Italian Herb & Cheese Sourdough Breadsticks

Soft sourdough breadsticks baked with dried Italian herbs, Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses. The perfect breadstick recipe to pair with lasagna, spaghetti, or your favorite Italian dish!

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I love getting creative and finding new ways to bake with sourdough – and breadsticks are no exception. They’re a fun way to incorporate sourdough into your normal dinner routine, and pretty dang easy to make. These Italian Herb and Cheese Sourdough Breadsticks are delicious as a side to any Italian meal.

Olive oil gives the breadsticks a little Italian flair, while honey adds a soft texture to the dough. Dried Italian herbs, freshly shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses make this recipe one of a kind.

This recipe is also a same-day sourdough recipe – meaning that it can be made, start to finish, all in one day. The dough can also be refrigerated after the bulk rise phase, making it a versatile recipe that can fit into almost any schedule.

Find more sourdough recipes at Quail Creek Homestead:

• Easy Sourdough Drop Biscuits
• Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Sourdough Slider Buns
• Cheesy Garlic Sourdough French Bread
• Buttermilk Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• 70% Hydration Sourdough Boule

Tools to Make Italian Herb & Cheese Sourdough Breadsticks

Large mixing bowl

Kitchen scale

Cheese grater

Baking sheet

Ingredients to Make Italian Herb & Cheese Sourdough Breadsticks

Non-chlorinated water

Active sourdough leaven or starter

Olive oil

Honey

Bread flour

All purpose flour

Salt

Italian herb seasoning blend – I get mine from Thrive Market, you can also use homemade

Mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded

Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded

Active Sourdough Starter Versus Leaven

If you’re new to sourdough, you may be wondering what the difference is between active sourdough starter and leaven. Put simply, leaven is a separate sourdough starter made specifically for a recipe.

When keeping a sourdough starter, you can either keep a large starter or a small starter. There are slight differences in the way they’re fed and used.

A large starter is kept in one large jar or crock; to feed it, you would remove half of the starter and replace it with the same amount of fresh flour and water. Once active and bubbly, a large starter is used directly in recipes.

The benefits of this method are it can be more simple keeping one jar, and there’s less planning ahead since you have a large enough starter to use in recipes. However, if you plan on mixing three recipes in one day, it can get overwhelming trying to make sure you have enough starter all in one container.

On the other hand, a small starter is always transferring to a new jar. The way to feed a small starter is to mix equal parts flour and water in a small amount in a clean jar, then add 10% of that total weight in starter. This becomes your active starter, and the rest of the old starter is considered discard. When making a recipe, a separate leaven is prepared ahead of time in the amount specified in the recipe.

I prefer this method because my starter tends to stay more strong and active since it is constantly fed a larger ratio of flour and water, and you don’t have to worry about using all your starter in recipes since you’re always making a separate leaven. Another benefit, if you’re a clean freak like me, is constantly changing out jars prevents a crust building up on the sides of the jar.

However, there are pros and cons to each method, so I encourage you to try both out and see what works best for you.

Making a Leaven for This Recipe

This recipe calls for 200 grams of active leaven, so here’s how to make it.

In a clean jar, mix the following ingredients well. Cover with a breathable lid and place in a warm spot to rise until active and bubbly.

• 95 grams non-chlorinated water
• 95 grams flour (you can use either bread flour or all purpose for this leaven)
• 19 grams sourdough starter (active, not discard)

This will make 209 grams total, but a few grams will stick to the sides of the jar so it’s nice to have a little more than you need.

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk water and leaven together. Add olive oil and honey and whisk well.

Measure bread flour and all purpose flour into bowl and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes (autolyse).

Add salt to the dough along with 12 grams of water. Use a wet hand to mix in well until a cohesive dough forms. Cover and let rest another 20 minutes or so.

Perform 4 rounds of stretch and folds over the next hour, about 15 minutes apart. On the second round of stretch and folds, add Italian seasoning and shredded cheeses.

Stretch and fold as you normally would – don’t worry about mixing in the herbs and cheese too much. They will incorporate well over the next two sets of stretch and folds.

Bulk rise phase: cover the dough and let rise until nearly doubled.

Turn dough out onto a clean surface and divide into 12 equal portions. Shape each breadstick by stretching out and rolling up, pinching the seams.

Place breadsticks on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, then cover the breadsticks and let rise for a half hour to an hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the breadsticks for 12-15 minutes. Serve warm.