the Italian grissini recipe from Turin

THE BREADSTICKS THAT NEVER ARRIVE ALONE

In Italy, grissini rarely travel alone.

Sooner or later someone wraps one in a slice of prosciutto.

And once that happens, it’s difficult to stop.

Before the meal arrives, while waiting for friends, wine, or an aperitivo to begin, grissini quietly disappear from the table one after another.

Which explains why restaurants keep bringing more.

breadsticks recipe grissini in a white vase with flours

FROM TURIN TO THE REST OF ITALY

These thin, crunchy breadsticks were born in Turin, in Piedmont.

The original grissini torinesi were surprisingly long—often around 60 centimeters.

Elegant.

Slightly excessive.

Entirely Italian.

Today you’ll find shorter versions throughout the country, but their Piedmontese origins remain proudly intact.

breadsticks recipe grissini laying on a kitchen cloth

SIMPLE DOUGH, ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

The classic recipe is wonderfully simple.

Flour.

Water.

Olive oil.

Yeast.

Salt.

From there you can personalize them however you like.

Aromatic herbs.

Black pepper.

Sesame seeds.

Poppy seeds.

Or simply coarse salt, which remains my favorite.

breadsticks recipe grissini dough on a board

A BREAD BASKET’S BEST FRIEND

Freshly baked grissini deserve more than being tossed into a bowl.

I love serving them upright in a vase, almost like a bouquet.

Sometimes alongside dried flowers.

Sometimes with fresh herbs.

It’s a tiny gesture, but one that transforms bread into part of the table decoration.

breadsticks recipe grissini in a vase with flowers #gourmetproject #italianrecipes #bread

Print

Italian grissini recipe

Basic grissini recipe for thin and crunchy Italian breadsticks.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
resting time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 206 kcal
Author Claudia Rinaldi

Ingredients

  • 8,8 0 flour 250 gr - about a tablespoon less than 2 cups
  • 4,4 oz water room temperature 125 gr - 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
  • 0,2 oz fresh baker's yeast 7 gr - 1/4 cube
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1,2 oz extra-virgin olive oil 35 gr - 4 tablespoons
  • more olive oil keep it at hand
  • coarse salt or salt flakes

Instructions

  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in the water.
  2. Place flour in the mixing bowl (kneading hook on), add the yeasted water and mix a few seconds.
  3. Add olive oil and salt and knead until the dough comes together around the hook (or is not sticky anymore, if kneading by hand).
  4. Spread with a tablespoon or two of olive oil a working surface (plastic, wood or marble).
  5. Work the dough with your hands to form a thin (1 cm/1/3 inch) rectangle (12 inches/30 cm x 6 inches/15 cm).
  6. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over it and spread it evenly with your hands, including sides.
  7. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen cloth and store it in a warm spot of your home, to rise for about an hour.

  8. Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).

  9. Take back the dough (it should have almost doubled in height) and cut out 1 cm/1/3 inches large stripes longwise.

  10. Line an oven sheet with parchment paper.
  11. Take each dough string from extremities (yes, let gravity do its job! which means they'll stretch out) and display them, longwise, on the oven sheet.
  12. If you want regularly sized grissini, simply cut these strips in two.
  13. Sprinkle them with coarse salt or salt flakes.
  14. Bake grissini 8-10 minutes or until golden. Let them chill completely before removing them.

Recipe Notes

Serve them in a cute bread basket or as a bouquet with fresh or dried flowers :-).

You can store breadsticks in brown paper bags up to 3 days. If you want them fragrant as just-made, toast them a couple of minutes in a very hot (180-200°C) oven.

While I first shared this recipe in Italian Winter Simposio, grissini truly belong to Turin and Piedmont, whose cafés and traditions are explored in Turin’s Simposio.

Enjoy your grissini recipe!

Claudia