Italian Grissini

Servings: 6
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Prep Time 42 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour & 7 minutes

Ingredients:
2 & 1/3 cup (325g) of ‘00’ flour
1.8 tbsp (15g) of fresh yeast or 7g dried
4/5 cup (200ml) of tepid milk
1 cup (100g) of Parmesan
.4 cup (100g) of soft butter
.8 tsp (5g) of salt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Mix the yeast with tepid milk. Blend the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Pour in the yeasted milk and use your fingers to incorporate everything evenly and bring to a dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board and roll out to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut into lengths about 40cm long and 1 cm wide.

2. Place on a greased baking sheet and cook for 25–30 minutes or until a rich golden brown. Leave to cool and store in a tall airtight jar such as a spaghetti jar. They will keep for about a month. Use them as they are or wrap each one in a thin slice of ham.

Variations:
Sesame seeds – spread a layer of sesame seeds on a plate and roll each stick in them before cooking.

Rosemary – spread a layer of finely chopped rosemary leaves on a plate and roll each stick in them before cooking.

Thin Grissini – you can also put the dough through a pasta machine: roll it through the widest setting a couple of times, then put it through a tagliatelle cutter. Lay the strips on a floured baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.