Sourdough Breadsticks (Olive Garden Copycat)

Build the Levain:
In a clean jar, mix the sourdough starter, bread flour, and water.
Cover and set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until it is at least doubled and bubbly.
Alternatively, skip this step and mix 90g of active sourdough starter into your dough.
30 grams Sourdough Starter, 30 grams Bread Flour, 30 grams Water
Mix the Dough:
Once the levain has doubled in size, pour all of the dough ingredients except the melted butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the bread hook attachment.
Mix on low speed for a few minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough is rough and shaggy.
Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough becomes more cohesive and slowly pour in the melted butter.
Continue mixing on medium speed for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and easily falls off the dough hook. If it's still very sticky, add a TBS of flour during mixing at a time.
390 grams Bread Flour, 25 grams Granulated Sugar, 9 grams Kosher Salt, 246 Warm Water, 43 grams Unsalted Butter
Bulk Fermentation:
Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover, and place it in a warm location for bulk fermentation. At 78ºF, bulk fermentation takes about 6 hours (longer if cooler).
Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough is doubled, domed in the bowl, and smooth.
Overnight Proof:
Cover the bowl and place it into a refrigerator to proof overnight and up to 48 hours.
Divide and Shape:
The next day, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Punch down the cold dough and weigh it. Then, divide the total weight by 12 so you'll have equal-sized rolls. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces (about 60-65 grams each).
On a lightly floured surface, press one piece of dough into a flat oval. Roll up into a short log. Then, using lightly floured hands, use the palms of your hands and the surface tension of the surface to roll out the dough into long 8-9 inch logs with rounded ends. Try to keep them even so they bake straight.
Repeat with the remaining rolls and space six on each lined baking sheet.
Final Proof:
Cover and place in a warm location for the final proof.
At 78ºF, the final proof takes about 3-4 hours. The breadsticks are finished proofing when they've almost doubled in size and poofy. If you poke them with a floured finger, they should leave a slight indentation and feel full of air.
Bake:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
Bake the rolls for 20-23 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Finally, brush with melted butter on top and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt before serving warm.
28 grams Unsalted Butter, ½ tsp Garlic Powder, ½ tsp Kosher Salt, Fresh or dried parsley or herbs

Sourdough Breadsticks (Olive Garden Copycat)

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain

Sourdough Breadsticks

Garlic Butter Topping

Instructions

Notes