Breadsticks(Plain or Seeded)
Submitted by robertloy
Homemade yeast breadsticks, plain or seeded with fennel, caraway, or poppy seeds. Thin, crispy, bakery-style sticks that keep for weeks stored airtight.
YIELD
1 servingPREP
60 minCOOK
30 minREADY
90 minThin, snappy breadsticks made from a simple yeast dough with olive oil. These bake up crisp all the way through, nothing soft or bready about them, and they keep for weeks in an airtight container.
The dough is lean: just flour, water, yeast, salt, a touch of sugar, and olive oil. A stand mixer with a dough hook makes quick work of it, beating for 4 to 5 minutes until the dough cleans the bowl. After a rise, the dough divides into 32 pieces that get rolled into thin 7 to 8 inch ropes. They look impossibly skinny going into the oven, but that’s exactly right.
The steam trick is what gives these their signature crunch. Spraying water into the oven (or tossing in ice cubes) twice during baking creates a burst of steam that gelatinizes the starch on the surface. The result is a glossy, shatteringly crisp crust instead of a dull, soft one.
Kitchen Tips
- Roll the ropes evenly. Thick spots stay chewy while thin spots burn. Aim for uniform pencil-thickness.
- Let the shaped sticks proof until doubled before baking. Skipping this rise means dense, tough breadsticks.
- Bake until nicely browned all over, not just on top. The color tells you they’re crisp through the center.
Variations
- Knead in fennel seeds for an Italian anise flavor, caraway for a rye-bread taste, or poppy seeds for a classic look.
- Brush with an egg wash before baking for a shinier, darker crust.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt or everything bagel seasoning after the final steam spray.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and let work until foamy, about 10 mins.
In the large bowl of electric mixer, combine yeast mixture, salt, oil, and 1¼ cup flour.
Beat 4 to 5 minutes on medium speed.
If using electric mixer, change to dough hook and on low speed, continue to add remainder of flour as needed to make medium stiff dough.
Increase speed to medium and continue to mix until dough cleans bowl completely.
Turn into greased bowl and flip so that greased side is up.
Cover bowl with plastic, and let rise until doubled in bulk.
When proof is complete, punch dough down and knead in seeds if desired.
Cover in bowl with plastic and let rest for 10 to 15 min.
Turn out onto lightly floured working surface and divide into 32 pieces and lay plastic over.
Roll one at a time to form rope about 7 or 8 inch long (they’ll be very thin).
Place on lightly greased baking sheets and proof once more until doubled.
Preheat oven to 325℉ (160℃).
Bake on shelf in center of oven until stick are nicely browned all over.
After 5 min., and without removing from oven, spray with water using trigger type sprayer OR place ice cubes in bottom of oven.
Repeat after 5 more min. then complete baking. Cool on racks, store airtight. Will keep for weeks.
Comments
