Chilli salt grissini

I have written a previous recipe for grissini (flavoured with olives, parmesan or seeds) which is a good, reliable recipe. It may seem odd to be writing a second grissini recipe but I believe it differs enough to warrant a write-up: these grissini are taper-thin and have an exceptional crunch to them. I’ve also rolled them in a chilli salt mix. They’re awesome on their own as a light snack but are wonderful with a melted cheese dip or something rich and tomato-y.

As I mentioned in the original grissini recipe, homemade breadsticks are simply miles ahead of the hideous pre-packed ones. I’ll repeat what I said in the original: once you’ve made your own grissini you can’t go back. The bonus is that they are one of the simplest yeasted bread recipes to make and are very impressive (especially when you know they’re pretty easy).

Notes

Makes about 30-40 breadsticks, dependent on the length you’ve rolled the dough out to.

Equipment

• Large bowl
• *Stand mixer with dough hook attachment (if not kneading by hand)
• Pizza cutter or long sharp knife (non-serrated)
• Two large baking trays, lined with parchment
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush
• Clean linen tea towel or cling film

Ingredients

• Tipo 00 or plain white flour – 150g
• Strong white bread flour – 150g (plus a little extra for dusting)
• Fast acting yeast – 1 level teaspoon/5g
• Salt – 1 teaspoon
• Extra virgin olive oil – 1 and 1/4 tablespoons (I used Filippo Berio’s)
• Water, just tepid – 200 ml
• Added ingredients:
  • An egg, whisked lightly for brushing
  • either 3 tablespoons of my fiery chilli salt mix
  • or
  • 3 tablespoons rock salt + 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients for the bread dough together (tipo 00 flour, bread flour, yeast, salt olive oil and water) into a scruffy mess
2. Leave for 10 minutes to autolyse (this period helps the gluten develop initially before kneading)
3. Tip out and knead for 8 – 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and glossy (or mix in your stand mixer if you prefer not to knead by hand)
4. Lightly oil the bowl you were using and pop the dough back in, and cover it with a tea towel or cling film until it has risen by about half as much again (it won’t ‘double in size’). This could be anything between 30 – 90 minutes depending on the ambient temperature
5. When the dough is ready, lightly flour your working surface and tip out your dough onto it
6. Flour your rolling pin and roll the dough out in as precise a rectangle as possible to about 0.5 cm / 1/4 inch thick (or as near as you can get it – don’t worry too much)
7. Leave to rest covered with a tea towel for about 20 minutes
8. Set the oven on to 200C fan / 220C conventional
9. When rested (and risen a little) use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut as many 0.75cm / 1/3 inch strips as you can from your dough rectangle
   
   
10. Scatter the chilli salt mix in a spread out pile on your working surface
11. Using a pastry brush, spread the beaten egg lightly over the dough strips, turning them over to coat both sides
12. Taking a strip of dough at a time, roll it gently in the salt and chilli, trying not to press too hard as you only want to roll the dough into a more rounded shape rather than lengthen it – the salt and chilli should stick on
13. Carefully transfer the dough strip to your lined baking tray
14. Repeat with all the dough strips, so they are all covered in the chilli and salt
    
    
15. Make sure there is a little space between all the dough strips on the baking trays and aim to line them up straight
16. Set the oven on to 200C fan / 220C conventional
17. Bake for about 14-16 minutes until a nice golden colour
18. Leave to cool in the trays
19. They should be crisp with a nice ‘snap’ when fully cooled

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