Mike's Breadsticks

1 c very warm water
1 c flour
2 T yeast
2 T sugar

1 t salt
1 t spice of your choice
1 - 1 1/2 c flour
1 T olive oil
1 cube melted butter
Additional toppings such as basil, cajun seasoning, parmesan cheese, cinnamon sugar 

In a large bowl, add 1 cup water as hot as is comes from the tap, 1 cup flour, 2 T of dry yeast and 2 T sugar.  Stir together gently and then let it proof for a half hour.  After half an hour, it should be bubbly and foamy.   Add 1 teaspoon of salt and any spices you want to add,  to taste.  Add 1 T of olive oil.  Then add another cup of flour, a little at a time and knead/stir until it comes clean on the sides of the bowl.  It may not take a whole cup or it may take  one and a quarter cups.   Let mixture sit on counter in a warm kitchen for an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.   Grease a large cookie sheet heavily with Crisco.   Flour your hands and  take a golf ball size piece of dough and roll between your hands until you have a long "snake" the width of your cookie sheet.  If it sticks to your hands as you are rolling out then flour your hands again.    Let the breadsticks  rise for another hour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    Brush with melted butter and bake for 13 minutes. When you take them out of the oven,  brush with a mixture of butter,  garlic powder,  onion powder and basil again.  If you want cinnamon-sugar  breadsticks,  don’t add the spices to the initial batter  but do brush with butter and cinnamon-sugar after removing from the oven.