Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks
These Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks are proof that bacon and cheese make everything better! These breadsticks are great served as an appetizer or side dish. Enjoy!
This Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
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“Ummmm…woah. Those are really good.” Those were the first words out of my mouth when I bit into one of these warm breadsticks. There wasn’t anyone else in the kitchen at the time. Just me. Yup, I was talking to myself about breadsticks. It happens.
To be fair, these breadsticks are stuffed with cheese and bacon…and they’re brushed with garlic butter. I think that justifies talking to myself, right??
Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks
To make these Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks, I started with my recipe for Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks. Those breadsticks are absolutely delicious! I make a batch of those breadsticks a couple times a year, and every time I do I think to myself, “I should make these more often.“
Well, I decided to make those breadsticks again…but with the addition of bacon and cheese. This Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks recipe is absolute proof that cheese + bacon makes everything better. These breadsticks are so tasty that you’ll be talking to yourself, too! (You might even have a full on conversation with yourself. They’re that good.)
How to Make Cheesy Breadsticks
- Make the dough. Yes, this breadsticks recipe requires yeast. No, this breadsticks recipe isn’t scary. Seriously. You could probably use store-bought pizza dough as the base for this recipe…but it just won’t be the same. As long as you follow the ingredient amounts below, you’ll be totally fine. Once you mix everything together, just set the bowl in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
- Roll out the dough. This dough is a nice and smooth dough. It’s easy to roll. The only catch with the rolling part is you want to roll it out into a long rectangle. I don’t have a 24″ cutting board (my biggest is only 20″), so I just sprinkled some flour on the countertop and rolled the dough there.
- Add the bacon and cheese. Once the dough is in a long rectangle, add all of the bacon and cheese. If a little bit goes missing, I won’t tell anyone! Make sure the bacon and cheese is evenly spread across the dough. Tip: Press the toppings down into the dough a bit with the palm of your hand. That’ll help them stay in place when you fold the dough.
- Fold dough in half and slice. Fold the dough in half to create a smaller rectangle stuffed with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese. Then just slice the dough into 12 (1-inch wide) breadsticks. Twist the breadsticks up and lay ’em on a pan. If you lose any of the bacon and cheese, just press ’em back into the breadsticks.
- Bake breadsticks. Bake the breadsticks for ~22 minutes. Resist the urge to eat them when they first come out of the oven. It’ll be hard to do. Trust me.
What Type of Cheese?
I used Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese for these cheese-stuffed breadsticks. Seriously Sharp is seriously the best cheddar cheese I’ve ever tasted! We’re a Cabot family here, and we always keep a couple blocks of different Cabot cheeses in the fridge. Seriously Sharp is my go-to whenever I want that tangy flavor of sharp cheddar.
With that said, any of Cabot’s other cheeses would also work well in this recipe. Update: I made this recipe again a couple days later and used Cabot’s Monterey Jack cheese. Excellent! Cabot describes Monterey Jack as sharp cheddar’s mild-mannered cousin. It melts well, and it’s got a fantastic nutty flavor. Perfect for in these breadsticks!
If you’re looking to add a bit of heat to these cheesy breadsticks, then try Cabot’s Habanero Cheddar. Or perhaps a combination of ½ Seriously Sharp and ½ Habanero. I bet the spicy breadsticks would be fantastic next to a bowl of tomato soup!
What to Serve with Breadsticks
A basket of these warm breadsticks would be great next to a salad in the summer or a bowl of soup in the winter. A nice hot bowl of tomato soup and a Cheesy Bacon Breadstick sounds pretty fantastic to me! These breadsticks could also be served as a side dish alongside a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Or you could just eat them by themselves as an appetizer or a game day snack. In short, these breadsticks go with everything! Except coffee. They don’t go with coffee.
How to Store Leftover Breadsticks
Leftover breadsticks should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you’re going to store them any longer, I would recommend putting them in a freezer bag and popping ’em in the freezer. They’ll store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, just place them in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes. They’ll taste like you just made ’em! (In a pinch, you could zap the breadsticks in the microwave, but they won’t have the same texture.)
If you’re looking for a fantastic homemade breadsticks recipe that’ll have the whole family begging for more, then put these Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks on the menu. Happy Baking!
Did you bake this Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks recipe at home? Leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) and Cabot (@CabotCreamery) on Instagram – I’d love to see your version!
