I am not a huge bread fan, but I am learning about rosemary and thyme and this is a quick recipe. I am amazed at how easy it is to make yummy, soft breadsticks – next time I will have my kids help out. There isn’t much you can mess up with this recipe, it basically makes itself. If you can mix the dough and knead it either by machine or hand, you can make this herb breadsticks recipe within an hour or two.
Picking fresh herbs and chopping them up for a recipe is like poetry to me. The smell is intoxicating, and the way it shapes a dish while cooking is tantalizing. In fact, herbs are much more than extra flavor – they also add vital nutrients. Health benefits of herbs are actually quite extensive, and it’s so easy to start growing herbs indoors and then use the herbs for cooking dinner.
Health Benefits of Thyme
- Thyme herb contains thymol which has been found to have antiseptic, anti-fungal characteristics. Fresh thyme herb has one of the highest antioxidant levels among herbs.
- Thyme is packed with minerals and vitamins that are essential for optimum health. Its leaves are one of the richest sources of potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and selenium.
- The herb is also a rich source of many important vitamins such as B-complex vitamins, beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin E, vitamin C and folic acid.
Health Benefits of Rosemary
- Rosemary leaves contain certain phyto-chemical (plant derived) compounds that are known to have disease preventing and health promoting properties.
- The herb contains numerous health benefiting volatile essential oils with anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-fungal and anti-septic properties.
- Rosemary leaves provide 37% RDA of dietary fiber
- Rosemary contains larges amounts of folates that protect babies from neural tube defects, vitamin A to protect the body from certain cancers, and vitamin C for disease resistance.
- This herb is also an excellent source of iron.
Homemade Breadsticks with Fresh Herbs
These breadsticks are so easy, even for the most gluten-challenged cook. After rising, simply STRETCH the dough into a rectangle. No rolling pin, no separating into pieces, just stretch! The dough at this point is so pliable it’s very easy.
Mix up the butter with the fresh herbs and slather over the dough. Next, fold the dough over so the butter is on the inside and then slice into strips using a pizza cutter. Twist into long breadsticks or tie together into knots. My kids LOVE the knots! They are a bit more chewy so it depends how you are serving them. Breadsticks tend to do better when you have a dip, and knots are good to eat as is.
Yield: makes about 24
Ingredients
4 cups flour
1-3/4 cup warm water {110-115 degrees}
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp honey
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Butter Spread
1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
2 large garlic cloves, diced
Directions
My KitchenAid mixer has been on the fritz for a few months, so I use my bread machine to mix and knead the dough, then I bake it in the oven myself. I added the wet ingredients first and then added all the dry ingredients. I think you may want to mix the yeast with the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes if you are using a mixer or doing it by hand, but with the bread machine you don’t have to. I let the machine knead the dough through its first cycle, about 10 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides and is firm but slightly sticky.
Take out the dough and put it in a well oiled bowl and toss it to coat. Cover with a dish towel and stick it in a warm, dry place for 40 minutes.
While the dough is rising, make the herb butter. Add softened butter, minced herbs, garlic, 1/2 cup of the grated Parmesan into a small bowl. Mix well. I used some salt in this spread and it came out way too salty. If you prefer, add a pinch, just no more than 1/2 teaspoon! Luckily my kids didn’t care and ate these up regardless of them being salty.
After the time is up, punch the dough down and stretch it into a rectangle. It’s very pliable at this stage and stretches very easily. Alternately you can use a rolling pin.
Spread the butter over top of the rectangle and then fold the dough in half lengthwise. Cut into even strips. For breadsticks, simply twist the dough and place on baking sheet. For knots, form a knot with the dough and “tie” it before placing on sheet.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 to twenty minutes. Serve warm. YUM!
What are your favorite healthy flavors for a fun bread treat?
