Grissini

I like these very much. These are called Grissini, Italian crispy bread sticks. I first tried them in Kuala Lumpur in a high end restaurant. They serve this as appetizer. They are served exactly like these, in a tall glass, right smack at the centre of a round table.

They are good to munch on just by itself or sometimes, I make these when I am having cream of mushroom soup for dinner. They act as a stirrer in my hot chocolate too. In that case, I would usually leave them plain.

Here, I've used black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, parsley, mixed herbs, oregano and thyme. I did not glaze them. I thought they look very good just by itself with no sheen whatsoever.

I adapted the recipe from Agnes Chang book, I Can Bake. As silly as the title of the book may sound, I've made lots of breads and buns from this book and they all turn out very good. Agnes bakings are all typical things you would find in an Asian bread shop. I like them especially when I am here in Adelaide and things like chicken floss bun could cost 3 to 4 dollars just for one.

Finally, I like this recipe because it does not call for much proofing time, though proofing it for 15mins or so helps a lot because when you roll them out into long sticks, it will not shrink back much. Here's the recipe and it is so so so, I cannot tell you how easy they are!


Grissini (Crispy Italian Bread Sticks)

125g bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant dried yeast

Whisk the above well.

70ml water
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp EVOO

Scattering:

Parsley
Thyme
Oregano
Mixed herbs
Black sesame seeds
White sesame seeds

Combine the liquids in a spouted cup and pour them into the flour mixture. Briefly knead with hands for 10mins or so until smooth and elastic. Cover dough with a damp, clean cloth and let it rest for 10 mins.

Knead again for 10mins and divide them int 10g pieces. I yield about 22 pieces. Here, Agnes ask to roll them into long sticks but I cover these individual balls with damp cloth and let it rest another 15 mins. They don't shrink back at all when I roll them into longish shape after that. Your choice!

After 15 mins, roll them into long sticks. The longer and thinner they are, the crispier they are so roll them long! Work with one stick at a time, covering the rest in damp cloth. When longish, scatter a little of your choice of scattering around the stick and roll the stick around to pick up the scatterings. If it doesn't stick, sprinkle a little water over the sticks but they usually stick very well.

It won't take up much time really so repeat that 20 times and place them on a greased and floured tray, about 2cm apart. Bake them in a preheated oven at 200C for 15-20 mins until they are dry and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool before serving. Easy and done!


makes approximately 20 bread sticks