Grissini is a type of Italian bread, having the form of narrow sticks. It is made of yeast dough. The grissini bread has been made according to a special recipe since the 14th century (source: Wikipedia).

You can also make this simple, quick, delicious, and crunchy snack which, depending on extras and seasoning used, may take different forms. Bread sticks go well not only with drinks, a board of cheeses or a plate of cold cuts, but also as a substitute of bread served with soups. You will also enjoy it with a dip or a salad, while for children we recommend them served with a sweet homemade jam or fruit preserve. A single recipe, and yet so many possibilities!

PREPARATION

Dry yeast:

Screen the flour. Add salt, dry yeast, and sugar. Mix it, and then add olive oil and milk. Knead everything thoroughly and then leave it for an hour in a warm place.

Fresh yeast:

Add yeast and sugar to warm milk. Mix everything and leave it for 10 minutes. Screen the flour into a bowl, add salt, oil, and yeast leavening. Knead everything thoroughly and then leave it for an hour in a warm place.

Next, knead it manually. At this point you can add some favourite extras and seasoning to it. Here are some of our suggestions, which you can prepare yourself or use ready-made mixtures:

ITALIAN GRISSINI: 1 tsp white sesame seeds, 1 tsp black sesame seeds, 1 tsp nigella, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp dried basil;

GREEN GRISSINI: chopped fresh basil leaves, chopped chives, some fresh rosemary;

SPICY GRISSINI: Spicy bits for a pressure ham cooker - a mix of herbs and spices (cayenne pepper, powdered bell pepper, black pepper, white mustard seeds, thyme, turmeric, ginger, bay leaf, wild garlic);

TRADITIONAL RUSTIC GRISSINI: Uncle Theo’s Delicacy - herbs for rustic sausage (black pepper, powdered bell pepper, nutmeg, garlic, marjoram);

ONION GRISSINI: For pate - a mix of herbs and spices (onion, garlic, powdered hot pepper, marjoram, thyme, ginger, nutmeg, (ground) caraway, white pepper, savoury);

BEER GRISSINI: Traditional mix for pressure ham cooker - a mix of herbs and spices (black pepper, dried onion, granulated garlic, marjoram, allspice, nutmeg, herbal pepper, chili pepper).

Once the dough is ready, cut it into small pieces, roll thin sticks from them, and cut them to the right size. Arrange the sticks on a greased tray and leave them to rise. Then you can sprinkle the sticks against with seeds and seasoning. Finish with smearing them with whisked egg. Put them into an oven heated up to 200°C and bake them for 10 – 15 minutes.

You can wrap the baked sticks in Parma ham, rocket, or cheese strips.

...because homemade is better!