Olive Garden Style Breadsticks

adapted from Allrecipes

These are as close as you can get to the breadsticks at Olive Garden. They are soft and tasty and were great with soup and salad.

.25 oz yeast (about 7 grams)

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2 cups warm water, divided

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp salt

3 tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, crushed into a powder

4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup melted butter (113 grams)

2 Tbsp parmesan (optional)

salt

Preheat oven to 400 (200 C)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 Tsp sugar in 1 cup of warm water. Leave until foamy. Then add oil, egg, salt, spices and remaining sugar and water.

Mix in 3 cups flour and then slowly add the remaining flour a little at a time until you come up with a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes, then put in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for about 45 minutes (or until doubled).

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, and divide into 36 pieces. Roll each piece into a small snake (about the size of a cigar) and place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Let rise for about 30 minutes (or until doubled) Brush with butter and sprinkle with parmesan (optional) and salt and bake for 10-12 minutes when the breadsticks are a golden brown.