February 2, 2011 - 2:38pm
Bread Stick Suggestions?
I have made Grissini a few times, usually they get topped with garlic salt herbs, salt and such. They are tasty enough but my wife asked that I make them softer so they aren't so crunchy on her teeth. I usually roll the dough out and cut it with a pizza cutter and bake them until lightly colored. I've used Hamelmans and Reinhart's recipes equally.
So my question is, does anyone have a bread stick recipe they have used that produces a not so crunchy but tasty product? I know I could simply under bake my usual recipe but I thought I'd ask. I'm expected to bring garlic bread sticks to the Super Bowl party we are attending and I'd like them to be a hit.
Thank,
Eric
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How about Norm's onion roll recipe (hard roll) and roll out the dough but thicker, cut 1" stripes and twist them. Before twisting smear with spud mud... mashed potatoes with garlic and yogurt (salt & pepper and a splash of vinegar)
:) Mini
Thanks Mini,
Honestly I'm a little frazzled with the weather recently. I'll wait on the spud mud with a splash of vinegar until I can think about that. All of that goes on the bread before baking?
Eric
Hi Eric, just before the holidays I made cheese and garlic soft breadsticks using Reinhart's pain de mie formula. This was an experiment that turned out pretty well. Thought I had taken photos, but can't locate them.
I mixed the dough and after the bulk fermentation, rolled it out sort of flat, cut it into strips, and then flattened each strip to widen it. I think they were eight or nine inches long.
I sprinkled a garlic/herb powder plus a healthy amount of coarsely grated parmesan reggiano and mozzarella over each strip, then rolled them up and sealed the seams. Let them proof, popped them in the oven, and they were pretty tasty. I didn't do a great job sealing the seams on all of them, but the cheese mix just oozed out and baked into the crust. On some I also sprinkled shredded mozzarella on the top, which melted nicely and turned a lovely golden brown during the bake.
I think this would work with any straight dough formula you like. They're pretty easy and quick to put together, so you could experiment before the weekend using any cheese you wish.
Hope this gives you a couple of ideas.
Rolling up the cheese sounds like it might be a good idea.
Eric
You could use just about any good foccacia formula. They come out very light and soft. I brush them with butter and sprinkle with parmessan cheese when they come out of the oven.
A good pizza formula would also work, a bit more dense but still a nice texture.
The Focaccia sounds like it would work well. The idea of dusting them with the toppings after the bake is attractive. Thanks flournwater.
Eric
Your Girls will love this one.
Drooling Here!
Eric
Consider trying this technique as seen on YouTube. It's in Italian, but easy to follow as far as technique. I get much better results stretching than cutting. Make the dough wet enough (about 50% hydration) and with enough oil (about 8%) so it will stretch easily. Use AP flour (or Italian 00) instead of bread flour. Raise the heat and reduce cooking time to make the grissini softer. Making them fatter works well also. I'm actually a fan of crisp and airy, but I've made enough mistakes in the other direction to know what works. As far as taste goes, I'm a fan of EEVO, plain and simple. The other alternative, even tastier, is to infuse your oil with flavors. My favorite is EVOO infused with rosemary.
The other route to consider is to substitute some of the water with milk. This will definitely soften the crumb.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3npKK8ZHTIQ&feature=player_embedded
Here's some pictures of my grissini (among others).
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21703/steam-oven
And some more on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=188488224496218&set=a.103660479645660.7941.100000051251593
Cheers,
Roy