Читать книгу Made in Italy: Food and Stories - Giorgio Locatelli - Страница 84

They say that Napoleon loved grissini, which he called le petit baton de pain de Turin – and that he was eating it at Waterloo, when he lost the battle. I would always make a big batch of these, because if you have any left over you can keep them in an airtight container for about a week – also they make fantastic crunchy breadcrumbs, with a special flavour from the Parmesan. Just put the breadsticks in a clean polythene bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Kids especially love chicken breasts dipped in some flour, a little beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs and sautéed.

Makes about 25 grissini

(25 cm long)

50g unsalted butter

200g whole milk

10g fresh yeast

375g strong white bread flour (see page 140) or Italian 00 (doppio zero) flour

3 generous tablespoons grated Parmesan

10g fine salt

Preheat the oven to 230°C, gas 8.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the milk and heat it gently until it just feels warm to the fingertips (37-40°C). Whisk in the yeast.

Put the flour, Parmesan and salt in a bowl, then add a little of the milk mixture at a time, mixing it in well with your hands until it forms a dough. Alternatively, mix in a food processor, with a dough hook, for 3 minutes on the first speed, then 6 minutes on the next speed.

Turn the dough out on a clean work surface (you don’t need any flour or oil), and dimple and fold as described on the previous page. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave for 30 minutes.

Repeat the dimpling and folding process and leave for another 30 minutes, again covered with the tea towel.

Cut the dough in half lengthways, flour your work surface and roll each piece out into a big rectangle.

Cut the dough across its width into strips about 1cm wide – you can use a sharp knife against a clean plastic ruler.

Roll each strip with your fingertips, starting at the centre and moving outwards in three movements, stretching the dough slightly as you roll. Press each end lightly with your thumb, to make an ‘ear’ shape. Lay on a non-stick baking sheet and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 180°C, gas 4, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.