Category: Breads -

Bread Sticks     

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups bread flour
3/4 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/3 tsp. instant or other active dry yeast
2 1/4 cool (55-65 degrees) water
additional flour for dusting
extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt

Preparation:
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, table salt, sugar and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12-18 hours.

When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Fold the dough over itself two or three times and gently shape it into a somewhat flattened ball. Brush the surface of the dough with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with flour. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place in a warm, draft free spot to rise for 1-2 hours. The dough is ready when almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

Half an hour before the end of the rise, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Oil a baking sheet. Gently stretch a piece of dough evenly into a stick shape approximately the length of the pan. Place on the pan, and repeat with remaining dough. Brush with olive oil and coarse salt. (For sandwich bread, cut dough into quarters and stretch to length of pan. Place on pan, leaving at least 1 inch between the loaves. Can press cherry tomato halves, pitted olives, or garlic cloves down loaves.)

Bake for 15-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Date added: 2016-01-04
Number of visits: 2514