These thin, herb-flecked breadsticks recall the ones once served at the bar of a restaurant where I worked years ago—crisp, delicate, and dangerously easy to keep eating.
Info
- Cook time: 50 minutes
- Total time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: about 150 breadsticks
Ingredients
- 5 grams fresh yeast
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for coating
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 3/4 cups plus 4 teaspoons bread flour
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Semolina flour, for dusting
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast with 1/3 cup plus 4 teaspoons warm water; let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Measure out 20 grams of the whisked egg into another small bowl and set aside for the dough; keep the rest for the egg wash.
- Fit the mixer with the dough hook. Add the olive oil, milk, molasses, and the reserved 20 grams of egg to the yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Add half of the bread flour and mix for 8 minutes, scraping down the bowl to ensure no lumps remain. Add the remaining bread flour, the Parmigiano-Reggiano, chives, salt, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and paprika; mix/knead for 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead by hand for 2 to 3 minutes more. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Heat a convection oven to 300°F, or a regular oven to 325°F.
- Turn 2 baking sheets (or half sheet pans) upside down and lightly coat them with olive oil. Dust your work surface with semolina flour.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and fold it over to deflate any large air pockets. Cut the dough in half and work with one half at a time: using a pasta-rolling machine, roll the dough from the thickest setting down to the thinnest (the last or second-to-last setting), until it is 1/16 inch thick. Cut the rolled sheets in half. By hand or with the linguine or spaghetti attachment, cut the sheets into thin strands (1/8 to 1/16 inch, depending on the cutter) and dust them with semolina flour to prevent sticking. Repeat with the remaining dough. Lay the strands lengthwise on the upside-down baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch between them. Stretch each strand to the length of the pan, trimming any excess. Brush the strands with the reserved egg wash using a small pastry brush, then sprinkle lightly with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. If any breadsticks stick to the pan, use a fish spatula to help release them. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to a week.
