In order to fulfil my latest Pizza craving, I created these gorgeously delicious Twisted Pizza Breadsticks! They have all the flavours of a traditional Margherita Pizza, but use only a small amount of flour and no yeast at all. What is more they are quick and easy to make and most delicious!
I am not sure about you, but Pizza has always been one of my most favourite things to bake and eat ever! I never run out of inspiration or finding ways that I can enjoy it. We are living in a world right now which seems bereft of flour and yeast.
This crazy world that we are living in at the moment means that universally we are all experiencing the same things. Who would have ever thought at the beginning of 2020 that we would all be living in the world we are living in now, just a few months later. Here in the UK I am experiencing the same shortages in flour and yeast that people in North America are experiencing. That makes recipes like these Twisted Pizza Breadsticks even more special! Who does not love a Universal experience! We truly are not alone in this!
All you need for this amazing recipe is just a few kitchen staples and I can almost guarantee that your family will be enjoying these Twisted Pizza Breadsticks before the day is through! There is nothing extraordinarily out of the norm required here!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TWISTED PIZZA BREADSTICKS
| INGREDIENTS |
| ¾ cup of dairy buttermilk |
| 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour |
| ½ TBS fine sugar |
| 1 ¼ tsp baking powder |
| ¼ tsp baking soda |
| ¼ tsp salt |
| 1 tsp garlic Italian seasoning |
| ¼ cup cold butter cut into chunks |
| 3 TBS softened butter |
| ½ cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, divided |
HINTS & TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST TWISTED PIZZA BREADSTICKS
- I always line my baking sheets with baking paper or a silicone liner. This means that nothing ever sticks to the pans and helps to prevent a lot of grief later on.
- When you are baking, do take care to make sure that your measurements are very precise. When we are cooking an ordinary meal, this need not be the case. You can play with the measurements and ingredients a little bit, but, when it comes to baking, you do need to be very precise. Baking is an exact science. Correct measurements mean everything when it comes to success or failure.
- I always read through my recipe several times before I begin and assemble what I need at my cook/preparation point. That way I lessen the risk of making an error or leaving something important out when I go to assemble or cook the recipe.
- When working with quick breads such as these breadsticks, it is important to use a light hand. Do not overwork the dough, as overworking the dough toughens it. You will have a much nicer finish if you don’t handle the dough overly much.
- For a recipe like this it isn’t totally necessary that you grate your own cheese. I use a good quality pre-grated Parmesan that I am able to purchase in a fairly large container at a local warehouse. This saves me money over time and I have never ever wasted any of it. It always gets used up. You can also store it in the freezer. As it is free flowing it never clumps together.
- I use a good all purpose flour for these. Bread flour will also work. Do not use a self-rising flour unless that is all that you have. In that case leave out the baking powder, soda, and salt in the recipe.
- If you don’t have a ready made marinara sauce or pizza sauce to serve with these Twisted Pizza Breadsticks, it is very easy to make your own. Simply combine an 8 ounce tin (or one cup) of tomato sauce in a saucepan, along with 1 TBS of tomato puree, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp each of dried oregano and basil, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp fennel seeds along with salt and black pepper to taste. Heat gently for several minutes and then allow to cool completely.
- It is nice to serve these bread sticks with individual pots of sauce to dip them in for each person.
- If you think the sticks are too long, you can very easily cut them in half prior to baking, in which case you will end up with 16 short sticks rather than 8 longer ones.
- Vary the toppings by adding some chopped onion, olives and/or pepperoni. Do bear in mind, however, that you will need to be twisting them. Be very careful not to overfill. A little goes a long way.
- If you don’t have any buttermilk (and on this day I didn’t) you can make a very adequate substitution by adding 1 TBS of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup measure and adding milk to the proper amount that you need. Let it stand for five minutes so that the milk clabbers.
I think you will agree that these are a very simple bake to make.
HOW TO MAKE TWISTED PIZZA BREADSTICKS
Line a baking sheet large enough to hold all of your breadsticks in one layer with some distance in between them for rising. You can use either some baking parchment or a silicone baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400*F.
Measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic Italian seasoning into a bowl. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese.
Drop in your cold butter, which should have been cut into small bits.
Using either a pastry blender or two round bladed knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have a mixture which resembles coarse fresh breadcrumbs with a few pea sized bits.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk all at once, stirring it in quickly with a fork. The dough will look quite shaggy and might even be a bit sticky. That is fine.
Tip the dough out onto a floured board. Try this quick and easy pizza dough recipe and make a full-size pizza! Moving quickly and with a light hand gather it into a ball. You can now pat or roll it out using floured hands or a floured rolling pin to the desired size. It should be an 8 inch by 12 inch rectangle approximately 1/3 of an inch in depth/thickness.
Once you have your dough at the proper size, spread the softened butter all over it evenly. Work from edge to edge and from top to bottom. Sprinkle the bottom half of your dough rectangle with your grated Parmesan cheese (and any other toppings you choose to use). Fold the top half of the dough down over the bottom half to cover your cheese or pizza toppings.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut your shaped dough into 8 (1-inch wide) strips. Carefully twist your strips by grabbing them at either end and then twisting in opposite directions. If, after you make the first one, you think they are too long, now is the time to cut them in half crosswise.
Place the twisted strips on the prepared baking sheet leaving plenty of space in between for the dough to rise and expand. You don’t want them to stick to each other.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes prior to serving.
Heat your pizza sauce.
Arrange your Twisted Pizza Breadsticks on a serving plate accompanied with a bowl of the heated pizza/marinara sauce for dipping them in.
SUGGESTIONS FOR SERVING TWISTED PIZZA BREADSTICKS
Children love to dip the sticks into that delicious sauce. These make a great snack to serve on game nights or for family get-togethers. You can also serve them as the first course or as an addition/appetiser to an Italian meal! Learn more about the difference between sides and appetisers here!
Easy to dip, easy to hold and even easier to eat and enjoy. I love that you can make them as simple as this or adapt them up to your own family’s tastes with just a few simple additions! These have always gone down a real treat when I serve them to my own family and friends, and I am sure quite sure that you will enjoy them every bit as much! Quick, easy, delicious, and economical!
Twisted Pizza Breadsticks Recipe
Light and flaky, these deliciously easy pizza sticks use no yeast. They go together very quickly and are destined to become a firm family favourite!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup of dairy buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ TBS fine sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup cold butter cut into chunks
- 3 TBS softened butter
- ½ cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- Pizza sauce or your favourite marinara sauce to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda salt, and Italian seasoning together in a bowl. Stir in 1 TBS of the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Drop in the cold butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using two round bladed knives (using a crossing motion) or a pastry blender. The mixture will be ready when it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, with a few pea sized bits. You don’t want the crumbs to be too fine as it is the larger bits which help these to be so flaky.
- Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk all at once. Stir together with a fork just to combine. The dough will be a bit sticky.
- Gather together and tip it out onto a floured board. Knead a couple times to bring it together. Lightly roll it out, using a floured rolling pin, to a rectangle that measures 12 inches long and 8 inches wide, about 1/3 inch thick.
- Spread all over with the softened butter. Working from the short side up, sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over half of the dough. Bring the other half of the dough down over the cheese to cover. Using a sharp knife cut it into 8 1-inch wide strips from top to bottom. Lightly twist and place onto the baking sheet, leaving space between the strips.
- Bake in the preheated oven until crisp and golden brown for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- While they are baking heat your pizza/marinara sauce.
- Serve the pizza sticks warm with some pizza/marinara sauce for dipping! Delicious!
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 450
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
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