Pokey Stix take me back to my college days. They are a type of cheesy breadstick that you can liberally dunk in ranch dressing or marinara.
When I came across this recipe on Milk & Honey, I knew I had to make it pronto. You see, it had been years since I had Pokey Stix. What? You’ve never heard of them? The best way to describe them is to call them a cousin of a cheesy breadstick.
You can get an order of Pokey Stix from Gumby’s Pizza. Apparently, Gumby’s was a prominent fixture on many college campuses across the country, including the one at my alma mater (but has since closed). I have many fond memories of ordering this late-night snack with my college roommate and suitemates, and this version brought me back to my days at school.
I seriously hadn’t eaten Pokey Stix for at least 13 years until I found this recipe. Now that I know how to make them at home, I can recreate them anytime.
If you don’t want to make your own pizza dough, you can take a shortcut and buy some pre-made dough at your grocery store. The kind in the poppable can would also work in a pinch. But, if you have the time, I highly recommend making your own pizza dough. It’s so satisfying and doesn’t take much effort!
Enjoy this blast from my past!
Copycat Pokey Stix
Ingredients
Pizza dough
- 2 and ⅓ cups bread flour can substitute with all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (2 and ¼ teaspoons) active yeast
- 1 and ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder and/or basil leaves optional
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cups warm water
Topping
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon minced dried onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
Make the pizza dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt (and garlic powder and basil if using). Add in the olive oil and water and mix well. If desired, you can also do this in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add more flour as needed until the dough comes together and is no longer tacky.
- Set the dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover, and allow to double, at least 30 minutes.
- Punch out the dough and roll out onto a lightly floured surface.
Make the topping
- In a small skillet over low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook briefly until just fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir in dried minced onion and salt and pepper.
Assemble the Pokey Stix
- Preheat your oven to 400 or 500 degrees F. Place a pizza stone in the oven and allow it to warm up for about 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a 12 to 14 inch circle and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Drizzle with garlic butter and spread to the edges. Sprinkle with the parmesan and then mozzarella.
- Remove pizza stone from oven and reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees
(I did not do this and left my oven at 400 degrees in the convection mode).
Liberally sprinkle the stone with cornmeal to keep the dough from sticking (I
skipped this and baked on parchment paper instead). Carefully transfer the
dough to the stone and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden
– about 10 to 12 minutes. - To serve, cut the pie in half down the center once. Then make perpendicular
cuts across the pie in the opposite direction to achieve long, thin strips. Dip
in your favorite marinara or ranch dressing.
Notes