Parmesan Bread Sticks

Restaurant-style breadsticks without making yeast dough from scratch. A pound of frozen bread dough is the shortcut hero here, doing all the heavy work while you focus on the flavorful coating: grated Parmesan, garlic powder, and egg white to glue it all to the dough.

The egg white dip is the smart trick. Plain dough has nothing to grab onto, so the cheese rolls right off. Egg white acts as a thin glue, holding the cheesy garlic coating on the surface where it can crisp and brown in the oven.

Twisting each rope before baking is the bakery move that turns a plain breadstick into something restaurant-pretty. Those twists create ridges and grooves that catch the cheese coating and crisp into golden spirals. Two simple turns of each rope and you’ve upgraded the visual appeal dramatically.

A hot 450°F (230°C) oven is key for that crisp shatter-crust without drying out the interior. 12 minutes is the sweet spot. Pull when the cheese is golden and the sticks sound hollow when tapped.

Pro Tips

• Thaw the dough completely before working with it. Cold dough fights you when shaping.
• Roll on a lightly floured surface, not heavily floured. Too much flour makes the ropes slip and resist twisting.
• Two pans spaced apart in the oven. Crowded sheets steam instead of crisping.
• Serve immediately. Breadsticks lose their crisp within an hour.

Variations

• Swap garlic powder for Italian seasoning, herbes de Provence, or za’atar.
• Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning instead of Parmesan.
• Brush with melted butter immediately out of the oven for richer flavor.