This is one of the easier restaurant recipes to make.  So easy, it’s something you could probably do several times a week, regardless of what you’re serving.

I was previously using a recipe which included rye flour and molasses but I wasn’t ever 100% happy with the results.  I’ve modified this now and I think you’ll agree, it tastes much more authentic and it’s actually very easy to make.

This is easiest when it’s done with a bread machine, which is what I’ve shown, however, you can make this by hand with a simple mixer and a dough attachment. This goes very well with the Outback Steakhouse Potato Soup and the Outback Steakhouse Chopped Blue Cheese Salad.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups wheat flower
• 2 cups bread flower
• 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tbsp sugar (granulated)
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp carmel coloring
• 3 tbsp cornmeal

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. It’s very important you place the ingredients into you bread machine in the following order: Water, butter, honey, bread flour, wheat flour, cocoa, sugar, coffee, salt, yeast and carmel coloring.  This will keep the yeast from activating with the warm water until after it’s begun mixing.
3. Run your bread machine on the “dough” setting until complete.  Your dough may look a bit more moist than you’d expect.  You can slowly mix in additional flour, in 50/50 portions, if needed.
4. Place the dough in a glass bowl covered with a towel and let rise in a warm dry area for about an hour.
5. Separate the dough into two equal parts and roll out into oval loaves.
6. Place on a baking sheet and dust with cornmeal.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the crust makes hollow sound when tapped.
8. This bread is supposed to freeze very well.

There appears to be a bit of a controversy about the inclusion of oregano in the recipe. Many have said true Olive Garden™ bread sticks don’t have any oregano. Keep this in mind when you make these up for your family. Crumble up the oregano very fine and don’t over do it on each stick. If you want to see if you can tell the difference, just skip the oregano on a couple of the bread sticks. After all, it’s your taste buds you’re looking to satisfy.

Recipe:

• 1 Loaf frozen bread dough, thawed and brought to room tempurature
• Pam vegetable spray
• Garlic Powder to taste
• Dried oregano leaf, rubbed to a fine powder

Once the dough has been resting at room tempurature, spray a small amount of Pam on your finger tips and begin to knead the dough but don’t over do it.

Take the dough and roll out small little cigar shaped sticks. You should be able to get 8 to 10 sticks from each frozen package of dough.

Spray a cookie sheet with a light coating of Pam vegetable spray.

Lay the bread sticks out on the cookie sheet approximately 3 inches apart.

Let the dough rise in a nice warm area until they’ve doubled in size. This should take between 1 1/2 and 2 hours.

Lightly spray the tops of each loaf with more Pam vegetable spray and sprinkle with some garlic powder and the fine oregano powder.

Bake at 375 degree for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool on the sheets or a cooling rack and serve warm.

These can save in the refrigerator and be heated again in the microwave, so don’t be afraid to double the batch.

Recipe:

• 2 cups Bisquick or Pioneer
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix the bisquick or Pioneer mix with the cheese until evenly distributed.
• Slowly add the milk and gently mix.
• Spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes
• Immediately brush on the melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder