Grissini (italian breadsticks)

Depending on thickness it makes a bunch! And you can play with the shape and style it into fun shapes if you want like our Chris did with his Octopus inspired Grissini!

INGREDIENTS EQUIPMENT METHOD

INGREDIENTS

60grams or 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

178ml or 3/4 cup warm water

1tsp honey

1 package of active-dry yeast

180g or 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

Oil for the bowl

Any additional flavourings like sesame seeds, flavoured salts, spices, herbs - get creative!

Measuring cups, jugs, spoons

EQUIPMENT

Stand mixer or bread maker but you could do it by hand

Wooden spoon

Small bowl

Tea town or cling film

Baking sheets and paper

Sharp knife and bench scraper

Cooling rack

METHOD

1. Combine in a bowl, the whole wheat flour, honey and yeast. Stir with your wooden spoon to combine and let sit for 10 mins. The mixture should start to foam and be more active.

2. Add the all-purpose flour, olive oil, and salt. Mix on a low speed with a dough hook until combined, then speed it up to medium for 5-7 mins until the dough is smooth and shiny.

3. Remove the dough from the mixer and put in a small bowl, drizzle with a tiny amount of olive oil and roll it around until everything has been coated. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and let it rest undisturbed in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.

4. Heat the oven to 220C and line 2 or three baking sheets with baking paper.

5. At this point you can divide the dough and could make different varieties of grissini from the different batches.

6. If just making plain grissini then shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Slice a finger-sized piece from the top of the block, and roll it into a long, irregular snake, and place on the baking tray.

The dough should have enough olive oil to not need flour when you roll it, but if it is sticky add a small amount on your surface before rolling.

Repeat placing your dough snakes next to each other about 1/2" apart. This is also when you can get creative with the shape and make an octopus grissini like our Chris!

7. (Optional) Add your flavours. Knead in herbs to taste, add seeds etc...

8. Let your grissini rest for 15 minutes as they will puff out a little bit

9. Bake for 10-15 mins keeping an eye on them, and rotate the pans every 5 mins. They are thin so can burn very easily. They will be done with golden brown.

10. Remove from the oven and then cool them. Then they are ready to serve! You can store them in an airtight container (for up to 3 days).