Grissini are breadsticks that can be delightfully plain and simple or levelled up with gourmet sweet or savoury varieties
The creation of these Italian breadsticks dates back to the latter part of the 17th century. Their popularity soon spread throughout Italy and France as their long thin shape made the bread dough more digestible and kept longer. Today, different varieties of grissini can be found all over the world.
They are easy to prepare and lend themselves to gourmet sweet and savoury flavours with herbs and spices, cheese and poppy seeds, or with dark and white chocolate and decorated with chocolate shavings.
Grissini are the perfect addition to any Italian dish and are ideal with any dip like hummus or guacamole. For those with a sweet tooth, try dipping into Nutella, honey, caramel, strawberry syrup, and yoghurt. If stored in an airtight tin box, they will stay crispy for up to a week.
Savoury Seeded GrissiniÂ
- 500 g. white bread flour
- 150 ml. olive oil
- 150 ml. water
- 15 g. salt
- 25 g. fresh yeast
- Spices to taste
- 125 g. sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Method
Mix the ingredients in a bowl and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with cling film and leave to prove for 1-2 hours. Divide the dough into small, even-sized pieces. Roll into thin sausage-shaped sticks and place on a greased baking sheet. Leave to prove for another hour. Sprinkle with seeds and bake in the oven at 160º C. for 25 minutes.
Sweet Grissini with chocolate
- 500 g. white bread flour
- 25 ml. olive oil
- 10 g. butter
- 265 ml. water
- 10 g. salt
- 25 g. fresh yeast
- 125 g. chopped chocolate
Method
Follow the same steps as above but don’t add the chocolate to the dough. Once you have the sticks on the baking sheet, brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with chocolate shavings and sugar before baking. Bake as per the savoury grissini.
