Tuesday, November 05, 2013

GLAZED BREADSTICKS

Ingredients
For the dough
350 grams soft bread flour
250 ml warm water
75 ml oil (5 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons instant dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
For the salty glaze
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons cold water


Preparation
First mix the instant dried yeast with the sugar, whisk in the warm water and let it sit in a warm spot for about 10-15 minutes, to activate the yeast. Sift the flour and make a little well in the middle, then pour in the yeast and the oil and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Process to knead it with your hands until it stops sticking, then knead for at least 5 more minutes, to make the dough completely smooth and elastic. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit in a warm spot for about an hour to an hour and a half, until the dough doubles in size. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface, briefly knead it, shape it into a rectangle about 25x15 cm (10x6") or adjust it to your baking sheet.
For the glaze, simply whisk the flour, salt and cold water into a paste, then pour it into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle or a freezer bag with a small corner cut off. Cut the dough with a pizza wheel into 10 strips and gently transfer them to a baking sheet covered with baking paper (don't space them too far apart, they don't expand that much during the baking). Bake them right away in a preheated oven at 200˚C (395˚F) for 10 minutes, take them out of the oven and pour the glaze over in a thin stream, then return them to the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.