Craigo’s Breadsticks

5 from 19 votes

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Craigo’s was a pizza place in Rexburg, Idaho. Cheesy, yeasty, salty, garlicky, Craigo’s breadsticks really were the BEST breadsticks around!

breadsticks

Craigo’s Breadsticks

If you went to college in the small town that I went to college in…and you’re as old as me {sigh} you will know exactly what these breadsticks are and why the heck I’m posting about them.

Craigo’s was a pizza place in Rexburg, Idaho. The only non-restaurant-chain pizza place in town. With *the best* and I really do mean the best breadsticks. Cheesy, yeasty, salty, garlicky breadsticks.

Enter the freshman 15.

After my freshman year, I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment with these two ladies–my two best friends Amy and Amy…into an apartment kitty corner to Craigo’s. {Side note: I look totally different now that I got married, had two babies and got fit 🙂 Holla!! }

Lauren and friends

College Days

Sophomore 17? Nope, didn’t happen. Why?

Because Craigo’s moved locations became a bigger restaurant and changed its name to Pizza Pie Cafe. Deep down I’m suuuuper glad they made the switch because I kept the Sophomore 17 at bay {hallelujah} and Pizza Pie Cafe started serving pasta with the most delicious roasted red pepper pasta sauce and spicy sausage alfredo.

Oh, and turned into a BUFFET—>!!!!!!!!

One problem though is they stopped making these breadsticks.  Like goodbye forever, they’re never coming back on the menu again.

Lucky for me, I’m well versed in the carbs and cheese arena. Maybe a little too well? Either way, I made a knock-off that thoroughly satisfied my craving. If you’ve never tried these which odds are you haven’t, you MUST make these today. They are soft, chewy, poofy, light and airy PLUS if you double the yeast {which is what I did for this recipe} then they’ll be ready to shove in your pie hole in no time at all.

Lauren and friends

Breadsticks Recipe Ingredients

Water, Yeast, and Sugar – The three of these together make the start to an amazing dough. And we all know, good dough makes good bread.

Flour, Salt, and Butter – Basically, the main ingredients of the dough. Salt adds that touch of essential flavor that helps bring out the rest of the other flavors. Some recipes use olive oil but for this one, we are using butter.

Garlic Salt – The magical topping that takes these breadsticks over the edge. SO good!

Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Cheddar – That’s a lot of cheese but it is worth the calories!!! Trust me.

Looking for a pizza to go with these breadsticks? Check out these tasty recipes: Ultimate BBQ Chicken Pizza RecipeBrown Butter Chicken Alfredo PizzaThai Chicken Pizza, and Spicy Pancetta Rosemary Pizza.

How To Make BreadsticksYeast

Start by getting two envelopes of quick rise yeast and stir them up with some warm water and sugar. I love this Platinum yeast because it’s like super fast acting. I lurrrrve it. If you have some time on your hands, just use one packet.

Yeast Mixture

Be sure you actually stir in the yeast to the water to dissolve. Set this aside to let it foam on up.

Flour and Salt

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, measure out 4 cups of all purpose flour with some salt. Stir this up with the dough hook to disperse the salt and leave it alone for now.

Yeast Mixture

Aha! Look at that yeast. It’s gotten all foamy. Pour this into the flour mixture and start stirring on low.

Melted Butter

Once the yeast starts getting incorporated, pour 1/4 cup melted butter into the dough mixture and let ‘er rip.
Breadsticks Dough

7 minutes later, voila! Dough! It’ll be a little sticky, but that’s totally fine. Grease the bowl + dough generously and let it rise 30-45 minutes until it’s doubled in size. Because we used two packets of yeast, this is going to happen real quick.

Risen Dough

Poofy dough! Son of a gun.

Cut Breadsticks

Roll this out into a big fat oval or soft edged rectangle and cut into 1/2 inch strips.

Twisted Breadsticks

Twist two pieces of dough together to create your breadsticks and place onto a baking sheet. I had to cut mine in half to make them fit width-wise. Also, don’t be afraid to shove them all into a pan. You want them to almost touch after they’ve risen. Let these rise another 30 minutes or so and then…..

