Sourdough Grissini
Grissini are a staple of Italian restaurants - on your table when you sit down and ready to nibble on with an aperitif.
They can be traced back as early as the 17th century in the Piedmont region of Italy where I am from.
I had the urge to make them at home using my ever-faithful sourdough starter, just remember they will take a little bit longer to prove compared to commercial yeast.
They are super-simple to make and, honestly, I can't tell you how good they taste.
I have made grissini successfully with just 100% strong white bread flour or with 50% bread flour and 50% plain flour - so just use what you prefer.
Adding flavourings to your Grissini
The flavours you can add to your grissini are endless - they are of course just as delicious plain. They ones I made were flavoured with black olives and chopped fresh rosemary.
Serve with whatever you like. Here are some tasty accompaniments I made to go with them:
- ‘Artichoke dip’ ‘which is super scrumptious! It's made with artichokes in oil, feta cheese, garlic, basil leaves & seasoning then all whizzed up viola!
- Wrapping some of the grissini with bresaola or prosciutto
- A handful of fresh radishes in sea salt
Now all that's left to do is to pour yourself a glass of your favourite aperitif and enjoy!
Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻🍳
Sourdough Grissini recipe:
250g strong white bread flour
50g sourdough starter (active)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1-2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil - start with 1 tbsp and add extra if mixture needs it
150ml warm water (you may need a little bit more)
Semolina , for dusting
Additional flavourings (optional)
1-2 tbsps finely chopped rosemary
Handful chopped olives (green or black)
Makes about 20-22 grissini
1. Put the sourdough starter into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, then add the water then the flour on top. Add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl and begin mixing on a slow speed. As the dough starts to come together after a few minutes, then increase to a medium speed for 5 minutes. Start drizzling in the olive oil and continue mixing for a few minutes more until its smooth and elastic.
2. Note - If keeping the dough plain, then just put into an oiled container to prove. But if adding in flavourings then split the dough in half and add in the flavours you want and mix until well-distributed. Again put the dough/s into the oiled containers to prove. It will take approximately 2 hours or more for the dough/s to double in size - but this is all dependent on the temperature of your kitchen and how active your sourdough starter is.
Half my dough was flavoured with rosemary and the other half with black olives.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan or equivalent and line 2 large baking trays with greaseproof paper and sprinkle with a little semolina.
4. Dust the work surface with flour and a little semolina too. Carefully tip the dough onto the surface, sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough then stretch it out gently to a rough rectangle.
5. Using a sharp knife cut approximately 1 cm thick strips from the dough, stretching each piece out until its about 30 cm long. Place the strips on to the prepared trays leaving a small gap between each. Brush each one with a little olive oil.
6. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Check after 15 minutes and if still not crisp then bake for a little bit longer. Just keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn! Note - Rotate the tray halfway through for even baking. Cool on wire rack.
7. Store in an air-tight container for a few days - but I don’t think they will last that long!
