Jeffrey Hamelman

Sesame Bread Sticks

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Dough Yield:

    72

    bread sticks at 1.33 oz each

Appears in

top 1000Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes

Bread

By Jeffrey Hamelman

Published 2004

  • About

These Bread Sticks are crunchy from a thorough bake and nutty from the sesame seeds, and their flavor is rounded out by the olive oil and malt syrup. Like all bread sticks, they will keep for several days in an airtight container.

U.S. Metric Home Baker’s %
Bread Flour 3.54 lb 1.61 kg 1 lb, 2.9 oz (4¼ cups) 100%
Water 1.98 lb .9 kg 10.6 oz (1⅜ cups) 56%
Olive Oil .21 lb .097 kg 1.1 oz (1 T + 1 tsp) 6%
Malt Syrup .12 lb .048 kg .6 oz (¾ tsp) 3%
Salt .06 lb .029 kg .3 oz (½ T) 1.8 %
Yeast .09 lb, fresh .04 kg, fresh .16 oz, instant dry (1½ tsp) 2.5 %
Sesame Seeds, as Needed
Total Yield 6 lb 2.724 kg 1 lb, 15.6 oz 169.3 %

Method

  1. Mixing: For large-scale production of bread sticks (50 dozen or more), a full-sized spiral mixer can be used. For smaller quantities (3 to 24 dozen), a small spiral mixer or 20- to 30-quart planetary mixer works well. Place all the ingredients except the sesame seeds in the mixing bowl. In a planetary-style mixer, mix on first speed until the ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. The dough should be of medium consistency. Turn the mixer to second speed and mix for another 4 or 5 minutes, to a moderate gluten development. Desired dough temperature: 76°F.
  2. Bulk Fermentation: 1 hour.
  3. Dividing and Shaping: If using a 36-part dough divider, divide the dough into 2 pieces weighing 3 pounds (1.36 kg) each. If scaling the bread sticks individually, divide the dough into 1.33-ounce portions. Let the divided pieces rest on a lightly floured work surface, covered with plastic, for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll the pieces, trying to keep an even dimension along the length, to 14 to 16 inches long. Roll each piece over a moistened cloth, then roll in a tray of sesame seeds to coat. Transfer the individual bread sticks to sheet pans. Alternatively, the dough can be pressed on a floured bench into a flat rectangle and cut into thin strips with a pizza wheel.
  4. Baking: The bread sticks can be baked right away with no further proofing. Bake at 380°F for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. These and the following grissini should have a crunch when baked that permeates right through to the center of the bread stick. If they are doughy, return them to a 350°F oven until completely baked. Once cool, the bread sticks can be stored in airtight containers for up to 5 days.

© 2004 All rights reserved. Published by Wiley.