Grissini - breadsticks

Grissini were born in Torino in 1679. The father of Grissini was a cook called Antonio Bruero working for the king Carlo Felice in Italy.

Antonio invented this recipe because king had problem with digesting a bread. Grissini became popular right away. Ever since Napoleon Bonaparte tried them for the first time, he had brought them from Italy to Paris regularly. 

The name Grissini comes from the word “ghrese” which means typical long Piemontese bread.

Making a grissini is a fan activity to do with the kids – we also had two little helpers Charlotte and Lily. The dough is easy to handle therefore you can avoid messy kitchen.

You can keep Grissini for a couple of weeks in airtight container and the taste remains the same. Enjoy your home-made Grissini with a ham, aperitive or just a glass of wine. They also make a great snack for kids they also go well with variety of soups.

Ingredients

140ml water

25ml olive oil

250g flour type 00

8g fresh yeast or 4g of fresh yeast

1 teaspoon of fresh, chopped rosemary (you can use dry, but it’s not the same)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In bowl combine lukewarm water with yeast and add sugar and olive oil. Set aside for 5 mins (until you see little bubbles – this means that yeast is working).

2. Add salt and rosemary.

3. Add flour.

4. Knead by hand for couple of minutes, just to combine ingredients.

5. Spread the dough and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise.

6. After two hours cut the dough in pieces, first in half and then in stripes.

7. Roll with hands.

8. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and bake for 20 to 23 minutes. Check after 20 minutes.