Grissini

Grissini are pencil-sized breadsticks that originated in the Turin-area of Italy. I decided that I needed to serve a bouquet of grissini with my pumpkin soup for Thanksgiving. Of course I could have picked up a package for less than $5, but where's the culinary adventure in that?!?

So, here's my first attempt; I used this recipe from the L.A. Times as a jumping off point. I used whole wheat flour and added ground almonds; I seasoned mine with porcini salt and freshly ground pepper. Success! I can't wait to serve these at our feast.

1/2 C warm water

1 T active dry yeast

1 t organic raw sugar

1 1/4 C white whole wheat flour

1/2 C ground almonds

2 T olive oil

porcini salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water with the yeast, sugar and 1 C of the white whole wheat flour. Let bloom for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the remaining flour, ground almonds, olive oil and salt and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Coat the bowl with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into four pieces. Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out each piece into a rectangle, 4 x 12 inches. Cut the dough lengthwise into inch-wide strips. Then roll into long, thin breadsticks. Place the strips about one-half-inch apart on a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Season with a sprinkling of porcini salt, freshly ground pepper, or whatever spice you choose. Bake the grissini, in batches, on the top shelf of the oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool on a rack and continue until all the grissini are baked. Cool completely, then store in an air-tight bag, being careful not to break them.

11/26/2012 Update: This post has been added to The Clever Chicks Blog Hop #10. Thanks for the invitation to join the party, Kathy!