Sourdough Parmesan and Black Pepper Grissini (Crunchy Breadsticks)

These are crunchy sourdough parmesan and black pepper grissini made with sourdough starter, parmesan cheese and pepper. Great appetizer to dip with favorite olive oil or in charcuterie board with cheeses and fruit.

Are Grissini and Bread sticks being same?

Yes, Grissini and Bread sticks are similar. Grissini is long, thin, and crispy perfect and served with cured meats and cheese or for dunking in dips. While bread sticks are thick, short, and  soft. Both are delicious in  their own.

History of Grissini

Traditional Italian Bread Sticks  originated in Torino in Piemonte of  northwest Italy. Grissini was invented during the 17th century to cure the health  problems of the  Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy.

As Duke had difficulty digesting most foods  Dr. Don Baldo di Lanzo asked a baker Antonio Brunero from Torino to create something that the young duke can eat and is easily digestible.

Antonio  created something by taking  a part of the dough used to make ghersa, a typical bread of Torino . 

He Stretch the dough out into long, thin strips. As this thin bread sticks turned out be  crisp and easy to digest.

How to make this  Sourdough  Parmesan and Black Pepper Grissini?

You need following ingredients to make this  Grissini

1. All purpose flour : use bread flour if you want more chewiness to the grissini.

2. Sourdough Starter : I have used 100% hydration all-purpose flour starter.

3. Parmesan cheese : Use freshly grated parmesan cheese not the pre-grated one.

4. Black pepper : Freshly ground pepper gives more flavor.

5. Sugar : Adds hint of sweetness to grissini.

6. Salt: Add flavor as well as control the fermentation.

7. Water : You need smooth dough so hydration should around  52%.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions to make this Sourdough Parmesan and Black pepper grissini

First combine starter, flour, water, sugar, salt, cheese, and black pepper in Kitchen Aid bowl and mix well to form a smooth dough.

Set aside for fermentation at room temperature (73°F/ 22.7° C)

Once it is double in volume,  spread the dough into  a rectangle and cut it into thin strips of ½ inch size.

Then roll those strips into long and thin strips of about ¼ inch size with two ends which are slightly thick.

Bake it in a pre-heated oven and enjoy with or without a dip.

Variations

You can make assorted flavors of grissini,  garlic, rosemary, everything bagel seasoning, cheese, and  sesame seeds.

Equipment

You need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pizza cutter for cutting the dough strips and plastic brush for brushing olive oil

Storage

Sourdough Parmesan and Black pepper grissini will stay  pretty crisp for 2 or 3 days. Even if they have gone a little soft, you can refresh them by putting them in a 350°F oven for 5-8 minutes.

Why Sourdough Grissini?

• Sourdough adds extra flavor to the  Grissini compared to yeast version.
• If you have sourdough starter in hand, it is another way to make use of the sourdough starter.
• If you are using the discard, you can add yeast to speed up the fermentation.

I made this sourdough parmesan black pepper grissini as part of this month bread baker's event.

Print Recipe

5 from 75 votes

Sourdough Parmesan and Black Pepper Grissini (Crunchy Breadsticks)

These are crunchy  parmesan pepper grissini made with sourdough starter, parmesan cheese and pepper. Great appetizer to dip with favorite olive oil or in charcuterie board with cheeses and fruit.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

5 hours hrs

Total Time5 hours hrs 17 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: #grissini, #sourdoughbread, Breadsticks

Servings: 24 pieces

Calories: 51kcal

Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

• 2 cups 260g All- purpose flour
• ⅓ cup 75g Sourdough starter
• ½ cup 135g Water
• 3 tbsp. parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. /12 g sugar
• ¾ teaspoon / 5g salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• In a Kitchen Aid stand mixer bowl mix everything including sourdough starter, flour, water, cheese, salt, sugar, and black pepper and knead well and set aside for bulk fermentation.
• After 5 hours of bulk fermentation at room temperature ( 75°F/24°C)
• Then spread the dough into rectangle in a lightly oiled work surface. Then using an oiled pizza cutter or dough scrapper cut the dough into ½ inch pieces.
• Using both hands, grab a strip of cut dough by the ends and stretch it out in a single motion to about 12 inches long, which will fit inside the second sheet pan running parallel to the short sides. As you stretch each piece, place it in the pan and laying it close to the previous piece, but not touching it.
• Set aside while pre-heat the oven to 425°F/ 218°C .
• Brush with olive oil and bake.
• Bake the Sourdough Grissini for about 12 minutes or until golden brown in color.
• Once it cooled well enjoy with a dip.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

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Swathi

This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.