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    Italian Style Breadsticks

    Jan 3, 2019 · 32 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    These Turin-style breadsticks are smooth with a soft interior. We’ve brushed ours with melted butter and herbs for an irresistible snack!

    The breadstick conundrum. I don’t know quite ‘when’ it happened or how all I am certain of is that it ‘did’ – and I’m not sure there is a remedy. What was once culinary heresy has become orthodoxy, and it seems to have happened without anyone even noticing the change.

    I’m talking about the seemingly abrupt and near total conversion of the phrase ‘breadstick,’ and how it today conjures images of what I can only recognize as ‘individual baguettes’ as opposed to the finger-thin or even pencil-thin ‘loaves’ of years gone by. Indeed, when Duke Amedeo of Savoy wrote of his love for ‘bone thin loaves’ in the late-1600s, which is among the first historical mentions of ‘breadsticks,’ he was talking about the slender loaves popularized in the then small town of Turin. Even today, the city is noteworthy for this yard-long, pencil-thin breadsticks placed on display in the windows of their heritage-protected bakeries.

    This change in style has led some to call the new breadsticks ‘American Breadsticks.’ Perhaps fittingly, ‘American Breadsticks’ are described as being “plumper, greasier, and typically more seasoned than their traditional Italian counterparts, which tend towards slenderer, plainer ‘sticks’ as opposed to miniature ‘loaves.’”

    Naturally, it was with that in mind that I decided to prepare a batch of ‘traditional’ breadsticks, the sort of breadstick that used to be popular here in New York made famous by Arthur Avenue bakeries, or that were served in the breadbaskets of old-school local Italian restaurants – Turin-style Breadsticks.

    To start things off, we mix together flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the amounts listed below in a large bowl or stand mixer, and mix until it is well combined.

    Now, add in the oil and the hot water, and mix on slow for about two minutes. Once this is done, add in a half cup of flour, and continue to mix for another minute or two.

    After that’s done, add in your final one and a half cups of flour, and mix until you have a soft dough.

    Work the dough into a smooth ball, then divide it into 20 slices, and roll each slice into a long strip or ‘rope.’ Arrange the breadsticks on a parchment lined baking sheet and let them rest for about fifteen minutes.

    Bake the breadsticks at a low temperature until they are golden. Finally, I topped the breadsticks off with an herbed butter and oil mixture that is brushed over them while they were hot and fresh out of the oven.

    Print

    Italian Style Breadsticks

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    • Author: Living the Gourmet
    • Prep Time: 12 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Total Time: 32 minutes
    • Yield: 20 breadsticks 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 packages active dry yeast
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1 1/4 cups hot water (about 120 degrees F.)

    Herbed Butter & Oil:

    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    1. In the bowl of your mix master with the dough hook attachment, combine ½ cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. On low speed, mix together then add the oil and hot water.
    2. Add another ½ cup flour and beat the mixture on high speed until incorporated.
    3. Add the remaining 1½ cups of flour, beating on low speed until a soft dough comes together and pulls at the sides of the bowl.
    4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and shape into a smooth log. Slice the log into about 20 pieces.
    5. Roll each piece of dough out into ½-inch thick ropes. Carefully place the ropes on parchment lined baking sheets and let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
    6. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Bake the breadsticks until lightly golden.
    7. For the herbed butter and oil mixture, melt the butter and whisk together with the oil, herbs, and spices. Brush this over the breadsticks while they are still hot from the oven.
    8. Serve immediately. Can be stored in an airtight container or freezer back for up to 5 days.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @LTGfood on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    These breadsticks are served while they are still warm and a little soft. They pair beautifully with your favorite Italian dish and red sauce, but I also love them with an antipasto platter and a little red wine.

    Now for a little New Year’s surprise! To celebrate the New Year we are hosting a little giveaway. Enter below for a chance to win a $25 Visa Gift Card! (Please note this giveaway is only open to US residents. Must be 18+ to enter). Good luck!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Enjoy with Love!

    3

    Appetizers

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. angiesrecipes says

      04/01/2019 at 3:40 am

      Love them! I would probably snack on them all day long :-)) Happy New Year!

