Preview: These soft garlic bread machine breadsticks are easy to mix up and knead with a bread machine. They taste similar to the ones at Olive Garden.
How does the Olive Garden restaurant know my weakness for warm, soft, and garlicky bread? What’s more, they keep offering bread basket refills at no extra charge. It’s a conspiracy, I tell ya’.
Now I can make them with my bread maker. No, this is not their authentic recipe. I know from time working in Research & Development for a nationwide pizza chain that large companies use products and formulations not available to the public. These secrets make it impossible to imitate exactly.
This is the same recipe for Soft Garlic Bread Machine Breadsticks that used to live on my post about converting traditional bread recipes for use in a bread machine.

You don’t have to twist the sticks if that seems more complicated. They are just as tasty untwisted, but not as photogenic in my experience. It’s challenging to keep the straight ones even and…straight.
How to use a bread maker to make these garlicky breadsticks:
- Dump all ingredients into the bread machine in the order listed: Liquids first, other ingredients like salt, sugar, and fat, next, then flour, and last is the yeast.
- Select the DOUGH cycle and press START.
- After the bread has been kneading for a few minutes, open the lid and take a peak. This is the most important thing you can do when using a bread machine. Make adjustments according to the directions below.

- Remove the dough from the bread machine pan to a floured surface. Shape breadsticks by hand as shown below and place them onto a prepared cookie sheet.
- Allow breadsticks to rise until almost double.
- Brush with the buttery glaze and bake in a preheated oven until golden brown.
Ingredients and substitutions:
- WATER: Spring water is my first choice, then tap water–always room temperature.
- MILK: Any milk regardless of the fat content is fine, but the higher the fat content, the softer the crumb.
- OLIVE OIL: Substitute vegetable oil if olive oil is not available.
- SALT: I use table salt or sea salt. Add 1/4 teaspoon extra if using Kosher salt.
- SUGAR: The recipe specifies granulated white sugar. I have not tried anything else.
- FLOUR: Bread flour is my preference but unbleached all-purpose flour can be substituted.
- YEAST: Instant yeast (interchangeable with bread machine or rapid-rise yeast) is the only kind of yeast I buy. If you use active-dry yeast, add 1/4 teaspoon extra–it can be slower to rise.
How to roll out bread machine breadsticks:

Baker’s Tip: If the bread sticks won’t stay twisted, cover the dough/strips with a tea towel, and walk away for about 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to relax and hold the twist.
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Soft Garlic Bread Machine Breadsticks Recipe

This bread machine recipe for yeasted garlic breadsticks tastes similar to the ones at Olive Garden.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 gr) lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons milk (28 gr)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (27 gr)
- 1-1/4 teaspoon table salt (7 gr)
- 1 tablespoon (13 gr) granulated sugar
- 3 cups (360 gr) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (6 gr) instant yeast
BUTTERY GLAZE:
- 1 clove of garlic (reduced from original recipe)
- 3 tablespoons (43 gr) melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Sprinkle of sea salt or Kosher salt
Instructions
- Place ingredients in order listed into bread machine pan saving back 1/4 cup of the water. Select the DOUGH cycle.
- After about 10 minutes, lift the lid as the machine continues to knead and add water 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, until dough forms into a ball but remains tacky. When the cycle is completed and the dough has risen, remove it from the bread pan.
- Divide dough in half and shape it into two balls. Roll out each ball into a 7 x 9-inch rectangle. Use a pizza cutter or large sharp knife to cut each rectangle into 8 strips. See the picture above.
- Twist each strip to disguise imperfections and place side-by-side on a greased baking sheet or one covered with baking paper or a silicone mat. (See the notes if your breadsticks try to unravel.)
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Allow breadsticks to rise until almost double.
- Brush with the buttery glaze. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes
Kitchen tip for twisted rolls: Better not to twist too many times or too tightly. Only 2-3 twists at the most, are needed. Also, if the dough is too thick, they will most certainly unravel as they rise. Sometimes when they are stubborn, I press down on the whole twist with the palm of my hand to sort of “imprint” the shape.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 stickAmount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 221mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g