Easy Gluten-free Garlic Breadsticks
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY – Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Nut-free
I have been making these breadsticks with regular flour for as long as I can remember. Every Christmas, Easter, birthday, Sunday. It was my most requested bake for every occasion, and I could never seem to make enough!
My beloved grandad, who I knew as Ganggangs, adored these breadsticks, and in his later life, when his appetite dwindled along with his memory, these were one of the few things he’d still tuck into. He always loved my bread, and I am so proud to share this recipe with you all.
I experimented with making the breadsticks in pretty much the same way I would have with regular flour but trialled a few different ingredients to try and achieve a bread-like texture and decent rise. The tapioca starch helps with consistency, but if you don’t have any, it’s fine to eliminate. When I got the final batch out of the oven, hubby and I couldn’t believe how similar they were to my regular breadsticks. These are fantastic eaten on their own or served with a dip, and make a great starter or pre-meal nibble if you’re having a few friends over.
If you do want to make these with gluten, replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour and leave out the tapioca starch and xanthan gum.
Easy Gluten-free Garlic Breadsticks
Ingredients:
- 1 sachet of instant dried yeast
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 250ml lukewarm water
- Up to 3 cups gluten-free plain flour
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp dried rosemary
- 40g unsalted butter
- 1-2 tsp chopped garlic
- Sea salt flakes (optional)
Method:
- Using a jug, measure out 250ml lukewarm water and stir in a sachet of instant dried yeast and 1 tsp sugar (the yeast/sugar doesn’t need to dissolve or be perfectly mixed, just a quick stir is fine). Then, cover with clingfilm and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Pour some gluten-free plain flour into a bowl – you do not need to measure this; you’re looking for around 2 cups of flour initially, but it doesn’t need to be perfect. Mix in the tapioca starch, xanthan gum and salt.
- Add your yeast water to the flour blend and stir to roughly combine. You aren’t looking for a smooth dough here (it will be lumpy and wet); the less you work the mix at this stage the better! Cover with oiled clingfilm and set aside for 1 hour.
- After about an hour your dough should have risen around 50% and will have absorbed a lot of the water. Flour a surface with some more gluten-free plain flour and tip your dough mix on to it – don’t worry if it’s still a wet, sloppy mess!
- Carefully start to knead the dough just to bring it together. You have no gluten to work here, so minimal kneading is required. You should end up with a soft, slightly sticky ball of dough.
- If you would like to add the dried rosemary (which believe me is worth it), now is the time to do it. Sprinkle the rosemary on to your dough or surface in increments as you roll the dough around to incorporate as much of the rosemary as you’d like.
- Using a knife or dough cutter, portion off one small round of dough at a time and roll into a long sausage. If you want a crunchy breadstick, make these relatively thin. If you want more of a soft, pillowy breadstick, make them nice and thick.
- Place each breadstick on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper then cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200°C (180°C Fan)/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
- Remove the clingfilm and bake your breadsticks for 10 minutes then turn each one over and put back into the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until lightly golden and firm to the touch (they should sound hollow when tapped).
- While the breadsticks are still warm, melt your butter, mix with the garlic and spoon over both sides of your breadsticks. Sprinkle with a little sea salt if desired.