Hand Pulled Breadsticks Grissini Stirati Recipes

HAND-PULLED BREADSTICKS ('GRISSINI STIRATI')

Steps:

• Sift the flour and place it in a bowl with the salt and malt syrup (if using). In another bowl, mix the yeast, water, and sugar, and leave to activate, covered, for 10 minutes or until frothy. Add it to the flour mixture (if using dry instant yeast, just mix all the ingredients together).
• If kneading by hand, slowly start kneading the mix until you bring all the ingredients together. When no more dry bits are visible, turn it out on a worktop and continue kneading for about 10 minutes, or until smooth. If using a stand mixer, knead for 5 minutes on low, then for another 5 minutes on medium. The dough should be soft and smooth. Give the dough a rectangular shape. Lightly flour a baking tray and put the dough on it. Cover with cling film and a tea towel, and let proof in a warm place (25 to 28°C) for about 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, transfer the dough to a worktop. Flatten the dough on the counter and form a long roll of about 6 to 7cm diameter. Take a long strip of cling film (twice as long as the roll) and brush half of it with olive oil. Place the roll of dough on the oiled film and brush the top and sides with oil too. Fold the rest of the cling film over the dough, and loosely make it adhere to the top and sides (the oil will make the film stick). This prevents skin from forming during the final proof. Cover with a tea towel and let it proof again in a warm place for 60 minutes.
• While the dough is proofing, heat the oven to 230°C. Prepare a plate or tray with a mixture of semolina flour and sesame seeds, and line a large oven tray with baking parchment. When the dough has risen, return it to the worktop and unwrap the cling film. Take a dough cutter or a knife and cut a few 2cm thick strips of dough from the short side of the roll, then place each of them in the semolina and sesame mixture and coat evenly. You must try to cut each strip with one single cut (this is very important for the stretching of the grissini).
• Once you've cut and coated all the strips, lift each one of them by holding the ends with your thumb, index and middle fingers. Now, let's have some fun. Pull outwards to elongate each strip, whilst moving your fingers towards the ends of the strip at the same time. The dough should stretch very easily up to a point and then will make some resistance. Don't worry, that is absolutely fine. Stop stretching at the desired length to fit your baking tray. Lay every strip on the tray that you had previously lined with backing parchment, at about 2cm apart from each other.
• When you have no more space, bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden, making sure you keep the oven door ajar to let any steam out (use a wooden spoon or a small ball of foil to keep it slightly open). Once the breadsticks have turned golden, flip them over and bake for a further 3 to 5 minutes to colour and crisp up even more. Let them cool on a wire rack and enjoy with Parma ham, mortadella or other salumi, cheese, olives, and nibbles.

GRISSINI

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and sugar in bowl of mixer and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
• Add semolina flour, "00" flour, and salt to yeast mixture along with oil and remaining 1 1/4 cups warm water and mix at low speed until a very soft dough forms. If necessary, mix in just enough "00" flour (up to 1/4 cup) to prevent dough from sticking to side of bowl. Increase speed to medium and beat, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes (dough will be soft). Scrape dough into center of bowl and dust with 2 tablespoons additional "00" flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface (do not knead), then cut dough in half. Keeping 1 half covered with plastic wrap, cut other half into 16 equal pieces and roll each into a 15- to 16-inch rope (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick), lightly dusting your hands if dough is sticky. Arrange ropes 1/2 inch apart on 1 baking sheet, then make more ropes with remaining dough and arrange on second baking sheet.
• Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until grissini are pale golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes total. Transfer to racks to cool.