Topped with Cheese

brush generously with more butter, sprinkle on some garlic salt and then a ton of cheeeeeeeeeeese! Mama mia.

Breadsticks

After a few minutes in the oven, these should be hot and bubbly and ready to eat!!

Breadsticks Recipe

Um, hello cheesy carby goodness. I luuuuurve you.

I dare you to make these today! It will make you want to go to college in Idaho….or something like that.

Enjoy, friends! Have a great day!

Other breadstick recipes you might like:

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5 from 19 votes

Craigo's Breadsticks

Craigo's was a pizza place in Rexburg, Idaho. Cheesy, yeasty, salty, garlicy, Craigo's breadsticks really were the BEST breadsticks around!
servings 20 breadsticks
Prep Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 envelopes quick rise yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter melted, divided
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lawry's seasoning garlic salt
  • 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar

Instructions

  • Stir water, yeast, and sugar together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside to foam up.
  • Meanwhile, melt the butter and measure out the flour and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir with the dough hook for a few seconds to disperse the salt into the flour. Pour in the foamy yeast mixture and start to incorporate. Drizzle in half of the melted butter. Scrape the sides if necessary and knead 7 minutes. Dough should be sticky. If it's dry, you've added too much flour, so add in a few sprinkles of water to get it to come together as a stickier dough. You're aiming to get the dough stuck to the bottom of the bowl. If you touch it with your fingers after 7 minutes, than maybe a small piece or two will stick. Grease the bowl and dough well with oil and let rise 30-45 minutes in a warm place until doubled in size.
  • Punch down dough and roll out to be 2 ft x 1 ft, approximately, on a floured board. Cut into 1/2-3/4 inch strips using a pizza cutter. Twist two strips together to create breadsticks and place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. You may have to cut them to fit on the baking sheet. Let rise another 30 minutes or so. They should be almost touching by now.
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle remaining melted butter over breadsticks, sprinkle with garlic salt and cheeses and bake 8-10 minutes or until poofy, hot, bubbly and brown. Cool 3-5 minutes before tearing apart and snarfing down.

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 906mg | Potassium: 43mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 1.3mg
Course: Appetizer, Breads, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breadsticks, Breadsticks Recipe, Craigos, How to Make Breadsticks

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Recipe Rating




109 Responses
  1. David

    Hi Lauren, thanks for all that you share! I really appreciate your posts and sharing your world with us readers. question; are you using a macro lens with big glass to get the bokkeh? curious what you use to capture your images! thanks again!!

  2. Melissa Brockett

    How did I miss this post 2 years ago?!? Please tell me that Matt can still give out the recipe or someone has it? I lived in Baronessa and my husband lived at Arcadia. We met over an order of cheese breadsticks and he proposed at Craigo’s over an order of cheese breadstick’s. 20 years later I would LOVE to surprise him with these! Pizza pie cafe is also a favorite at our house so I love the connection! [email protected]

    1. Nicole Nielson

      Lauren if Matt gave you the original recipe you should do a post and share the recipe. In the mean time I will give these a try:)

  3. Jesia

    I just tried making this and ended up throwing the dough out. It was very sticky (even after sprinkling flour over it) and stretched like crazy when I tried to braid the strip of dough together. I guess it needed more flour? =/ Also, is the braiding necessary? I’d really like to try again but I need to know what I did wrong. Thanks.
    Also, when mixing the dough, what speed do you use?

  4. Sarah

    5 stars
    I loved Craigo’s breadsticks and forgot how much I missed them. Thanks so much for this recipe. I am going to try them this week and relive those years for a few minutes, lol.

  5. Amanda

    Hi! I would like to make these for a trip I have coming up but won’t have a mixer in our vacation home. Would it be possible to make these at home, freeze them and then bake them later? If so, where in the recipe would you freeze? I’m wondering if I could freeze after making the twists. Then thaw once I get there and then put toppings and and bake? Thanks!

