No salad or bowl of soup is complete without a side of bread. Whether it’s a piping-hot popover, piece of focaccia or crusty French baguette, it’s what rounds out makes the meal. But for a change of pace, I like to serve grissini – long, thin, crispy breadsticks – plain or topped with seeds.
Grissini are rustic yet dramatic and conjure up feelings of dining at an authentic Italian eatery. You know what I’m talking about – the kind of place that offers them in a glass jar in lieu of a bread basket. They have a nice bite and, if stored in an airtight container, keep for several weeks. This recipe makes about six dozen grissini, which sounds like a lot, but I promise you will go through them quickly.
Recipe adapted from Jo Cooks.
- 1¼ cups water
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2-2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- sea salt
- In a large bowl, heat water until warm - about 30 seconds in the microwave should do. Add the yeast and sugar. Whisk together until thoroughly combined and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add the olive oil, whole wheat flour, 2 cups all-purpose flour and salt to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Continue adding flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until dough comes together to form a shaggy ball; it should be tacky but not sticky. Then knead the dough by hand (or with a dough hook attachment) until it’s smooth and elastic - this will take about 10 minutes (or less if using a stand mixer). Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rest for 30-40 minutes.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough into a rectangle that is about ¼" thick. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds and salt.
- Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough lengthwise into ¼"-wide strips. Transfer strips to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about ½ inch between strips. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
- Bake grissini until golden brown and crispy, 15-20 minutes.
