Freshly "Baked" Breadsticks

It's a smokin' 93 degrees outside right now, and not much cooler than that in my house. This kind of heat isn't exactly conducive to cooking, let alone turning on the oven to bake!

I wanted some breadsticks to go with our dinner, but our local bakery is closed on Saturdays. That meant it was up to me if I wanted fresh bread. I have mentioned grilled flatbreads, biscuits, etcetera before, and I figured I could probably pull off some breadsticks too. In fact, it's easy to make breadsticks over the fire when you're camping, which I learned through Girl Scouts (using packaged refrigerator biscuit dough on a roasting stick). I placed them on a pizza pan, slid onto the preheated grill, reduced the heat, and waited. A few minutes later I had lightly browned, crispy breadsticks (and only half of one got a little overdone)! This is a very quick yeast recipe, and can be on the table less than 1 1/2 hours after starting! Let the dough rise while you prepare the rest of the meal, then throw it on the grill while the meat rests.

Grilled Garlicky Breadsticks
I like to make garlic scape butter and keep it in small chunks in the freezer, which is what I used for these. It gives the dough some lovely green specks and awesome bright flavor. Puree the scapes in a food processor, stir in some softened butter, then chill until needed. Use 3 tbsp, melted, in place of the garlic and oil (or butter).

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour*
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup very warm water
1 tsp honey or sugar
2 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
1-2 garlic scapes, minced, or 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

Combine the yeast, water, and sugar (or honey) in a glass measuring cup. Stir to combine, then let sit for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Meanwhile, measure out the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter or oil and add the garlic. Pour in the activated yeast mixture. Stir, mix, and knead by hand or by machine until you have a dough that's soft and smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes.

Lightly grease an uninsulated cookie sheet (I use a perforated pizza pan). Divide the dough into 8 or 10 balls and roll into snakes (keep in mind they'll double in thickness). Place on the sheet. Rise 15-20 minutes.

While the dough is on its final rise, preheat the BBQ to high. Slide the pan onto the grill, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Grill about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Breadsticks will be crispy. If you like a more satiny crust, brush with a little melted butter. Cool on a wire rack.

*We are so used to whole wheat flour that I now use a higher ratio. If you're as hardcore as we are, this recipe will work beautifully with 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose.