Grissini: the recipe to make them golden and fragrant at home

I breadsticks they are a typical specialty of the Turinese gastronomic tradition, loved and known far beyond national borders. It’s a sourdough light and crispy, a restaurant staple with the bread basket, which takes its name from the ghersathe traditional Piedmontese sandwich with a characteristic elongated shape, similar to the French baguette.

To prepare them, simply melt the beer yeast crumbled in a little water and honey, add everything to the sifted flour, then add an emulsion based on extra virgin olive oil, water and salt, and let stand the smooth and homogeneous mixture obtained for at least a few hours.

Once the dough has risen, it will be enough to spread it delicately with your hands, to cut out many loaves with a tarot and then to shape them like breadsticks, to cook on a baking sheet with parchment paper, until they are nicely browned. The result will be a snack tasty and crumbly, to nibble as a snack at any time of the day or to bring to the table for breakfastaperitifinstead of bread, accompanied by a charcuterie and cheese platter.

If you wish, you can enrich the dough with thyme, rosemary, sage or others aromatic herbs your choice, or you can spice it up with a pinch of turmeric, chilli powder or freshly ground pepper.

Find out how to prepare breadsticks by following the step-by-step procedure and tips. If you liked this recipe, also try the zucchini breadsticks.

How to prepare breadsticks

Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in a drop of lukewarm water 1.

Add honey 2 and stir with a spoon to melt it.

Pour the rest of the water into a bowl and add the salt 3.

Mix the oil 4.

Mix everything well 5until the salt is completely dissolved.

Separately, collect the sifted flour in a bowl and add the dissolved brewer’s yeast 6.

Stir in the oil and water emulsion 7step by step.

Start working the dough with a spatula 8then turn it over on a work surface and continue to mix until you obtain an elastic and homogeneous dough.

Put the dough obtained in the bowl 9.

Brush it with a drizzle of oil ten.

Sprinkle the surface with a little flour 11.

Let the dough rise at room temperature 12covered with a sheet of transparent film and a clean tea towel, for about 2 hours.

After the rising time, resume the dough 13.

Transfer it to the counter 14.

Gently flatten it with the palms of your hands 15to give it the shape of a rectangle.

With a sharp knife or a tarocco, cut the dough into strips about 1.5 cm wide 16.

Shape each piece of dough into loaves 17 and mold them with your hands until you make a lot of breadsticks.

Arrange the breadsticks obtained in a pan covered with parchment paper 18 and bake them in a preheated oven at 200°C, in static mode, for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once cooked, transfer the breadsticks to a cutting board 19 and let them cool completely.

Bring the breadsticks to the table 20 and serve.

Advice

For a more salty and appetizing result, you can add minced minced meat to the preparation dried tomatoes, capers and olives, a handful of grated pecorino or parmesan. Or you can try a sweet version with chocolate chips, to accompany a snack with fruit jams or a cocoa spread.

If you wish, instead of honey, you can add equal amounts of barley malt, or you can opt for leaven instead of beer.

For a more rustic result, we suggest tossing the breadsticks in the pan before putting them in the oven rice flour or in semolina: they will be even more fragrant.

storage

Breadsticks can be stored at room temperature, in a paper bag for bread or in a tin can, for 5-6 days massive.

History and origins

The origin of breadsticks dates back to ancient times 1675 when, the baker Antonio Brunero, on the recommendation of the court doctor, designed for the future king Victor Amadeus IIin poor health and unable to eat breadcrumbs due to intestinal disorders, a dry, crispy, easily digestible sourdough product.

The success of the breadsticks was so immediate, also thanks to the possibility of being able to preserve them longer than common bread, that their consumption, from the privilege of the noble class, soon extended to the whole population.