Back in the day restaurants would have warm bread served at the table and if you were in a really fine establishment, a compound butter, or extra virgin Olive Oil was there when no one was counting fat percentages over your shoulder. You would just dip right in without any guilt. This was a standard staple that would accompany your drink order. If you were really lucky, an imported Italian Bread Stick or Grissini would be waiting for you with your water. Today sadly, how we eat when we dine out sometimes becomes oddly not about the food anymore but the cost of labor. The preparation and time that goes into food service these days can often out way quality and inventiveness of cuisine. A good bread stick is rare and should be revived at the table. When they are so colorful and covered with seeds it hard to ignore that satisfying snap and crunch to the much appreciated pre-meal temptation. And in the big picture they really don’t take anytime at all to make.
Grissini
3 dozen
Ingredients
2 cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening or Coconut Oil
1/2 – 3/4 cup Ice Water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Pink Himalayan Salt
Any type of seed: Sesame, Poppy, Hemp, Crushed Pumpkin
Beet Juice, Kale Juice, Carrot Juice
Instructions
Pre heat the oven to 350°
In a food processor fitting with a metal blade, Pulse the Flour, Salt, Baking Powder and Shortening together.
Slowly add in the Water or Vegetable Water of your choice unit a smooth dough is formed making sure not to over mix or make it too wet.
Place the dough on a floured work surface and shape into a smooth flat rectangle. Using a rolling pin roll the dough out into a 8 x 10 inch sheet. Cut 1/4 inch wide strips and then roll between your fingertips to make long ropes.
Place on a parchment lined sheet pan pressing then ends firmly into the pan to hold the sticks down while baking.
Brush with Olive Oil and sprinkle with the Himalayan Salt or roll into your seeds.
Bake for 14-18 minutes or until jus turning brown.
Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Colorful Bread sticks can be achieved by adding vegetable juices instead of plain Water. Either buy cold pressed juices or juice your own in a juicer for vibrant colors and add a little zip with an assortment of seeds by rolling the Grissini around in them before baking.