Soft Garlic Basil Breadsticks

I love making bread, but with most basic bread recipes, I find that the bread gets pretty hard the next day. I made these two days ago, and they're still super soft. I'm having a leftover breadstick as I type. I whipped them up for dinner with a pot of pasta and tangy pasta sauce I canned last summer. The secret to super soft bread? Milk, egg, and plenty of butter. My experimentation turned out wonderful, and my husband devoured these babies. Crisp on the outside, and pillow soft on the inside.

Soft Garlic Basil Breadsticks

1 Packet Fast Rise Yeast
1/2 C. Warm Water
1/2 C. Warm Milk
2 tsp. Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Butter, Room Temp
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Crush Dried Basil
3 1/2 C Flour
Garlic Salt to Garnish

In a large bowl, or stand mixer bowl, combine yeast, sugar, warm milk, and warm water. Let sit for five minutes to allow yeast to activate (it will start to look foamy). Add in butter, egg, garlic powder, and basil. Then add in three cups of flour. From there add in flour as you need to get the dough smooth yet elastic - in the end, you may need to add exactly 3 1/2 C, or you may need to sprinkle in a little more to get the desired consistency. When the dough has the right amount of flour, it should no longer be super sticky, but also not tough. Transfer dough into a large bowl, oiled with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place for around an hour, or until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch down. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide dough in half, then divide each half into six, making a total of twelve small balls of dough. Form each ball into a long breadstick shape, and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle unbaked breadsticks with garlic salt. Bake breadsticks for 10-12 minutes.