Recipes from Italy :: Italian Desserts
Yield: about 20
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. honey
1 1/4 (one and one-fourth) c. warm water (95 to 105 degrees fahrenheit)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Semolina flour for dusting
1/2 c. sesame or poppy seeds (optional)
Combine the yeast, honey, and warm water in a mixer bowl. Set aside until foamy, about 10 mins. Stir in the olive oil. Using the paddle attachment, mix in the flour and the salt until combined. Using the dough hook, knead the mixture on low speed for three mins.
Lightly flour the work surface and using your hands, pat the dough out to a 14 x 4-in. rectangle. Brush the top lightly with olive oil. Cover it with plastic wrap and let rise until double, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
Dust the surface of the dough with semolina flour before cutting and stretching*. Cut the rectangle crosswise into four equal portions and then cut each portion into five 4-in. lengths, about the width of a stubby finger. Stretch each piece to the width of a baking sheet and place the pieces a few in. apart on lightly oiled baking sheets. Bake 20 mins. Cool on racks.
*Variations: Instead of the semolina flour, you can sprinkle and distribute the dough with sesame seeds for Grissini Siciliani or poppy seeds for Grissini al Papavero before cutting and shaping.
