Grissini - Thin and Crispy Italian Breadsticks

Ready to impress your guests with these made-from-scratch, deliciously crunchy Italian breadsticks?!?

Imagine. One of these deliciously crispy breadsticks wrapped with savory Italian Prosciutto. Or next to a fancy cheese platter and tasty olives. You can even place some of these breadsticks into a tall glass or in a small vase and make a deliciously edible centerpiece. Everyone will be impressed, especially when they find out you made these from scratch. So remember: go for a rustic look, not perfectly shaped, like store-bought grissini.

The good news, you can wow everybody, without too much effort. Just prepare a simple pizza dough. And as you do for pizza, make sure to knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Store covered in a warm place, and give it enough time for it to rise. Stretch the dough, brush with tasty olive oil, cut it in strips and stretch the breadsticks. At this point you can add different flavors to the grissini, from herbs like chopped rosemary, to poppy or sesame seeds. Make it fun and delicious.
As usual I'm not just going to tell you how easy this recipe is, but I will show you in this video:

Here are a few things to keep in mind, when doing this recipe.
As I always say, please take your time to weight the flour. It makes a huge difference when you pick up the flour with the measuring cup or when you pour it in.
Also your breadstick are handmade, so they won't be perfect and all the same size and thickness. As I said, I like that rustic look. But keep in mind that a thinner breadstick bakes faster. And burn more easily. The end points are a little thicker, and will not be as crispy as the rest. So, don't go too crazy on the rustic :)
Enjoy!

Ingredients: to make about 20 long breadsticks       PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 2 cups (300 gr) of  bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• one package (15 gr) of active dry yeast 
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) of warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt 6 gr
• poppy seeds, or sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus at least two hours inactive

Directions:
1. In a large bowl mix the flour with the sugar and the dry yeast.

2. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the flour, and half cup of warm water. Mix with a spoon.

3. Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in a quarter cup of warm water. Add it to the dough, and mix with a spoon first until all the water is absorbed. Move the dough to the counter and knead by hand for a few minutes (maybe 5) until the dough is smooth and elastic.

 Add a bit of water if too hard. Or a bit of flour if too sticky.
4. Make the dough into a ball and cover in plastic wrap and a kitchen towel to keep warm. Let rise for at least an hour.

5. Flatten and stretch the the dough into a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick and 14 x 9 inch. Brush with one tablespoon of olive oil.

6. Cover again with plastic wrap and let sit for one more hour or longer.

7. Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C).
Cut the dough on the shorter side in strips, about 1/3 of an inch (1 cm) wide, using sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Stretch each strip to almost double its size or the length of your baking sheet.

If you'd like, you can sprinkle with sesames or poppy seeds, and roll the breadsticks so the seeds stick to the dough.

8. Bake the breadsticks for about 12 minutes. Watch carefully while baking. The time can vary based on the thickness of your breadsticks.
When completely cool, eat or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days

Enjoy :)

Homemade Italian Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Who knew that baking this super soft and amazingly delicious
Italian focaccia bread could be this easy?!?

This focaccia bread is simply delicious. Super soft and wholesome. It combines the fresh aroma of rosemary, and the pungent and fruity flavor of extra virgin olive oil. So simple, but yet so impressive.
I like to bake this bread for our family dinner, but also when I have guests, to serve with a variety of Italian appetizers. Next to some prosciutto or porchetta. With a mozzarella and juicy tomato caprese. Or a selection of olives and cheese.
And here is my secret. A very simple secret that will guarantee your guests begging for another dinner invitation: bake this focaccia right before everybody is supposed to arrive. Nothing compares to the mouth-watering smell of freshly baked bread. The inviting aroma of this focaccia will surely welcome your guests into your dining room, and make them run for their fork and plate.
Everybody will be impressed by your baking ability. But now, look at my recipe: quick and easy. No need for a bread-maker or any other expensive gadget. All you need is a spoon, your hands (... can't do without them!!) and a little bit of patience. All great things take time to bake.
The trick to amazingly soft bread is in the rising. The dough needs a warm and safe place to stay. I cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let it sit for about 3 hours in the oven. Turned off, obviously :-)
I am positive that you can do this. And I know that while you will be mixing, kneading and eating this focaccia you will be asking yourself why did you wait this long to try homemade bread. I know you will!

