Grissini Recipe – How to make crispy Italian breadsticks at home

Find below an easy grissini recipe. Grissini are Italian breadsticks. They are thin, crunchy and can be sprinkled with various seeds – sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried rosemary, caraway seeds, flax seeds, pieces of sun-dried tomatoes or cheese. Widely known as breadsticks or Italian breadsticks – these crispy baked goods are perfect as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to a soup or a stew.

Italian breadsticks are prepared quite quickly and easily. You can eat them with anything – with various soups, tea, coffee, and simply as a small snack. In Italy, grissini can be found in almost all restaurants and pizzerias, where they are served as a snack before a meal. If you have been to Italy, you probably know that for six centuries, grissini not only did not get lost in many Italian snacks, but became popular worldwide.

These thin, crispy breadsticks originated in the Italian region of Piedmont. The legend tells that in the 19th century, the first king of Italy – Victor Emmanuel II, ordered the court baker for his son, who suffered from digestive problems, to bake light bread, which would be well digested. As a result, a bread stick called “ghersino” was served on the crowned table. It is not known whether this bread brought relief to the young prince, but other bakers began to copy the new creation and even compete with each other in its length.

How to shape grissini breadsticks?

When shaping the breadsticks, it is entirely up to you how big and how long or thick you will make them. Most people find the slightly thicker version better than the very thin Italian version, but this grissini recipe will work for both. Nevertheless, we suggest that you do not make your breadsticks thicker than 1 cm. If you want to make them very thin, you have to bake them for less time than the recipe provides, just until they turn golden brown.

However, make sure the breadsticks are as equal as possible in size so that they can bake evenly. For a Parmesan breadsticks version, for example, you should reduce the salt by half and add 3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Italian breadsticks grissini recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 ¾ cups (380 g) of bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of dry yeast
• ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (195 ml) warm water
• ¼ cup (60 ml) of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1¼ teaspoon of fine salt

Optionally:

• Olive oil or melted butter with a little water to brush
• Sesame seeds or parmesan for sprinkling

Directions:

Mix all ingredients on low speed until well combined. Use a mixer equipped with the dough hook.

Mix at low speed for 2-3 minutes until everything is well mixed.

Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for another 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough in a suitable bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for one hour at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C and line two baking sheets with baking paper.

Divide the dough into 24 pieces, each weighing approximately 25 g.

Roll each piece into approximately 25 cm long (or 30 cm if you like it particularly thin) and ½ to 1 cm wide sticks. However, keep in mind that these will expand as you bake.

Place the breadsticks on the prepared baking sheets and leave enough space between the individual sticks. If you want, brush them with oil and sprinkle them with grated parmesan cheese or sesame seeds.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

While the first batch is baking, cover the other baking sheet with plastic wrap until it is ready to go into the oven.

Finally, let the breadsticks cool completely on a wire rack. They can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.