  6. Michelle G

    I’m so excited I found this recipe! Iove Craigos breadsticks!! Sounds like we were at byu-I around the same time, I lived at colonial house in 2005-2006 and went there all the time I was so sad when Craigos moved from across the street and stopped serving these breadsticks!! Oh well then costa vida was built and that wasn’t good for me either haha 🙂

  7. Matt Smith

    Well. I own the company. Send me an email and I will paste it in. My partners wife Melanie is going to make them and do a blog with her company. I think it is fabulously frugal.

    1. Heather Barrie

      Matt, I would love the original recipe!! ( if you are still sharing.) 🙂 Craigo’s got us through those hard evenings of studying. There is just nothing better that a Craigo’s breadstick, but the calzones were pretty darn close! 😉 [email protected]

    2. Janna knapton

      I would love the recipe too Matt! Craigo’s breadsticks were so good!! I went to Ricks. Best 2 years! Thanks So much

  8. Matt Smith

    Did you want me to send you the real Craigo’s breadstick recipe. I happen to have it. We are thinking of making them each November as our anniversary month. Just for a limited time and not in any of our other location in Idaho or Utah. Let me know and I can send them to you.

    1. Jana

      Did anyone ever get the recipe from Matt? If so, PLEASE send it my way!! I even searched all over fabulesslyfrugal.com to see if it was on thee but it’s not. Since I posted on here last summer I have moved out of Idaho and need a Craigo’s/Pizza Pie Cafe fix!
      [email protected]
      Thank you!!!

    2. Mindy Lewis

      Matt, I would love to get the original Craigos bread recipe if you’re still willing! I’ve been looking for yeeeeaaaaarrrrssss! Truly, what I’m trying to recreate is their original pizza bomb. I’ve been craving the original so badly – Pizza Pies pizza bombs don’t taste the same. If you happen to have that recipe too I would love to get it Please email me at: [email protected]

  9. Lisa

    5 stars
    I made these last night and they were divine! The whole family loved them. They were the fluffiest bread I have ever made, The only thing I would change is that I thought they were too salty so I would probably mix the garlic salt with garlic powder-maybe half and half.

  10. Daisha

    I went to school in Rexburg when Craigo’s was right across the street from my apartment! Loved these bread sticks! I am sooo excited to try this recipe. Thanks!

  11. Lacey

    I went to Rocks college so I know exactly how delicious they’re bread sticks were!I am making these TODAY, THANKS!

  12. Jana

    I saw “Craigo’s” on my pinterest board and thought, no way…could it be?? Yes!! Good times were had there! I was fortunate enough to catch the final couple of years of Craigo’s existence. The apple beer on tap was a favorite too! My sister and her family live in IF and whenever I visit we always go to Pizza Pie Cafe (the bro-in-law can’t live without it and my nephew is a mini addict in the making), but I had no idea that it was related to Craigo’s. I’ll definitely need to make these!

  13. Melanie

    The guy that took over Craigo’s in 2003, is still the main owner of Pizza Pie Cafe. Had to change the name for legal reasons though once we expanded into Utah. We loved the breadsticks too, but if you can imagine, they were the most time-consuming menu item to prepare. Eventually, it just wasn’t cost-effective to make them anymore. 🙁 I do have the original recipe though, so maybe I’ll have to roll up my sleeves and make some soon.

    1. Melanie

      By the way, Lauren, I’ve seen some of your stuff on Pinterest and it looks like you have a wonderful blog and great photography! Keep up the good work!

      1. Jana

        Melanie, I was wondering the same. Do you mind sharing the recipe? I’ve seen a couple knock-offs online that were good, but it’s not the same.

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    […] you can follow this girl’s recipe, which is a little more advanced as far as breadmaking goes. I haven’t tried it yet, but […]

  15. Kelly

    Super glad there wasn’t a place like this near my college or I would have definitely gained the freshman 15! There is nothing better than carb loaded cheesy, garlicky breadsticks! Yum!!

