Weigh the flour, salt and yeast into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre
Pour the olive oil and the warm water into the well
Bring the ingredients together to form a dough either by hand or using the dough hook on a slow speed.
Knead the dough for around 12 minutes by hand or for 10 minutes using the dough hook.
Place the dough into a large bowl, cover with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F
Once the dough has risen, scrape it out of the bowl using a dough scraper onto an oiled surface.
With the side of your hands shape the dough into a rectangular shape and flatten the dough into a rectangle which is about ½CM thick.
Line a large baking tray (or 2 smaller ones) with a sheet of baking paper.
Using a knife or the dough scraper cut the dough into 2CM strips across the shorter side.
Take one strip and leaving it on the work surface, gently twist one end to form a loose spiral shape, then do the same at the other end until the spirals meet in the midde and place onto the lined baking tray.
Repeat the previous step with all of the dough strips.
Gently eggwash the top of each stick - this will create a golden colour as they bake.
If you're using poppy seeds, take a pinch of seeds and sprinkle across each stick - you can also do every other like I did to create a mixture of plain and poppy seed breadsticks.
Bake the sticks in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside, then leave to cool on a wire rack.