Bake authentic Italian Grissini breadsticks at home easily

Although they look quite unassuming, everyone reaches for them as soon as they appear on the table. It's hard to imagine an Italian feast without them, but you don't need to travel to sunny Italy to try them. You can bake these delicious breadsticks in your own home.

Grissini is crunchy, thin breadsticks from the Italian region of Piedmont. Sweet lovers might also associate them with hazelnuts. Their name comes from the Italian "grissino," which means "twig." They make an excellent snack, ideal for dipping, and a wonderful addition to soups or salads.

When bakers had leftover bread dough, they shaped it into long, thin sticks instead of wasting it, which they then baked. This practical recipe quickly won the hearts of not only Italians. Grissini is very versatile; you can serve them as a crunchy side to salads, wrapped in slices of prosciutto, served with soups or offered with dips such as pesto, hummus, aioli, or herb-infused olive oil.

The basic recipe for grissini can be modified by adding various spices, herbs, or seeds. Provencal herbs, sesame seeds, nigella seeds, and parmesan make great additions. To add extra fibre, you can also sprinkle the grissini with flax seeds.

Making homemade grissini is simple. True to Italian cuisine, the key is high-quality ingredients. Good-quality olive oil is important here, as it gives the grissini their characteristic taste and aroma. You can substitute it with rapeseed oil, but the flavour will differ slightly. It is best to use type 00 wheat flour, characteristic of Italian cooking.

Ingredients:

            
• 280g type 00 wheat flour
• 2.5 teaspoons fresh yeast or 1 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• about 240ml water
• optional: sesame seeds, sea salt, Provencal herbs, parmesan

Method:

1. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water with sugar. Set aside for a few minutes until it starts to foam.
2. Sift the flour into the bowl. Add the salt, olive oil, and yeast mixture. Knead into an elastic dough, gradually adding water. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
3. Place the prepared dough in a bowl, cover it with a cloth, and set it in a warm place to rise for about an hour until it doubles.
4. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured board.
5. Roll it out to about 1cm thick, then cut into long strips about 1–2cm wide.
6. Brush each strip lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with the toppings you choose (sesame seeds, sea salt, herbs, parmesan).
7. Place the grissini on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15–20 minutes at 200°C until golden and crispy.

After cooling, the sticks are ready to munch on. Enjoy!