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Any breadsticks recipe is going to be one I love but this one? These are CHEESY RANCH Breadsticks – homemade and full of flavor. We all couldn’t stop eating these – and I’m going to teach you how to make them from scratch!
Table of Contents
Cheesy Breadsticks Recipe
Guys, here’s something (not so) shocking: I love bread. All kinds of bread. Cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, pizza dough… and breadsticks. I especially love breadsticks when they’re covered with cheese. Up until I started blogging, the only bread or cinnamon rolls I ever had were either from a can or from the store. I’d never used yeast to make bread from scratch; I was super intimidated by it. One day, I took the leap and made homemade cinnamon rolls. I was shocked at how easy it was to use yeast and get a wonderful result – at home, from scratch.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- I decided to amp up my cheesy breadstick game with this recipe though. Instead of plain old garlic powder, I turned these breadsticks into Cheesy RANCH Breadsticks. At first bite, I think I heard angels.
- These made my house smell wonderful. My mouth was watering by the time they came out of the oven. It was all I could do not to eat them before I took photos.
- Cheesy Ranch Breadsticks are an easy and surprisingly fast homemade breadstick recipe great for any meal!
Ingredients Needed To Make Breadsticks
- All-Purpose Flour – while you could use bread flour, I find I prefer using all purpose because I always have it in my kitchen. Be sure to read the instructions: we start with 2 cups but will add more as we’re mixing.
- RapidRise Yeast – This is also known as INSTANT yeast. This recipe is written for this type of yeast (RapidRise is what Fleischmann’s Yeast calls their instant yeast). This recipe is not tested with active dry or bread machine yeast.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar is not for sweetness; it helps to activate the yeast.
- Salt – For flavor.
- Water – You want your water between 120°F and 130°F. It helps if you have an instant read thermometer, but if you don’t have one, just think hot bathwater.
- Olive Oil – for softness and flavor
- Ranch Seasoning Mix – this is for the topping
- Mozzarella Cheese – to make these cheesy breadsticks!
Best Yeast for Baking
RapidRise Yeast doesn’t need proofing; you add it with the dry ingredients. Then you add warm water and any other liquids and mix and knead like you normally would. The beauty of it is that, for most doughs, you only have to let it sit 10 minutes before you shape it and let it rest. That’s right: no double rise.
How to make Cheesy Breadsticks
- Since we are starting with RapidRise Yeast, we’re going to mix the dry ingredienst together. Start with 2 cups flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Whisk.
- Mix in the olive oil.
- Now we need to heat our water – be sure it’s between 120-130°F.
- Add the water into the mixer.
- Once you’ve added the oil and water, let the mixer run until a soft dough forms. It will be slightly sticky.
- Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it forms a smooth ball.
- You’ll know the kneading process is done when the dough springs back when pressed with 2 fingers. Once it sits 10 minutes to allow the RapidRise Yeast to work its magic, it’s time to make breadsticks!
- Mix together olive oil and ranch seasoning.
- Simply oil a pan and press the dough into a rectangle. You can make these any thickness you like, using a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Brush with ranch oil and top with shredded cheese. Then bake until golden.
Recipe Swap
- You could brush the dough with melted butter instead of olive oil.
- Use other shredded cheeses instead of mozzarella.
- Skip the ranch seasoning and use salt, ground black pepper and a teaspoon of garlic powder.
Serving Cheesy Ranch Breadsticks
Alone, dipped in soup, as a side dish to salad or as an appetizer dipped in pizza sauce, these Cheesy Ranch Breadsticks are the perfect way for you to start using yeast. It’s not scary, I promise! Go try it and then share on Instagram with #crazyforcrust so I can see your adventures in yeast!
FAQs
A mixer will shorten the amount of time you spend kneading and mixing. I love using my stand mixer with the dough hook attached. I mix the dough using that, and then let it run until the dough forms a ball. I only have to knead the dough a little bit, and it’s much less messy. If you don’t have a mixer, then stir with a wooden spoon until you can’t anymore, then get your hands dirty. Without a mixer, you’ll just have to knead the dough a little longer.
If you’re using instant yeast the water temperature should be between 120-130°F.
This recipe is very similar to pizza dough.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can freeze them for up to a month. Reheat in oven or airfryer for a crunchy bottom.
Have you made this recipe?
Give a review and leave a star rating below!
Cheesy Ranch Breadsticks
Ingredients
For the Breadstick Dough:
- 3 ¼ cups (403g) all-purpose flour (you'll start with 2 cups and add more when mixing)
- 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) Fleischmann’s® RapidRise Yeast
- 1 tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ⅓ cups (316ml) very warm water (between 120°-130°F) (think hot bathwater)
- ⅓ cup (79ml) olive oil
For the Topping:
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning mix
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
- Pizza Sauce, for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- You can use a wooden spoon and do it by hand or use an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved Fleischmann’s® RapidRise Yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and 1/3 cup oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add enough flour to make a soft dough. Dough will form a ball and be slightly sticky.
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic. This will take just a minute if you used an electric mixer, about 4 minutes if you’re doing it by hand. (To knead the dough, add just enough flour to keep your hands from sticking. Flatten the dough and roll it towards you; using the heels of your hands push it away in a rolling motion. Rotate and repeat until a soft and elastic dough ball forms.
- Drizzle the bottom of a pan with a bit of olive oil. Pat dough with floured hands to fit a pizza pan or baking sheet to desired thinness.
- Stir together 3 tablespoons olive oil and ranch seasoning mix. Brush all over dough. Top with cheese. Bake 15-25 minutes or until golden and cheese is melty. Baking time will vary depending on how thick or thin you roll your dough.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
This recipe is slightly adapted from this Garlic Cheese Breadsticks recipe.
What food goes well with your cheese stuffed breadsticks recipe?
These breadsticks would go well with Clam Chowder Soup or Potato Leek Soup, or as a side dish to my Apple Salad.
Fleischmann’s® RapidRise Yeast sponsored this post in 2018. The post has been updated. I’d never used RapidRise Yeast before, but I can tell you it’s the ONLY one I want to use from now on.
Last Updated on November 1, 2022
I made these with garlic oil in the topping mix. I had some left over from frying up some some garlic crisps and the flavour was outta this world. I had a fresh herb and tomato topping instead of a pizza sauce dip and called it dinner.
I followed the recipe and the ranch wasn’t strong enough to make it taste like ranch cheese sticks. My kids weren’t real thrilled with these. They were easy though so I might try this recipe again and change a few things.
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