Ingredients: to make a 9 x 12 in focaccia bread

• 1 medium russet potato (mine was 6.5 oz, 185 gr)
• 2.5 cups (400 gr) of bread flour
• 1 package of active dry yeast (3/4 oz, 21 gr)
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 5 rosemary sprigs
• 2 teaspoons (12 gr) of salt
• 10 fl oz (300 ml) of water
• half teaspoon of coarse sea salt (I used lava black sea salt) to sprinkle on top

Preparation time: about 4 hours (35 minutes to prepare, three hours inactive, 25 minutes baking)

Directions:
1. Cook the potato (peeled) in slightly salted water. It should take about 20 minutes. Test with a fork for readiness.
2. In a large bowl add the flour, yeast, sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and most of the rosemary leaves chopped in small pieces. Save 2 rosemary sprigs for the end.  Pass the potato (when still hot) through a ricer into the bowl.

3. Dissolve the salt in 10 fl oz of warm water. Add to the bowl. Mix with a spoon first, until most of the flour is absorbed. Once the dough comes together, move it to a clean, lightly floured counter and knead for several minutes, pushing with your palm down and forward. The dough should be sightly sticking to your hand. Add some flour if too sticky, or add a tiny bit of water if too hard to work.
Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Keep it in a warm place. As I do for my pizza dough, I place it in the oven (turned off obviously!). Let the dough rise for about an hour and a half.

4. Line a 9 x 12 in baking pan with parchment paper. Place the dough on the paper, and flatten it down with your fingers. With your finger, punch some holes on the dough, just like in the picture. Sprinkle with sea salt and the remaining rosemary. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Put the pan back in the off-oven, and let the dough rise for another hour and a half, or so.

5. Remove the pan from the oven, and preheat to 400 degrees. Bake the focaccia bread for about 23- 25 minutes, until slightly golden on top.

Cut in squares and serve warm or at room temperature ... always delicious! Enjoy!

Sinfully Delicious Egg and Pancetta on Toasted and Bread Cups

These cute bread cups have it all: perfectly baked egg, crispy-at-the-edges pancetta, and melted cheesy center. 
All over a golden toasted bread cup.
Brunch can't get any better than this!

What's not to love about this dish?! It has bacon. It has perfectly baked, runny eggs. It's served over a toasted slice of cheesy bread. It's quick and super easy to make in a few simple steps. And check it out: only four main ingredients ... no oil not butter!
With this recipe, you can make your Sunday brunch extra special, served next to a healthy green salad. But eggs is one of those things that you can really eat at any time of the day: for a hearty breakfast, a quick lunch or a fun family dinner.  Also, with these cute and elegant bread cups, you can for sure wow your guests at your next party!
And hey! Mother's Day is right around the corner. You have a week to show this recipe and convince your kids (and your husband) to bake these for you. So you can treat yourself with a lavish brunch ... maybe served in bed :-)
And don't forget, the apple roses would also look really good on that breakfast tray ;-)

Here are a few suggestions for you. Make sure you have large enough slices of bread, so that the bread can hold the filling inside. And it's better if the slices are cut thin, so there is more space inside. Also I suggest using small or medium eggs. A large egg might over-spill, when you use a regular sized muffin cup.

Buon appetito!

Ingredients: to make 6 cups (serving 2 or 3)              Printable Recipe

• 6 slices of bread
• about 3 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella
• 6 cage-free, organic small or medium eggs
• 6 slices of pancetta, or thin cut bacon
• salt and pepper

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Remove the crust from the bread slices.

2. Flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin.

 3. Place each slice in each muffin cup, pressing it down with your fingers. Don't worry if the bread breaks on the bottom, it will be fine. I used a silicone mold, so no greasing is required. If you are not, make sure to spray or grease with a little bit of butter the bottom and sides of the cup.

4. Sprinkle the bottom of each bread cup with about half tablespoon of shredded mozzarella.

5. Wrap a slice of pancetta around the edge.

6. Add the egg, trying not to break the yolk. It might overflow if the egg is too big... don't worry!  Medium or small eggs work better in this recipe.

7. Sprinkle with salt, and pepper. Remember the pancetta or bacon tends to be salty so don't use too much salt. Bake for about 20 minutes for a runny egg, 25 minutes for a fully cooked egg.

 Serve immediately and eat as fast as you can. Buon appetito!