From the Giallo Zafferano blog by Renata Briano
I rosemary breadsticks are crispy and tasty sticks of Piedmontese origin, ideal to replace bread on any occasion; I love them served as an appetiser with a nice board of cold meats and cheeses or to accompany a nice mixed salad.
It seems that breadsticks were first created in Turin in the first half of the 17th century. Their name comes from gherssa which was a typical Piedmontese bread with an elongated shape, almost equal to the baguette French.
Legend has it that the son of the Duke of Savoy suffered from intestinal ailments due to the poorly baked breadcrumbs and could only consume dry, ironed breadsticks. Initially, therefore, they were only eaten as bread by the nobility, but soon spread to the other social classes and became famous all over the world.
The recipe I propose is very simple: you use the brewer's yeast and a good type 2 wheat flour. The rosemary gives the finishing touch by making them fragrant, tasty and delicious to munch on on their own.
Ingredients
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Wheat flour type 2
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180 gWater
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15 gBrewer's yeast (or 30 g dehydrated sourdough)
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1 teaspoonBarley malt (or sugar)
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2 twigsRosemary (washed and dried needles)
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50 gExtra virgin olive oil
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2 teaspoonsSalt + q.b.
Preparation
Chop the needles of rosemary and put them in a bowl.
Add water, malt and brewer's yeast and dissolve by stirring with a whisk or fork.
Unite flour, oil and salt and knead until the dough is elastic and workable.
Council: Should the dough be too hard or too sticky and soft, add either water or flour to make it the right consistency.
Place a sheet of baking paper on the work surface, transfer the dough and shape it into an elongated loaf, with the short side about 10 cm long.
Brush the entire surface with a little oil, cover with the bowl and allow to rise until doubled in volume. It will take about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 200°C static.
Line the drip pan with baking paper and set aside.
With a knife, cut out 1 cm wide strips of dough from the short side of the loaf.
Using your hands, thin by stretching from the ends to about 30 cm in length.
Attention: if you break them as you roll them, put them as they are on the plate without kneading them again.
Place the breadsticks next to each other on the baking tray and bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
AttentionWith this amount of flour, you have to plan for two or three baking rounds because they won't all fit in the drip pan at once.
Consume cold.
They can be stored for several days in a tin or airtight container. If you wish, you can pop them in the oven for a while!
Depending on your taste, you can replace the rosemary with other herbs.