Sometimes my dreamy recipes are a total disaster. I once made a strawberry cake 5 times before I decided that my dream was a nightmare (true story!) But these breadsticks… were a very good idea indeed.
Remember when I was sharing my dilemma in choosing a mixer color a few weeks back? Well, I finally decided on PERSIMMON. It’s a bright orange- perfect for fall. Perfect for helping me with yeasted bread recipes where that dough hook can do all of the heavy work for me. I also brought out my Gold Medal Better for Bread flour for this recipe. I like to use bread flour for bread sticks since it gives them more of a chewy texture.
Those people back in the old days who made bread… who gave it their all with their arms and their shoulders and their hands and kneaded it to perfection? Yeah, I’m not sure I could have handled that. If you ever have the opportunity to get a stand mixer with a dough hook, it’s wonderful… it does all of the work for you. You can certainly make this recipe without one- but you’ll need to give it your all and knead it by hand.
I chopped up some dried cranberries to add to my bread sticks (because that’s what my dream told me to do).
To form the bread sticks, you just break off little chunks of the bread dough and roll them into logs that are twice as long as your fingers. Then you’ll cover them and let them rise in a warm place. My laundry-room-in-action is the perfect place for warm rising. You probably have somewhere in your house that gets warm like that, right?
After rising (they won’t puff up too terribly much), the sticks get brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with Kosher salt.
They bake up to be a golden brown. I dare you to taste one right here and there. Be careful, you won’t be able to eat just one!
I was very pleased with how my dreamy Pumpkin- Cranberry Breadsticks turned out. They’re tender and chewy… soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. They’re perfect with Turkey-Pumpkin Chili… or soups or salads. The recipe makes about 32- which is WAY TOO MUCH for my small family, so I wrapped the excess in foil and stuck them in the freezer for future needs. They’ll defrost easily and warm up nicely (see the recipe for details). Enjoy! Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with Gold Medal Flour, a product I’ve used and trusted in my kitchen for many years. All opinions shared are my own.
