Carolyn got me the cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home for Christmas. We went to the restaurant when we were out in Sonoma, and both the restaurant and cookbook are excellent. They focus around good, wholesome food, with detailed preparation. None of the recipes in the cookbook are particularly hard, but they call for specific ingredients not everyone has around the house and can involve many exacting steps.
I have unfortunately not tried as many recipes from the book as I want to. This recipe for Grissini… or crunchy breadsticks, is great though. They are very simple to make and once prepared can be placed aside and popped in the oven when guests arrive. Served hot and crispy out of the oven, they will go quick so make sure you put a few aside for yourself!
Grissini
A lot of substitutions can be made with this recipe. If you don’t have semolina, just use regular flour. You can substitute another hard cheese for Parmesan and kosher salt for sea salt.
Ad Hod at Home
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 155 F)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional as needed
- 1/3 cup fine semolina flour
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 teaspoon ground fleur de sel or fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for brushing
- Coarsely ground black pepper
Directions:
- Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, then stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. If you are using instant yeast, you can just mix things together and get started.
- Combine the flours, cheese, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Stir the oil into the yeast mixture, then pour into the well and mix together with a fork. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a lightly floured board and knead, adding a dusting of all-purpose flour as necessary (Depending on the flours and humidity, you may need up to an additional 1/4 cup), until a smooth dough forms. Shape the dough into a ball and roll on the Board to coat very lightly with flour.
- Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes, or until it has risen slightly.
- Position the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface and, using a dough scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough in half. Cut one half into 12 pieces for short grissini, or 6 pieces for long grissini. Roll each piece into a rope about 9 inches long for short grissini, or about 15 inches long for long grissini. You can leave them round or twist or flatten them, or a combination of the two. The thinner or flatter they are, the crispier the result; thicker grissini may be doughier, if that is your preference. Transfer to one of the parchment-lined baking sheets as you form them.
- Coarsely grind a light dusting of pepper onto a section of the work surface; it is easier to control the amount of pepper that will be rolled onto the grissini by keeping the area small. (Alternatively, omit the pepper and sprinkle the grissini with fleur del sel or seeds.) Lightly brush the grissini with olive oil. One at a time roll in the pepper and return to the parchment; grind additional pepper as needed. Repeat with the remaining dough. ( The grissini can be held for up to an hour on the baking sheets in a cool spot. Or, to hold them longer, cover with parchment paper, wrap the baking sheets in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.)
- Bake the grissini, switching the position of the pans and rotating them halfway though baking, until golden and crisp, 16 to 18 minutes. Coll on the pans on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.