Day 319: Cheesy Ranch Breadsticks

This is a fun twist on bread sticks.  I was kind of inspired by the Cheese Stuffed Foccacia I made a while back.  I thought "why couldn't I stuff bread sticks with all kinds of yummy goodness?"  So I did, and the rest is history.

Cheesy Ranch Bread sticks
14" dutch oven

1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter, divided
1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese
Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.  Roll out the bread stick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick.   Spread half of the dough with 2 Tbs. melted butter.  Sprinkle with ranch dressing mix and grated cheese.  Fold the dough in half, covering the dressing/cheese.  See picture below.  Press down on the dough to remove any air pockets.  Cut into strips with a pizza cutter.  Twist the bread sticks slightly and place about 1/2-inch apart in your dutch oven.  Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.

The Finished Product

The Review

These are really good!  They are versatile too.  You could fill them with just about any kinds of herbs and cheese you want.  And the bread sticks are light and soft.  I think this is my very favorite bread stick recipe.  I couldn't fit all of them in my 14" oven, so you will need 2 dutch ovens to bake the whole batch.  Grade A.