Soft and Cheesy Sourdough Breadsticks with Poppy Seeds (Gluten-Free)

Having a sourdough starter is like a gift that keeps on giving. Possibilities are endless, and whenever I think I run out of ideas of how to use my gluten-free and lectin-free sourdough starter, some new idea comes my way, and you bet a delicious new sourdough recipe is born.

These soft, gluten-free sourdough breadsticks with Parmigiano and poppy seeds are fun to make and so perfect for serving with your favorite soups and salads or just dipping into extra virgin olive oil.

And if you have guests and want to wow them, put some of these cheesy breadsticks on the table. No one will ever notice they are gluten-free and lectin-free.

The sourdough starter

Before we get into the recipe, you need to know you must have a sourdough starter to make this recipe.

While you might be able to adapt it to your own starter and mix of flours, this recipe is made with my gluten-free and lectin-free sourdough starter, made with a mix of teff, sorghum, and millet flour.

One of the reasons I love to make these breadsticks is that I can eat them just 15 minutes after baking, which is not the case with a full-size boule, which needs to rest at least 5 hours after it’s out of the oven.

Timeline

You will make your preferment the night before baking, when you feed your starter.

In the morning, you will make the dough, which needs to rest for one hour. Then you will shape the breadsticks and let them rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.

Bake, and voila, in 15 minutes, you have delicious cheesy breadsticks, which are ready to serve.

Ingredients for soft and cheesy sourdough breadsticks

For those familiar with my sourdough method and my sorghum and millet bread recipe, this recipe is using the same ingredients but in different proportions. Please read the recipe carefully before you start.

The extra ingredients you need are Parmigiano Reggiano and poppy seeds. Please use authentic Parmigiano from Italy, as it is the only one made with casein A2 milk. Read this post if you want more information about the difference between what generically is called parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano.

If you can’t have cow’s cheese, you can use Manchengo (goat) or Pecorino Romano (sheep).

If you can’t have any cheese at all, you can use some nutritional yeast for the cheese taste. Or add different toppings like rosemary and garlic.

What do you need to make soft and cheesy sourdough breadsticks:

FOR THE PREFERMENT:
20 grams active starter
35 grams millet flour
35 grams sorghum flour
60 grams filtered water

THE WET MIX:
9 grams psyllium husk flakes
7 grams honey
20 grams of extra virgin olive oil
200 grams of filtered water
150 grams millet and sorghum preferment (double preferment)

THE DRY MIX:
57 grams millet flour
58 grams sorghum flour
35 grams tapioca starch
5 grams salt

TOPPINGS:
50 grams grated Parmigiano Regiano (about 2/3 cup)
10 grams poppy seeds (about one tablespoon)

How to make soft and cheesy sourdough breadsticks

• Make the preferment the night before baking (mix all the ingredients).
• The next morning, prepare the wet mix and let it rest for about 5 minutes or until it becomes a gel.
• Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients.
• When the wet ingredients have become a gel, add the preferment to the gel. Mix well, then add the wet mix to the dry ingredients.
• Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, then continue with your hands until you get a homogenous dough (it will be wetter and stickier than the bread dough). Fold a few times with a plastic or silicon spatula, and form a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Prepare a full-size baking sheet and line it with parchment paper; prepare the cheese and the poppy seeds.
• Invert the dough in the middle of the parchment paper, and using wet fingers, gently spread the dough out until you get a rectangle of about 20cm x 25cm (8 inches x 9.8 inches).
• Sprinkle the cheese and the poppy seeds evenly over the dough, and pat lightly, so the cheese and the poppy seeds adhere to the dough.
• Use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut the dough into strips about 1 cm wide (less than 1/2 inch). Separate the strips with the help of a knife or spatula, and gently stretch each strip to the length of the pan. Cover the baking tray with plastic foil, and let it rest at room temperature between 2 and 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 210C on fan or 230C bottom and top heat (410F / 450F).
• Bake for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on them, so they don’t burn, in case you have an oven that runs hot. The cheese on top will be golden brown, and the sticks will still have a soft texture.
• Take them out on a cooling rack. Serve after 10-15 minutes. What you don’t eat the same day, freeze and reheat in the oven before eating.

More lectin-free and gluten-free sourdough recipes:

• Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia (Lectin-Free)

• Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread Recipe With Sorghum and Millet (Lectin-Free)

• Rustic Sourdough Rolls With Teff, Millet, and Sorghum (Lectin-Free)

• Sourdough Flatbread with Sorghum Flour (Gluten-Free)

• Sourdough Pizza Crust with Millet and Sorghum (Gluten-Free, Lectin-Free)

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Print Recipe

Soft and Cheesy Sourdough Breadsticks (Gluten-Free)

(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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By Claudia Curici – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 40 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes

These soft, gluten-free sourdough breadsticks with Parmigiano and poppy seeds are fun to make and so perfect for serving with your favorite soups and salads or just dipping into extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients

• FOR THE PREFERMENT:
• 20 grams active starter
• 35 grams millet flour
• 35 grams sorghum flour
• 60 grams filtered water
• THE WET MIX:
• 9 grams psyllium husk flakes
• 7 grams honey
• 20 grams of extra virgin olive oil
• 200 grams of filtered water
• 150 grams millet and sorghum preferment (double preferment)
• THE DRY MIX:
• 57 grams millet flour
• 58 grams sorghum flour
• 35 grams tapioca starch
• 5 grams salt
• TOPPINGS:
• 50 grams grated Parmigiano Regiano (about 2/3 cup)
• 10 grams poppy seeds (about one tablespoon)

Instructions

1

Make the preferment the night before baking (mix all the ingredients).

2

MAKE THE DOUGH (next morning):

3

Make the wet mix and let rest for about 5 minutes or until it becomes a gel.

4

Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients.

5

When the wet ingredients have become a gel, add the preferment to the gel. Mix well, then add the wet mix to the dry ingredients.

6

Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, then continue with your hands until you get a homogenous dough (it will be wetter and stickier than the bread dough). Fold a few times with a plastic or silicon spatula, and form a ball. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

7

Prepare a full-size baking sheet and line it with parchment paper; prepare the cheese and the poppy seeds.

8

Invert the dough in the middle of the parchment paper, and using wet fingers, gently spread the dough out until you get a rectangle of about 20cm x 25cm (8 inches x 9.8 inches).

9

Sprinkle the cheese and the poppy seeds evenly over the dough, and pat lightly, so the cheese and the poppy seeds adhere to the dough.

10

Use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut the dough into strips about 1 cm wide (less than 1/2 inch). Separate the strips with the help of a knife or spatula, and gently stretch each strip to the length of the pan. Cover the baking tray with plastic foil, and let it rest at room temperature between 2 and 3 hours.

11

Preheat the oven to 210C on fan or 230C bottom and top heat (410F / 450F).

12

Bake for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on them, so they don't burn, in case you have an oven that runs hot. The cheese on top will be golden brown, and the sticks will still have a soft texture.

13

Take them out on a cooling rack. Serve after 10-15 minutes. What you don't eat the same day, freeze and reheat in the oven before eating.

Notes

For a dairy-free and vegan version, use vegan cheese or nutritional yeast and skip the honey.