breadsticks (II)
My first post on grissini ended with the description of a plan for baking crisp grissini like those I used to eat in Italy. I had already eyed a recipe in Daniel Leader's most recent book, called Simply Great Breads. I always say that if a cookbook contains one great recipe, it is worth the expense. In Simply Great Breads I had already found one great recipe: Boiceville Bialys. I will now add to the list Crisp Bread Sticks.
When I first read the recipe, I was intrigued by the use of a pasta machine to first roll the dough and then cut the grissini. Having realized many of Leader's recipes, I trusted him and got down to work. Still, I must confess that I approached the cutting part with a bit of trepidation: what would I do if the dough got stuck?
Fear not. As you can see from the photo, the operation went smoothly and it was fun to catch the strands coming out of the machine and then spread them on the baking sheet. The original recipe includes instructions on getting seeds on the grissini's surface (see the result on the cover of the book). For my first rendition, I kept close to the tradition with which I am familiar and made plain grissini.
When I was a child, grissini were always part of the bread basket in restaurants and that's where we ate them — never at home — so seeing them on the table felt rather strange. My husband liked to munch on them and I did as well — same as many years ago. Based on the photos in the book, I think Leader used an attachment that makes wider strands than mine, but again, I am perfectly happy with the grissini I made.
The location where I found the recipe for Boiceville Bialys does not provide access to the recipe for Crisp Bread Sticks so the book is the place to go for it. Interpret this as a recommendation (this is not an ad: I purchased the copy of the book I have). Note that the recipe directs you to use a stand-up mixer. However, the dough can be mixed and kneaded by hand, which is what I did.
This is my contribution to edition #28 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. After a few weeks hiatus, Susan has made some changes to the structure of her popular photo event and restarted again this week.
The top photo was shot in color and then converted to sepia.
This post contains the gallery of images submitted to the event.
