What is grissini?
Breadsticks (grissini) are generally pencil-sized sticks of crisp, dry bread originating in Turin and the surrounding area in Italy.
Breadsticks may be offered at the table in restaurants as an appetizer. In some instances or regions they may be a type that is larger than pencil-sized. They may also be combined with ingredients such as prosciutto as an hors dœuvre, garlic, onion and rosemary.
The history
The history of grissini is closely related to that of Piedmont, a region of northwest Italy. Grissini were actually invented at the end of the 17th century to cure the health problems of young duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy. The court doctor, commissioned the court baker, Antonio Brunero, to make an extremely light and friable bread. Antonio decided to take a part of the dough use to make ghersa, a typical bread of Turin, and stretch it out into long, thin strips. Once baked, the thin breadsticks were crisp and easy to digest.
The secret of the perfect crisp grossini is the appropriate amount of olive oil and sufficient time of kneading. You can read more about health benefits of ramsons here.
Method
Lets see the steps of preparing grissini with ramsons.
First, knead the dough using flour, yeast, water, oil, and salt.
Let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
Divide the dough into small pieces and roll each one into long, thin sticks.
Place the sticks on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and brush them with the chosen wash.
Bake the grissini in a preheated oven until golden and crisp.
You can find the full recipe and detailed instructions here: http://www.ck-creativekitchen.com/magazine/How_to_s/Grissini_with_ramsons/87
