In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the water, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Add the salt and the 2 cups flour. Using the hood attachment, mix at low speed, gradually increasing to high until smooth. The dough will be sticky at this point
Transfer the starter to a bowl and sprinkle with the 1 Tbsp flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp dishtowel and set it in a warm, draft-free spot for about 1 hour, until the starter has doubled in size. It has doubled in size when the tablespoon of flour is no longer visible or large cracks appear on top
To make the dough, transfer the starter to the bowl of the stand mixer with the hook attachment. Add the oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper (if using), parmesan cheese (if using) and mix well on low. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour in 1/2-cup increments. Repeat until 2 cups of flour have been added and the dough forms into a sticky ball, but doesn't stick to your hand
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a sheet pan very lightly with olive oil
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle it with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic
Take a 1-ounce portion of the dough and roll it on the work surface with both hands in a back-and-forth motion, moving your hands outward as the stick takes shape. Sprinkle it with flour only if the dough sticks to the work surface. Roll out to 16-18 inches in length and 1/4 inch in diameter. The sticks needn't be identical; the charm is their hand-rolled appearance
Lay the sticks on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp and brown. Remove the bread sticks from the oven and let cool