A Little Italian Seasoning Can Go A Long Way When Baking Breadsticks

A jar of Italian seasoning is a surefire way to add an herby essence and layers of flavor to many recipes, particularly Italian-American fare like pasta and chicken parmigiana. If you don't already know what's really in Italian seasoning, it's usually a blend of dried herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, but obviously, there are slight variations. You might sprinkle it into your Sunday sauce or onto various Italian dishes, but it's also an effortless way to upgrade your homemade breadsticks with herby flavor.

Many dried herbs can offer stronger flavors than fresh herbs, so it will not take much Italian seasoning to spruce up homemade baked breadsticks. It's exactly how Tasting Table recipe developer Alexander Roberts achieves next-level flavor in our easy garlic and herb breadsticks. In the recipe, Roberts uses just 1½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning combined with kosher salt, freshly chopped parsley, and minced garlic cloves that are mixed into the dough, which is enough to make 10 breadsticks. Use your favorite brand of Italian seasoning to make it happen or create a homemade batch with the dried herbs in your spice cabinet.

If you want to follow our method, make the dough from scratch with warm water, yeast, olive oil, and sugar, then incorporate the Italian seasoning straight into the dough with the other ingredients. But, that's not the only way to infuse Italian seasoning into homemade breadsticks. For a double dose of the dried herbs, use up to 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning in the dough, then garnish with olive oil and another tablespoon of seasoning.

Making dough from scratch to use with Italian seasoning takes a bit of effort, so to save yourself some time in the kitchen, you can use store-bought dough instead. You can still follow our recipe (or another one) and skip the steps for making the dough from scratch. To amp up the flavors even more, use a bulb of roasted garlic for more umami or add freshly grated parmesan to the dough or on top of your freshly-baked breadsticks. To serve, pair with marinara for dipping, maybe with our quick tomato sauce recipe

Now, if you need more ways to use the dried herb blend, we've rounded up some of the best ways to use Italian seasoning other than these homemade breadsticks.