  16. Heather

    I’m having a REAL problem with that “cool in pan” portion of the instructions.

    Burned my fingers more than once trying to sneak a taste.

  17. Jennine

    5 stars
    I found this on Pinterest and immediately went to the kitchen to make them! Total hit at my house! These are fantastic!

  18. Chelsi Biehl

    I am making these right now and I can’t wait. My friends and I lived off of these bread sticks my first 2 years at BYU-I. I can’t wait to make them for my kids! Thanks for the recipe! I have been tempted to go to Pizza Pie Cafe, but now that I know they don’t have the bread sticks it is pretty much pointless!!!

  19. erica

    Whaaaaaat?! I was there in 1996 and have often thought about those breadsticks over the past couple of decades. I’d heard from a missionary that they’d moved and changed their name. So sad! Thanks for the recipe and flashback! I think I will make them tomorrow 🙂

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  21. Jessica

    When I went to Ricks we would go to Craigo’s JUST for the bread sticks. I never even tried their pizza 🙂 Thanks for the good memory – can’t wait to try these out!

  22. Kristie Hernandez

    I went to BYU-I 10 years ago and I lived in the Royal Crest apartments. We would walk to Craigo’s to get calzones and breadsticks once a week. I had to limit myself because I probably could have eaten there every day. I was very disappointed when I came back to town to visit a few years later to see that they had moved. It was such a great location! And the pizza just did not taste the same. Looking forward to making these! They look delicious!

  23. Kelsey

    This is so fun! I attended BYUI when Craigo’s was still around, and we loooooved their breadsticks. We recently moved back to finish my husband’s degree (long story) and were so sad to see that Craigo’s was no more. I’ll definitely give these a shot! And to the previous commenter, I don’t remember the breadsticks bring sourdough, but I remember them being slightly sweet, weren’t they ?

    1. Dominique

      I think the recipe changed over the years. I went to Ricks 20 years ago. I asked one of my old roommates about it and she said they were sourdough. I’m almost positive they were called Craigo’s sourdough breadsticks. They also didn’t have any cheddar on them, just mozzarella. They were amazing. I’m surprised they ever stopped making them.

  24. Melanie @ Carmel Moments

    Simply gorgeous! Love everything you do with dough. Signed, the fellow dough lover. 🙂
    Have a beautiful day Lauren!

  25. Jamie

    You just made my day. I LOVE Craigos and LOVED their breadsticks and now often eat at Pizza Pie Cafe but I too am also sad they don’t make the breadsticks. Can’t wait to try these!

  26. Aimee @ Like Mother Like Daughter

    I never made it to Craigos when I was visiting friends at BYU-I, but I only heard good things about it. And with how good your breadsticks look I can tell why. I need these!

  27. TaLaisa

    I went to Ricks College. And man oh man were those great breadsticks. I feel old now, because they were still making them when I left with my degree in hand.

    I magically avoided freshman 15, even while being a culinary arts major. The only time I allowed myself Craigo’s breadsticks was AFTER I roller bladed from my apartment (across from the stadium) along the north side of campus, up up up to the watertower and then down between the Manwaring and the religion building lot (when there was a through street there) and back to home, twice. Sometimes for an ice cream at Hogi Yogi after the breadsticks, I’d go 4 times. Happy times! I had friends who lived next door to Craigo’s (in Arcadia) who said the smell of pizza and breadsticks made them hungry all.the.time.

  28. Dominique

    Hi Lauren, I also attended Ricks College back in the day and loved Craigo’s breadsticks and was very disappointed when I went back for a visit and they didn’t make them anymore. I was curious though, I remember the breadsticks being sourdough. Maybe my memory is too old to remember correctly?

  29. Emily @ Life on Food

    Look at all of that cheese. I love every single inch of it. How can I make these appear the next time we have pizza!

  30. Sara

    Holy Moly..i just found you blog and it’s pure torture. I’m on a diet, girl! All those carbs and cheese everywhere..i feel like we’re food-sisters from different continents 🙂 Keep up the good work. Kisses from Germany

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