Authentic Italian Grissini Breadsticks Recipe in 80 Minutes
Italian grissini are long and thin breadsticks, crunchy and delicious. They go well as a snack or as appetizers. If you haven’t tried them yet, it’s a must to prepare them at least once. And then you will keep making them because these grissini sticks become addictive.
Servings: 20 Grissini
Calories: 47kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/3 cup warm water, divided
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp salt
- 2/3 tbsp active dry yeast
- ½ tbsp honey
- Durum wheat semolina or corn flour
Instructions
- Attach the dough hook to your electric mixer.
- Mix together 2/3 cup flour with all the water minus 2 tablespoons, olive oil, salt and honey in the mixer bowl.
- Add the yeast to the remaining water and stir until it dissolves completely.
- Knead the combined ingredients until you get a creamy dough.
- Add the yeast mixture. Also add all the remaining flour gradually so you will incorporate air into the dough. Process for about 15-20 minutes or until the dough is elastic and doesn’t stick to your fingers. You can do all the above steps with your hands instead of the food processor.
- Roll the dough, sprinkle some flour and cover with plastic wrap so that no crust will form at the surface. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Remove the plastic foil and press the dough with the back of your hands. Roll it up to allow the gluten to give elasticity. Press the roll a bit.
- Take a large plastic foil and brush it with olive oil. Place the dough inside and wrap it well. Cover again with a cloth and let it rise until it doubles its size. This will take about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Cover the working surface with wheat semolina or corn flour.
- Remove the plastic from the dough.
- Cut a ½’’ thick piece of dough. Roll the piece through corn flour.
- Begin stretching the stick with gentle moves. Start from the middle and go all the way to the edges. Do that until the grissino is the size of your tray.
- Repeat with the remaining dough. Remember to leave a 1’’ space between the breadsticks because they will rise while baking.
- Brush with olive oil.
- Ten minutes before starting to bake the grissini, place a dish with boiling water in the oven so you will increase the moisture.
- Bake the breadsticks for about 10-12 minutes. Halfway, remove the water dish and let the steam come out so they will have the chance to dry.
- Place on a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- The water you use must be warm. Otherwise, you can be confronted with two possibilities: either the yeast won’t be able to develop the dough if the water is cold, or it will get burnt if the water is hot. Either way, your dough won’t rise.
- In case you are in a bit of a hurry, I advise you to put the dough in a dry and warm place so it will rise faster. The best spot is on the stove while you preheat the oven. And make sure to close the kitchen door so you won’t have any air currents.
- The texture of semolina is similar to the one of corn flour. It will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands while creating the grissini sticks.
- Leaving space between the sticks is mandatory because they will rise and stick to each other. You will get one large grissino instead of ten thinner ones.
- If you want to add dried herbs, sunflower seeds or parmesan, bring them to the dough while kneading so they will get incorporated evenly. You may also sprinkle sesame or cumin seeds or even sea salt on top of the grissini before taking them to the oven.
- Brushing with olive oil will give them a nice gloss.
- Serve the thin Italian breadsticks with whatever you like, from a delicious pesto dip to a large piece of prosciutto or mortadella. Or with cheese… different types of cheese.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1.5g