Homemade Breadsticks

Photo courtesy of Conor Kirkpatrick

Italian cooking has been my latest cooking fad; making my own pastas, tomato sauces, meatballs and recently homemade breadsticks to go along with a canneloni made from the most delicate of crepes which I will blog about at a later date.

These breadsticks are not difficult but do take a few hours from start to finish due to the rising times required.  The wonderful thing about them is that they are made with olive oil which provides such an excellent flavor to the end product.  Next time I make them, I may get more creative and roll a few in sesame seeds or a few dried herbs to add a different flavor dimension.   They will keep for quite some time in an airtight container. Give them a try and use your creativity.

Breadsticks (Grissini)

2/3 cup warm tap water
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp olive oil
cornmeal for dusting the pans

Pour the water into a bowl and whisk in the yeast. Set aside. In another bowl combine the flour, salt and olive oil and rub together between the palms of your hands until finely mixed.  Stir in the yeast mixutre with a rubber spatula and continue to stir until a soft dough forms.

Put the dough onto a floured work surface and knead briefly until dough is smooth. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn over so top is oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in bulk, about an hour.  After the dough has risen, scrape it onto a floured surface and fold it over itself repeatedly until deflated.  Return to the bowl, cover and refrigerate it for at least an hour or up to overnight.

Cover 2-3 baking sheets with cornmeal and remove the dough from refrigerator.  Cut the dough into 3 pieces and roll each into a 12 inch rope.  Cut each rope into 1 inch pieces then roll each piece under the palms of your hands until it is a 12 inch long strip.  Place on prepared pans until all pieces are rolled out.  Let breadsticks rise for an hour, or until they are puffed slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Bake the breadsticks for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden, dry and crisp. Cool on the pans.