There are some pantry items that we don’t really ever consider making, opting for the simple and cheap store-bought versions. Grissini or breadsticks (invented sometime in the 17th century near Turin in Italy) tend to be one of those items. But on closer inspection of the ingredients, many commercial breadsticks seem like less of a bargain. They are made with palm oil or dubious vegetable oils, emulsifiers and additives, and almost universally made with industrial white refined wheat flour, that has been largely stripped of its nutritional value. Industrial wheat is farmed as a monocrop, often heavily sprayed with pesticides and fertilizers and this has serious implications for long term biodiversity and soil health. This is so often the case with cheap industrial food, the pricetag on the item in the supermarket so rarely shows the true cost of the food.
So when my good friend Suzanne recently shared with me her fantastic grissini recipe made with nutrient-dense chickpea flour and ground almonds, we were hooked. Her method is simple and only asks you to rest the dough for two hours before backing, requiring just a little forward planning. But the results golden, flavourful batons that are well worth the small extra effort.
These also happen to be gluten free, for those who are bothered by wheat-based products. Just made sure that the flours and yeast you buy are labelled gluten-free, to avoid contamination.
Chickpea Grissini
Makes ten 8-inch (20 cm) grissini | Equipment: A baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
1/2 cup (125 ml) lukewarm water
1 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup (30 g) corn flour
2 tablespoons (20 g) potato starch
2 tablespoons (20 g) sesame seeds
2 tablespoons (15 g) ground almonds
2 tablespoons (10 g) psyllium
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Method
1. In a small bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and set aside until the mixture bubbles and has a fragrant yeast aroma, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Stir well to combine. Add the yeast mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well-combined. The dough will be soft. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
3. While the dough is rising, center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F (180°C).
4. Divide the dough into even portions, each weighing just under 1 ounce (30 grams). Roll each portion into a ball. You should have about 10 balls. Using your fingers and the palm of your hand, roll each ball into sticks about 3/8-inch (1 cm) in diameter and about 8 inches (20 cm) long. Place each on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the breadsticks. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C), return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 30 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow the grissini to cool. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
This is a Nourish the Planet recipe, part of a collaborative series by Patricia Wells and Emily Buchanan.
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