Appetizer: Garlic Infused Herbed Dipping Oil and Homemade Breadsticks

Garlic Infused Herbed Dipping Oil:

1 cup olive oil
3 fresh sprigs of thyme
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp of fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt.

First you'll want to infuse the oil with garlic and thyme. Pour 1 cup of olive oil into a small sauce pan. Add 3 garlic cloves, and 1 sprig of thyme and heat on medium-low for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes strain the oil into a bowl and set aside to cool down to luke warm.

Once the oil has cooled down a bit pour 1/4 cup of the oil into a dipping dish. Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and red pepper flakes and mix together with a fork. Serve with french bread or homemade breadsticks.

Homemade Bread sticks:

1 cup warm water

3 tbsp butter, softened
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp Italian seasonings
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp salt

First, mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar the yeast together. Add the flour, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and butter together in a large mixing bowl. Make an indent in the center of the mixture and add the yeast mixture. Gently mix together using a fork until the liquid is absorbed.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead with your hands for about 5 minutes. The dough should be nice and elastic. Divide the dough in half. Cut each half into 8 separate pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into a 7 or 8 inch rope. Place these about 2 inches apart, onto a lightly greased baking sheet.

Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the bread sticks turn a nice golden brown.

Remove from the oven, brush with butter and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Serve with your garlic infused herb oil and your favorite marinara. 

                                                    

(I found this breadstick recipe here)