Sourdough Breadsticks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 160 grams water, ⅔ cup + 1 Tablespoon
- 175 grams active sourdough starter, ¾ cup
- 10 grams salt, 1 Tablespoon
- 350 grams bread flour, 2 ½ cups
- 15 grams sugar or honey, 1 Tablespoon
- 57 grams butter, softened, 4 Tablespoons
Topping
- 14 grams butter, 1 Tablespoon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Add all of the dough ingredients, except the butter, to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes.160 grams water, 175 grams active sourdough starter, 10 grams salt, 350 grams bread flour, 15 grams sugar or honey
- Add the softened butter to the dough and knead for an additional 10-15 minutes or until it passes the windowpane test. To perform the windowpane test, pull a section of the dough thin enough to see light through without it tearing. The dough will feel sticky at first, but resist the urge to add more flour, give it time. The dough will become very silky.57 grams butter
- Let the dough rise, covered, until doubled in size, about 3-4 hours at 80°F.
- After the dough has doubled for the first rise, punch down the dough and dump it onto an unfloured work surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 equal portions, about 63 grams each.
- Roll each piece of dough back and forth between your palms until it forms a log about 7-8 inches long. Place 6 shaped logs on each lined baking sheet.
- Cover the dough and let it puff up and rise for 2-3 more hours in a warm spot until airy.
- Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for about 20-22 minutes or until light golden brown.
- In a small bowl, mix together melted butter with Italian seasoning and garlic powder, and brush over the top of the warm breadsticks. 14 grams butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Notes
- Let the dough double for the first rise in a warm spot to speed up the process. Use a bread mat (use code country10 for 10%) or proofing box to keep the dough warm, or see more tips on how to keep your dough warm here.
- Avoid using flour when shaping the breadsticks. Flour can make it hard for the dough to stick together.
- To ensure all the breadsticks are the same size, weigh out each dough ball.
- Don’t rush the second rise. Let the breadsticks puff up until noticeably airy; under-proofed dough will bake up dense and pale.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use the proofing mode on my oven???
It just depends on how hot your oven gets in proofing mode. If it’s over 90 degrees F, I wouldn’t recommend it.
So glad I made these this afternoon and paired them with my penne alla vodka and chicken. Family loved the breadsticks!!! Need another batch, already. So easy to whip up!
Your dinner sounds delicious! So happy to hear you liked the breadsticks. Thanks for sharing.
These copy cat Olive Garden sourdough breadsticks are so light, chewy and fluffy. These are so easy to make and are delicious served with soup or pasta night.