Irresistible Bread Sticks

Ask any foodie about Rosemary Grissini and you should get a little chuckle. The name sounds like a real person. In fact, it refers to homemade herbed bread sticks.

Basically, the bread sticks are made from pizza dough into which crushed rosemary leaves have been processed. The recipe could not be simpler to make and the yield--about 3 dozen bread sticks--makes it well worth the work.

As an alternative to waiting at home for dough to rise at room temperature in a bowl, this dough can be made a day in advance (a starter should be made first) and left overnight in the refrigerator in a zippered locking bag.

This new refrigerated raising technique allows the cook to shape and bake dough when it is most convenient. It gives the dough a very slow rise and eliminates the need for a room-temperature rise, or punching down dough.

Overnight chilling also permits dough to be easily rolled into the rectangles from which the bread sticks are cut. Since these bread sticks are very thin, no additional rising time is required before baking.

The food processor quickly kneads the dough with the metal blade in about 20 to 30 seconds of continuous processing after the starter, or yeast mixture, has been added. No hand kneading is necessary once the dough has been removed from the machine.

In addition to using this dough for bread sticks, it is suitable for a 10-inch pizza, or 2 medium calzone.

ROSEMARY GRISSINI

Bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon dry yeast

1/3 cup warm (110 degrees) water

1/2 cup cake flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary leaves

Place 1/2 cup bread flour in mixing bowl. Add yeast and water and stir to form smooth paste. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside until mixture doubles, about 2 hours. (Can stir down and refrigerate, tightly covered, overnight.)

Insert metal blade in food processor. Add 2/3 cup bread flour, cake flour, salt, 2 tablespoons water, oil and rosemary. Process 10 seconds. Stir yeast mixture well and add to machine, then process until mixture forms soft shaggy ball, about 20 seconds. Add remaining 1 tablespoon water if ball does not form.

Rinse large bowl with warm water but do not dry. Add dough, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise until tripled, about 2 1/2 hours. (Or, rinse zipper-style locking plastic bag with warm water, drain, add dough, press out excess air, seal and refrigerate up to 2 days.)

Lightly flour work surface. Remove dough from bowl or bag without kneading and press out air. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each dough piece into 9x7-inch rectangle. With plain wheel of ravioli cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 1/4-inch wide strips. Roll strips between hands to round edges without twisting dough.

Transfer strips to baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees 15 to 18 minutes, or until bread sticks are crisp and brown. Cool to room temperature before serving. Makes about 3 dozen.