Cheesy Bacon Breadsticks
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2¼ tsp instant dry yeast i.e. 1 ¼-oz. packet
- 4¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp table salt
- 1¼ cups + 2 Tbsp water
For the Breadsticks
- 8 oz. bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1½ cups shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
Instructions
For the Dough
- Using the bowl of a countertop mixer, add all of the breadstick ingredients (yeast, flour, softened butter, sugar and salt); stir until well combined.
- Add water; mix on low speed until dough comes together.
- Increase speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 45 minutes. (Tip: I like to let my dough rise in the oven. Just turn on the oven light but not the actual oven. It’ll be a nice warm spot for the dough to rise.)
For the Breadsticks
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set pan aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll dough into an 8”x24” rectangle.
- Sprinkle cooked bacon and shredded cheese evenly on top of dough.
- Fold dough in half widthwise to create an 8”x12” rectangle. Press edges of dough together to seal.
- Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into (12) 1” wide strips.
- Twist strips and place on prepared sheet pan.
- Bake breadsticks for 22-24 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While breadsticks are baking, whisk together the melted butter, kosher salt, garlic powder and oregano.
- Once baked, remove breadsticks from oven and brush with garlic butter.
- Serve hot.
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Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu i never had cheesy bacon breadsticks before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
I’ve never tried tofu in place of bacon here, but I imagine it would work. Give it a try!! Thanks, Ramya! 🙂
I agree, bacon and cheese make everything better! These bread sticks look delicious!
Thanks so much, Barb! You can’t ever go wrong with bacon, cheese and freshly baked bread!!
I talk to myself all the time!! Sometimes I even catch myself doing it randomly while out and about, like, in a grocery store or something, lol. Anyway, I can totally see why you would talk to yourself after taking a bite of one of these breadsticks. I mean, breadsticks are pretty awesome as is, but add cheese and bacon? YUM!! I could totally see myself devouring a bunch of these and calling it dinner. : )
Haha – I’m glad I’m not the only one that talks to myself! 🙂 These breadsticks are amazing…you should make a batch. And if you want to talk to them, I totally recommend that, too!
Hehe, I can relate to the talking to myself! 😉 Ummm bacon and cheese breadsticks?! They look so irresistible, and my boys would totally devour them.
You should just go ahead and make a double batch of these breadsticks, Michelle! That way you have some leftovers to talk to after the boys come through the kitchen. 🙂
these look so delicious David. Such a shame i don’t eat bacon anymore cos I really want to eat these 🙂 Bacon and cheese – sigh! so good.
cheers
sherry
Well, you could leave the bacon out and just make cheesy breadsticks, Sherry. I know it’s sad to leave the bacon out, but these would still be delicious as cheese-stuffed breadsticks!!
Amazing! I love that the bread is yeasted. That makes them so much better in my opinion!
I totally agree, Mimi! There is something special about yeasted breads. 🙂
You’re back! I noticed you weren’t blogging for a bit and then I remembered you’re in North Carolina now. I do hope you and yours weathered Helene OK…
I assume so since you’re back in the kitchen and baking up a storm. (Oops.. sorry!) Anyway, it looks really tasty. Cheese and bacon, what’s not to like?
Hey Frank! Yes, indeed, Hurricane Helene knocked us offline for a bit. We’re all good here, but we were dealing with power/water/internet/cell phone outages. Robbie goes back to school on Friday, so that should help us get back into a “normal” routine.
And, yes, these cheesy bacon breadsticks were really tasty! Definitely recommend making a batch…or three. 🙂
Bread, cheese, and bacon – what can I say? There’s one huge problem with this recipe, David. These breadsticks look insanely delicious and tempting, and it would be so dangerous to have them in our house lol.
Haha – I agree with you there, Ben. These breadsticks are indeed dangerous to have in the house…but the good news is that the danger doesn’t last long as the breadsticks will disappear quite quickly! 🙂
I love that you made these breadsticks using the Cabot cheddar. This is one of my very favorite cheeses. The addition of both the cheddar and then bacon makes these breadsticks simply irresistible!
I couldn’t agree more, Heidi! Cabot cheddar is an all-time favorite in our house, and we always (and I mean always!) keep some on hand for snacking and cooking. Cheddar + bacon could be the best combination ever if you ask me!!
I can totally picture these breadsticks alongside a steaming bowl of tomato soup or even as a fun appetizer for gatherings, Yum!
That’s exactly how I picture these breadsticks, too, Raymund! We made another batch for a party with friends recently, and they disappeared so quickly.