Families have traditions. We are a family. Therefore we have traditions.
(I love logic - Proofs was one of my favorite math courses in college. =)
One tradition our family has is eating breadsticks for supper on Sunday while watching a movie -- a nice and relaxing way to end our day of rest. We started this tradition right after we were married in looking for something easy and not too filling for munching on Sunday evenings (growing up we often would have popcorn and peanut butter toast). I love breadsticks and so we settled on that one Sunday night, really liked it, and started doing it again and again. When we started, we would use 2 pizza crust pouches and the
Betty Crocker breadstick recipe on the back (minus the egg wash).
Then one Sunday a year or so later, we didn't have the pizza crust pouches, didn't have yeast, and didn't have money to order them from the pizza place across the parking lot from our tiny apartment. So on to the internet (dial-up connection at that time!) and to the Recipe Source website, which I used a lot then, and found this recipe for
Soft Breadsticks. That recipe worked and tasted pretty good, but it only made 4 breadsticks (we like them thick and soft, not thin and crisp) and it was not exactly what I was looking for. But it was close, so I tried it again and again, doubling it and tweaking the ingredients until we came out with something that we really liked. And 8 some years later, we have made it every Sunday night that we have been at home, and some Sunday nights when we haven't been at home too!
Now you think making it that many times they would turn out perfect every time? No. Added factors of humidity levels in the house, freshness of baking powder, type of pan, state of mind of the chef all change things a little bit. All kidding aside, S & I love these soft, almost biscuit-like breadsticks with pizza or alfredo sauce, and our kids now love them too. Here is the recipe:
Sunday Night Breadsticks
3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk dry ingredients in bowl to sift together. Add milk and oil and stir till mostly combined. Then knead with hands to finish combining. Add more flour or milk if needed to get the right consistency which should be a soft dough that doesn't stick to your fingers when you pinch it. Break into 8 pieces and roll those into 6-8in breadsticks. Place on greased baking sheet (air bake or thick commercial grade is the best) and bake for 11-13 minutes until just slightly golden brown on top. Brush with butter and enjoy with favorite pizza dipping sauce!
Note: You can doctor up this recipe to whatever you are in the mood for. We have added italian seasoning and parmesan cheese, we have substituted 1/3 wheat flour and used honey instead of sugar, we have also turned them into dessert breadsticks by adding a lot of cinnamon and sugar and dipped them in cream cheese frosting.
Per request from my cousin G (same name as our little G! =) we decided to photo-document the process of how we make the basic recipe. This was fun and I am glad to have this tradition documented for our kids at least! I collaged the pictures so as not to have to post 30 some pictures, and hopefully you can figure out the captions...
Cast of characters:
- S, dadda and chief photographer
- C, momma and chief chef
- G, big helper 1 and chief taste tester
- W, big helper 2 and chief commentator
- (not pictured) little C, baby and chief napper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Ingredients!
- G telling us how many cups of flour to add.
- In goes the flour - G and W help dump all of the ingredients in the bowl.
- G likes to make a hole in the flour for the rest of the dry ingredients to go into.
- In goes the sugar.
- Testing the sugar to make sure it tastes ok.
- In goes the salt.
- In goes the baking powder. (I measure 3 tsp instead of 1 Tbsp as to make more turns for G&W)
- W is usually right there helping out, but he was camera shy so had to be held by dadda while dadda took all the pictures.
- G showing us the whisk - nice, G!
- Whisking dry ingredients together.
- 1 cup of milk is next.
- G helps momma pour it in the bowl.
- After the milk goes in, G gets to sip a little extra out of the measuring cup.
- Now W gets in the game! He wants a sip too!
- W helping momma pour oil in the bowl.
- Dadda, can we get a fork? (see the awesome stepstool that G&W are using that I found on craigslist for WAY cheaper than the normal price?)
- Stirring with fork to combine...
- ...until it looks like this. (basically until you can't stir anymore)
- Time to use the hands! (G licks off the fork)
- Knead until combined. (but not too much otherwise breadsticks will be tough!)
- Dough should be soft, not dry, but does not stick to fingers when pinched. (we did good this time!)
- A look at the dough. (maybe I shouldn't have used a bowl that was the exact same color!)
- G & W then get tiny "tries" to roll and make sure it tastes right.
- G always rolls a "try" for dadda.
- Then momma breaks dough...
- ...in half! (boy, this is exciting, isn't it?!)
- Dough divided into 8 pieces.
- Roll pieces into...
- ...breadsticks about 6-8 inches long
- Everybody gets to roll out breadsticks! (we divide 2 of the pieces to make 4 kid size breadsticks =)
- Uh-oh! W dropped his on the floor! (5 second rule applies at our house - we sweep the kitchen floor a lot =)
- Breadsticks ready to go on greased Air Bake cookie sheet. This is the one that we have always used and have always had good luck. If you don't have Air Bake, I would use a thicker or commercial grade cookie sheet, or just watch them so the bottoms don't get so dark.
- "Kids stand back, the oven is hot!" Yes, I yell this every time.
- Ours take 11 minutes until they are done.
- G licking out the bowl.
- Mmmmmm...G loves making breadsticks as it is the only "dough" that I will let her taste. Everything else that we make always has eggs in it.
- 11 minutes are up - time to check the breadsticks!
- They look just right.
- Close up of finished breadstick - light colored with just a hint of golden brown on top. S also checks them by making sure the sides of the breadsticks aren't doughy.
- Turn oven off. (this is something I forget more often than not...although I am getting better - there is hope for me yet!)
- Rub tops of breadsticks with butter.
- Mmmmm, happy breadsticks!
- Getting sauces ready for dipping!
- Come on! Can't we stop taking pictures and just eat?!!!!
- Ready to go downstairs!
- Movie of choice tonight? Cars!
- Enjoying the breadsticks and the movie...
Are you still there? Did you stick with me to the end? If so, congratulations! Are you one of those people that will sit and watch all the movie credits in the theater after a movie is done? (We usually are!) Have you ever gotten rewarded by a silly bonus clip at the end? Tonight is your lucky night! For your diligence, we offer you something silly...
Uncle R entertaining (oh what grown-ups will do to make little ones smile!)...
...these cuties
Everyone watching little C get his picture taken
Auntie M and little C
G and Auntie J
Dad and Boppa's big helper G
Uncle K reading to W
Auntie J reading to G
little C sitting up so well by his Auntie A
W in "his" chair
Little C and Auntie H
Dixie, Uncle M, Uncle J, Uncle K, Auntie J and little C
Friend J and brother L giving G & W a wagon ride
Uncle R reading to G
Cousin C reading to her little guy E, G & W (do you sense a theme as to what my children like to do with any adult that is willing??? =)
Happy C!
Aunt R and little C
Sometimes these two can be so sweet!
Little C and Uncle R
Cousin S, little C and S's daughter J
W with his bud Uncle L!
Auntie M holding little C, C holding W, Auntie J holding G