      Reply
    2. Eli says

      04/01/2019 at 4:30 pm

      Oh dear! These are amazing! Yes, really made with art! <3 Congrats, and many many blessings for you in this 2019! ^_^

      Reply
    3. jberry says

      04/01/2019 at 10:48 pm

      Maybe next giveaway a non social media option, remember those? LoL

      Reply
    4. Kari Jasus says

      05/01/2019 at 3:52 pm

      these look so delicious and easy to make!

      Reply
    5. DAVID J MYERS says

      05/01/2019 at 4:50 pm

      Catherine, Love quality Italian bread sticks with a nice bowl of pasta or a salad! Have a great day… Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

      Reply
    6. tiffany dayton says

      05/01/2019 at 7:29 pm

      They look so good.

      Reply
    7. Serena says

      07/01/2019 at 9:16 am

      Those are just perfect and look delicious

      Reply
    8. Chiara says

      07/01/2019 at 6:02 pm

      what a stunning recipe Catherine, your “grissini” are delicious, perfect for an “aperitivo time”, Happy New Year, a warm hug !

      Reply
    9. Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says

      09/01/2019 at 4:01 pm

      So true, Italian breadsticks, grissini, are much plainer and “healthier” than their American counterpart. These look perfect and they are great with an antipasto platter.

      Reply
    10. Sherri says

      10/01/2019 at 2:31 pm

      Your breadsticks definitely remind me of the ones I remember from my childhood. They were my favorite thing to snack on when we went out to dinner, and yes, they are very different from the ones offered in many restaurants today. Love your version of them! Wish I could jump through the screen and sneak a bite! 😉

      Reply
    11. Leslie Haasch says

      10/01/2019 at 5:15 pm

      These kinds of breadsticks have always been one of those things that I get so excited to eat when I see them, and then I promptly forget about them until the next time I see them. I should just make them myself!

      Reply
    12. Veena Azmanov says

      10/01/2019 at 8:20 pm

      Oh, my little ones use to eat breadsticks all the time. She had week gums so her doctor asked me to let her chew on breadsticks and I’d make these at least once a week.
      Been ages now….. I can almost taste these. Look so delish.

      Reply
    13. anne lawton says

      10/01/2019 at 10:42 pm

      I’ve always wanted to try making breadsticks. You make it look easy!

      Reply
    14. Aleta says

      11/01/2019 at 4:55 am

      Breadsticks! Home-made breadsticks? Yes please! Love me some good breadsticks, I am super excited to make these and devour them into the night 😛

      Reply
    15. Dominique | Perchance to Cook says

      11/01/2019 at 7:30 pm

      I am seriously craving breadsticks after seeing these photos now! These look perfectly crispy. Saving this recipe for sure!

      Reply
    16. Kiki Johnson says

      12/01/2019 at 3:47 pm

      Oh I LOVE these breadsticks! I know them as Grissini and back in Germany they were always a staple at any Italian restaurant and came with the cutlery! Here in Canada, I started to miss them and I would love to try making my own! Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    17. Marisa Franca says

      12/01/2019 at 3:58 pm

      We love making grissini and they are more like the Italian version. They are long, thin, and crisp. It seems like the American version is like soft bread dough that is buttery and greasy. But honestly — they are good too. There just isn’t a bread I’ve found that I don’t like. Your grissini look like the perfect addition with the wine.

      Reply
    18. connie danielson says

      12/01/2019 at 5:02 pm

      they look so yummy! I would snack on them all day long too!

      Reply
    19. Farwin says

      13/01/2019 at 6:03 pm

      They look amazing! My kids love them and would snack on them all day long! Saving this so I can make them at home!

      Reply
    20. Elizabeth Leaver says

      13/01/2019 at 6:49 pm

      These are the type of thing I can see myself eating 10 of before coming up for air. They look SO GOOD. Love the suggestion of having them with antipasto and red wine as well, that is pretty much my food heaven 🤤

      Reply
    21. Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says

      14/01/2019 at 4:05 am

      My husband and I certainly love a good bread stick so we’re definitely going to have to give your recipe a try in the not-too-distant future!

      Reply
    22. connie danielson says

      16/01/2019 at 4:05 pm

      they look so yummy! thanks for this recipe!

      Reply

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