Filled Breadsticks

I grew up calling these “Bologna Pups,” but since that name wouldn’t mean anything to my kids, I’ll go for the generic “breadsticks” instead. These are a bit labor intensive, and they take 2 1/2 hours or so to make, but they are worth the effort. The recipe includes instructions for assembling the dough by hand, but keep in mind that you can also use a bread maker to handle the mixing and kneading part if you want to be lazy. Makes about 26 breadsticks, at 150 calories each.

1 package yeast (not quite a tablespoon)

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening or butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

3 1/4  to 4 cups flour

1. Soften yeast in warm water.
2. Combine milk and shortening (or butter) with sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring almost to boiling. Cool to lukewarm.
3. Add milk mixture and egg to yeast mixture in a large bowl. Stir to blend.
4. Add flour to make a stiff dough.
5. Let rise about one hour.
6. Divide dough into 26 pieces. (OK, fine, 24 if you must. My calorie count is for 26, so that’s what I go with.) Roll each piece quite thin, fill with strips of bologna and cheese. Then seal each breadstick.
7. Let rise 30 minutes.
8. Cook on a fry pan for about 2 minutes each side (until lightly brown). Then cook in the oven at 375 for  10-15 minutes.