Little Caesars’ Crazy Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks
Today we are making Little Caesars’ Crazy Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks! This copycat recipe takes inspiration from – you can probably already guess it – Little Caesars. I didn’t know that this was even a popular pizza chain when I ate there for many years as a child, thinking their amazing crazy breadsticks were only all so popular for my small town.
I remember one of the first times I ate this fluffy breadstick, my family used to go to Blockbuster (remember those?!) every Friday night. We would get a pizza and (occasionally) the bread, and we would have a fun little pizza night. On top of that, my school would hold pizza lunches where you could pay in advance and get pizza and breadsticks. Knowing it would be coming for lunch (so you’d be eagerly anticipating it) and getting your lunch handed out that day was just the best!
Now I know that in fact, everyone was experiencing the bliss of eating their famous crazy bread, this makes it a popular recipe to try at home. Especially because the store bought version isn’t vegan. It’s been many years since I’ve had them, but I vividly remember the taste! These light and pillowy breadsticks are coated in this garlic-butter mixture on top of the dough. It’s rolled in a parmesan topping (literally the best part) and are just crazy addictive – no wonder it’s called crazy bread!
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Little Caesars Crazy Bread
Just as Good Vegan Option: If you think that vegan crazy bread sticks can’t be as good as the original, think again! With a homemade bread base, vegan parmesan using cashews and a garlic-butter topping using vegan butter, you’ll have to agree when you get a taste. The original crazy bread recipe uses dairy in the parmesan and the butter.
However, there are so many great vegan options for food substitutes that finding a vegan butter that tastes like dairy butter isn’t as big of an issue as it was a decade ago. Additionally, we make our own vegan parmesan cheese topping with simple ingredients like spices and raw cashews. So none of the dairy but all of the deliciousness!
Great Side Dish: Who doesn’t like a side of warm breadsticks? As far as I can remember, Olive Garden’s starter never-ending buttered breadsticks are all the rage! So you already know that placing a bowl of Little Caesar’s crazy bread is going to need seconds, if not thirds.
What’s even more impressive is that you can boast that these were all made from homemade dough, which will be sure to wow your guests! This is also an easy recipe if you’re short on time. You don’t have to let the dough rise overnight, which is how you’d normally make light and fluffy types of bread.
Substitutions
Xylitol: This is a more natural alternative to white sugar. You can also use white sugar, or try monkfruit sweetener.
Dry Yeast: This is active dry yeast, which will help the bread to rise. Do not substitute. This is not the same as instant yeast, but you may be able to use it a substitute. (I haven’t tried though). Active dry yeast needs rehydration, where you dissolve it in water and then rehydrate it. On the other hand, instant yeast mixes directly into the dry ingredients.
All Purpose Flour: I do not recommend using any gluten-free flour here. It does not rise the same as regular flour. Whole wheat flour is also too dense, so I recommend sticking with all-purpose flour.
Cashews: Use raw almonds or pine nuts instead of cashews. Make sure to use raw cashews or raw substitutes, that are not roasted or salted.
Nutritional Yeast: Otherwise known as “nooch,” this yellow powder is full of B vitamins and tastes somewhat cheesy. It’s one of the most popular vegan alternatives (and my favorite way) to get a cheesy flavor in recipes. You can find this in health food stores or in the natural aisle of grocery stores.
Little Caesars’ Crazy Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks Recipe Notes
- These breadsticks are best eaten fresh, not stored.
- I didn’t want to make homemade marinara, so I bought a glass jar of Tomato Basil pizza sauce as dipping sauce with this recipe. It tasted amazing!
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If you make these Little Caesars’ Crazy Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Little Caesars’ Crazy Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks
Equipment
- Oven Tray
- Pastry Brush
- Spice Grinder
Ingredients
For the Breadsticks
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp xylitol
- 2½ tsp active dry yeast one packet
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tsp pink salt
For the Parmesan
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp pink salt
- pinch onion powder
For the Garlic Butter
- 4 medium garlic cloves finely grated
- ¼ cup vegan butter melted
For the Dipping Sauce
- vegan marinara sauce I used a vegan Tomato Basil pasta sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the ukewarm water with the sugar and dry active yeast. Allow the mixture to foam for 7-10 minutes.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, add 2 cups flour and salt. Turn it to low and combine with the the hot water.
- Once the yeast mixture has foamed, pour it into the bowl with the mixer on. Add the last cup of flour. Let the mixer run until the dough is smooth, then dump the dough out onto a floured surface.
- Use a pizza cutter or cut the dough into 18 pieces. Shape the dough into breadsticks. Place them evenly apart on two trays lined with a baking sheet or parchment paper.
- Once all the dough is in the shape of a bread stick, place the trays in the oven for 14 minutes.
- For the parmesan, add all ingredients to a spice grinder. Pulse until a crumbly mixture that resembles a slightly more chunky version of parmesan forms. Set aside.
- For the garlic butter mixture, mix together the garlic cloves and melted butter in a small bowl. Set this aside as well.
- Once the breadsticks are done, remove them from the oven and place on a serving tray.
- Brush the garlic butter mixture over top of each breadstick. Then sprinkle parmesan cheese over each, turning them upside down as well to coat.
- Serve hot, with your favorite dipping sauce!
Notes
- Breadsticks from this recipe.
- Parmesan based on this recipe.
- Did you make this recipe? Tag @peanut_palate on Instagram and hashtag it #peanutpalate
