Grissini

Name: Grissini
Ingredients: 450 g flour; 250 g water; 2 tbsp vegetable oil (preferably olive oil); 1 tsp dry yeast; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, cheese

Grissini are probably familiar to just about everyone. If they're not, let me fill you in! Grissini are Italian baked goods made from yeast dough, shaped into long thin sticks and often topped with sesame seeds, Provençal herbs, or cheese. Grissini are frequently served before a meal alongside an aperitif, or during a meal with soup or wine. My daughter and I absolutely love these breadsticks, so I decided to bake them at home — and luckily they're very easy to make. For the topping I used a mix of white and black sesame seeds, but I understand that black sesame seeds can be hard to find, so just white sesame seeds work just as well. I made some of the sticks with hard cheese, which is also delicious — Parmesan is ideal, but any hard cheese will do. Also check out the recipe Grissini — Breadsticks from Kamelenta!

Ingredients:

Dough:
450 g flour
250 g water
2 tbsp vegetable oil (preferably olive oil)
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
For topping:
sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, cheese

How to cook grissini

Make the dough. Place the flour in a bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, and salt.

Mix together.

Pour in the warm water and knead the dough, adding the vegetable oil toward the end of kneading.

Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Shape the grissini. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet and let them cool. Roll out half of the dough into a rectangle about 5 mm thick. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and press them into the dough with your hands.

Fold one third over, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and press down.

Fold the second third over on top, sprinkle with sesame seeds again, and press down.

Cut the dough into strips about 1.5 cm wide.

Stretch each stick lengthwise, twisting it around its own axis, then roll it in sesame seeds once more. I made the second half of the dough with cheese.