Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks Recipe

Pizza may reign supreme at Pizza Hut, but if your family was the type to enjoy a little extra side of cheesy carbs with their cheesy carbs, then perhaps breadsticks also made their way into your go-to order. Indeed, Pizza Hut has some undeniably tasty breadsticks, with a warm, buttery bread base and plenty of garlic and Parmesan cheese piled on top. If the thought of Pizza Hut breadsticks has conjured up some sweet nostalgia, we've got good news — you don't need to make your way to the nearest Pizza Hut, you can just follow this copycat breadsticks recipe by developer Patterson Watkins instead.

If you're anything like Watkins, these breadsticks will bring up the fondest memories of childhood, and they might just help you make some fond adulthood memories, too. "Aside from a medium pan pizza, extra cheese, mushrooms, and pepperoni, my go-to order always (forever and ever, amen) includes breadsticks," Watkins tells us. "These things are culinary magic; fluffy interior, crispy exterior, salty-herby topping, perfectly-acceptably greasy, and dippable for days." Yes, making these breadsticks from scratch instead of ordering from Pizza Hut will take a little bit of love and patience, but the fresh, buttery, garlicky, perfectly-baked results will be well worth the effort (and the trip down memory lane). 

There are essentially two components to this recipe — the breadsticks themselves and the seasoning on top — so you'll need to gather ingredients accordingly. For the breadsticks, you'll need dry powdered milk, dry active yeast, granulated sugar, warm water, all-purpose flour, salt, melted butter, and olive oil. 

The seasoning blend that goes on top of the breadsticks consists of grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt. When it comes time to serve the fresh breadsticks, it'd be a good idea to have pizza sauce or marinara on hand for optimal dipping and dunking.

Add powdered milk, yeast, and sugar to the warm water, stir to combine.

Set the liquid mix aside for 5 minutes, allowing the yeast to activate (get all bubbly)

Place flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stir to combine.

Make a shallow well in the center of the flour and add the melted butter, olive oil, and yeast mixture.

Stir on low until a sticky dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 1 hour (preferably in a warm spot).

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish with oil.

Once risen, transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Use your hands to press the dough toward the edges and corners.

Brush the top of the dough with oil.

Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and set aside to rest and rise for 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can place the baking dish in the refrigerator overnight. Just let the dough come to room temperature before proceeding.)

Meanwhile, place parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, and salt in a medium bowl, stir to combine, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 475 F.

Once the dough has rested, use a pizza cutter or bench knife to portion the dough into 10 long sticks (about 1 inch wide).

Brush the dough with a little more oil and place it in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Remove the breadsticks from the oven, sprinkle them with the seasoning, and then return them to the oven and bake them for 2 minutes, just long enough to set the seasoning.

Remove the breadsticks from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack till they're cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.

Serve the breadsticks with pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

If you like your breadsticks cheesy (or cheesier, considering that there is Parmesan cheese already in the mix), then you'll be delighted to learn that you can easily transform these copycat sticks into cheesy bread. It all starts with adding 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese to the seasoning blend. "When you get to step 16, sprinkle the top of your breadsticks with your, now, super cheesy seasoning/topping," Patterson advises. "Return to the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes (about 6-ish minutes longer than the original recipe) or until the cheese has thoroughly melted and has begun to brown in spots."

While adding extra cheese doesn't make this recipe much more complicated, it does call for an extended cooling time — as in, you can't dive right into your cheesy bread without running the risk of hot, cheesy oil burning your mouth. As Watkins advises, "Just be careful as the added cheese will make these breadsticks much hotter to handle," and as such, she recommends using a knife or spatula to fully separate the sticks before serving them. 

This recipe calls for dunking your copycat Pizza Hut breadsticks right into classic red pizza sauce — a foolproof option, especially since you can use either store-bought or homemade pizza sauce depending on preference. "The pizza sauce is a classic, but so is melted butter and garlic," Watkins says, noting that you can simply microwave butter with a teaspoon or two of fresh, minced garlic to make said magic happen. And who says you have to stick with red pizza sauce? White sauce can be equally delicious, adding a hint of creaminess instead of the acidity that red sauce brings — something like this roasted garlic white pizza sauce would be delicious for dunking. 

Luckily, the dipping fun doesn't stop there. "I am a fan of ranch dressing or spicy ranch as well, store-bought is just fine," Watkins says, adding, "You could even get Mediterranean with it and dip your sticks in seasoned olive oil (magic with a little drizzle of aged balsamic)." She notes that she likes to season her olive oil with crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, though she does encourage experimenting to find that perfect dip pairing. 

Before the dough in this recipe transforms into breadstick goodness, it is just that — a plain dough that is a canvas to be experimented upon. Since breadstick dough and pizza dough are incredibly similar, it only makes sense that you could use the dough in this recipe to try to duplicate a Pizza Hut pizza instead. "This dough will make for a wonderful pan pizza," Watkins notes, adding that you can easily double the recipe so you can make both breadsticks and pizza in one go. 

Fortunately, the process of turning this dough into a pizza is a remarkably similar process to making breadsticks. "You can proof (let the dough rise) in a large cast iron skillet or high-sided pizza pan, top (I would recommend mushrooms, pepperoni, and extra cheese), and bake following the same steps laid out in the breadstick recipe, just without the need for cutting or sprinkling with seasoning," Watkins explains. She does note that your pan pizza may need to bake about 5 minutes longer than the breadsticks, so if you do go the pizza route, keep an eye on your creation to ensure that the crust becomes golden brown and your toppings get perfectly cooked and melty.