These homemade breadsticks are labeled by my family as "Better Than Pizza Hut Breadsticks". We love Pizza Hut breadsticks, but this easy copycat recipe steps it up a notch and is ALWAYS fresh out of the oven!
Pizza Hut Breadsticks were a Friday night staple in my home for quite a few months in a row. That buttery garlic Parmesan topping is irresistible! We still order them on pizza night every once in a while, but I do love a homemade breadstick recipe -- especially an easy one like this. Because these delicious breadsticks are always hot and fresh out of the oven, we think they are even better than Pizza Hut! You can even dip them in our simple tomato sauce.
Pizza Hut Breadsticks Recipe
My copycat recipe for Pizza Hut breadsticks uses a simple yeast dough and bakes in TWO buttery 9x13-inch pans. We typically eat one of the pans and then freeze the leftover breadsticks for the next time we have pizza night. We've been using this recipe for years.
Pizza Hut Breadsticks Ingredients
(full printable recipe at end of post)
For this recipe, you need simple ingredients for the dough and then a mixture of seasonings for the topping.
Here's What You Need:
- Warm water -- The water temperature should be between 110°F to 115°F. Warm enough to dissolve the yeast, but not too hot to kill it.
- Sugar -- Only a little to help give the yeast a good start.
- Olive oil -- For flavor and texture.
- Salt -- For flavor.
- Flour -- Just regular, all-purpose flour.
- Butter -- For the crispy buttery edges.
- Seasonings -- For the delicious topping. (Parmesan cheese, garlic, onion, oregano, basil.)
How to Make Pizza Hut Breadsticks From Scratch
When I first started making these Parmesan breadsticks years ago, I didn't do one essential step -- butter the pan. They turned out fine, but they were lacking that crispy buttery outer edge that I love with Pizza Hut breadsticks. Although that breadstick recipe was good, I revised it here to make it even better and more like a Pizza Hut copycat.
Equipment
For this recipe, you need two 9x13-inch baking dishes, unless you plan to use half the dough for making a pizza. Then, just grab one baking dish. You also need a large mixing bowl, a mixer with a dough hook, pastry brush and sharp knife.
Instructions
Scroll to the end of this post for a full detailed recipe card. The general steps are as follows:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the olive oil and salt.
- Gradually add the flour until a dough forms.
- Knead with mixer until tacky, about 5 minutes.
- Divide dough in half and press into buttered pans.
- Brush with butter, cover, and let rise.
- Score with knife and bake 10 minutes.
- Brush with butter and sprinkle topping.
Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks - Double Order!
This breadstick recipe yields a large amount of breadsticks as the dough is baked into TWO 9x13-inch pans. This is perfect for us as we always get the double order of breadsticks at Pizza Hut from their $5 menu. With this homemade recipe, you get quadruple of Pizza Hut breadsticks!
We typically eat one pan and then freeze the leftover breadsticks in a freezer bag for our next pizza night. They reheat really well in the oven at 350°F for just 5 to 10 minutes. We can take out however many we want from the bag and bake it straight from the freezer.
Pizza Hut Breadstick Seasoning
The Parmesan seasoning on these breadsticks is so good! It makes a bunch, so you can use as much or as little as you want. It's just a simple mixture of Parmesan cheese with dried spices and herbs. You can choose to add it to the breadsticks before or after baking. We typically add it after.
Marinara Sauce
Serve with marinara dipping sauce. These stand alone GREAT on their own, packed FULL of flavor! But, I do love dipping breadsticks into marinara sauce. For convenience, grab your favorite store-bought pizza sauce.
Or, try our simple homemade tomato sauce for dipping these breadsticks.
Tips for Homemade Breadsticks
Add flour until dough is tacky. You want the dough to be tacky, not sticky. It needs to be easy enough to handle. Gradually add more flour while kneading in order to achieve the right level of tacky.
Use a metal baking dish for best results. I have made these in my Pyrex baking dish, my ceramic baking dish and my metal baking dish. They all turned out great, but my favorite results are in the metal baking dish with more even baking, a crispier edge and golden brown color.
Do not over bake. I tend to bake these right at 10 minutes, but if you like a drier and crispier breadstick then go to the 12 minute mark. Oven temperatures vary so you may need more or less time, just watch them.
Use half the dough for pizza. If you do not want two pans of breadsticks, use the other half of dough to make pizza! Simply skip the steps to butter a second pan and instead roll the dough out onto a pizza pan and top with desired toppings. Bake for around the same amount of time, depending on how thin you rolled your dough. Make sure to bake your pizza in the lower rack of your oven.
Other Favorite Pizza Night Recipes
- Thai Chicken Pizza
- Pizza Bites
- Cheesy BLT Pizza
- Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza
- Fruity Brownie Dessert Pizza
Eat It, Rate It, Share It!
Made it and liked it? Leave a star rating, take a photo and tag me on social media @seededtable so I can share it!
This article was originally published February 2020 and updated with a new video in July 2022 with no changes to the recipe.
Better Than Pizza Hut Breadsticks
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ oz. packet instant yeast (about 2 ¼ teaspoon)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour , more or less as needed
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided and melted
Breadstick Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Let rest 2 minutes. Stir in the olive oil and salt.
- Using the dough hook, gradually stir in 3 cups of the flour, until a dough forms. Increase speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes, adding more flour ¼ cup at a time until dough is tacky.
- Spread 4 tablespoons of melted butter in each bottom of two 9x13-inch baking dishes; set aside.
- Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a rough 9x13-inch rectangle and transfer to the buttered baking dishes. Press to fit into corners of the pans. Brush with 1 more tablespoon of melted butter each. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Combine breadsticks seasoning ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Remove plastic wrap. Score each pan of dough into 10 equal breadsticks. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are golden.
- Remove from oven. Brush each pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon each of melted butter and sprinkle with breadsticks seasoning. Let rest 5 minutes then transfer to cutting board. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in a container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Or, freezer in a zipper bag for up to 1 month.
- Reheat in 350°F oven until heated through and reaches desired crispiness.
- Nutritional values are an estimate only, based on 1 breadstick per serving.
