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Thin, crispy, golden breadsticks studded with sundried tomatoes and fresh thyme. Irresistible on a charcuterie board, alongside soup, or eaten straight off the cooling rack.
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The dough is forgiving
If you have never made bread before, grissini are the place to start. The dough comes together in minutes, requires only a brief rise, and there is no shaping anxiety — you literally tear off pieces and roll them into sticks. They don’t need to be uniform. In fact, the slightly uneven ones with knobby edges and twists are the most beautiful on a board. The sundried tomatoes and thyme get kneaded right into the dough, so every bite is packed with flavor.
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Roll them thinner than you think
The trick to truly crispy grissini is rolling them thin — about the width of a pencil or slightly thicker. If they’re too fat, they will be bready in the center instead of having that satisfying all-the-way-through crunch. Work on a lightly floured surface and roll each piece back and forth with your palms, stretching gently as you go. If the dough springs back, let it rest for a minute and come back to it.
They are a charcuterie board essential
These breadsticks are the thing that turns a casual cheese plate into something that looks like you planned it. Stand them upright in a jar or lay them across a board alongside good cheese, olives, cured meats, and honey. They also pair beautifully with soup — especially a roasted tomato or butternut squash. I’m a savory-dessert person, so I often serve these with an after-dinner cheese plate and a glass of wine.
Make them ahead: Baked grissini keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze the unbaked dough sticks on a parchment-lined sheet, transfer to a bag once frozen, and bake straight from the freezer — just add a couple of extra minutes.
Sundried Tomato and Thyme Grissini Breadsticks
| Prep: 20m | Cook: 20m | Total: 1h 30m (includes rising) |
Thin, golden, impossibly crispy Italian breadsticks loaded with sundried tomatoes, fresh thyme, and Parmesan. They snap with a satisfying crunch and are perfect on a charcuterie board, alongside soup, or just eaten by the handful straight off the cooling rack.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- ⅔ cup lukewarm water
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
For the mix-ins:
- ¾ cup sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes, drained and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tablespoon dried)
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare the mix-ins:
- In a food processor, pulse the rehydrated sundried tomatoes and thyme leaves until coarsely ground — you want small pieces, not a paste. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove excess liquid. Set aside.
Make the dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or a large bowl if working by hand), combine the lukewarm water and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy — this tells you the yeast is alive and active.
- Add the flour slowly with the mixer on low, then add the Parmesan, salt, and olive oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then add the sundried tomato and thyme mixture. Knead on low for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. It should feel slightly tacky but not sticky. If it clings to your fingers, add flour a tablespoon at a time.
Rise and shape:
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until roughly doubled in size. It should feel puffy and airy when you poke it.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into small pieces (about 1 tablespoon each). Roll each piece between your palms into a thin rope, about 8-10 inches long and the width of a pencil. Place them on the baking sheets about ½ inch apart — they do not spread much.
Bake:
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the grissini are deeply golden and feel rigid when you tap them. They should look dry and toasty all the way through with no soft, pale spots. Let them cool completely on a wire rack — they will crisp up even more as they cool and should snap cleanly when you break one.
Notes
- Make it plant-based: Skip the Parmesan and add an extra ½ teaspoon of salt plus 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for that savory, cheesy flavor without the dairy.
- Storage: Baked grissini keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They also freeze beautifully — freeze unbaked sticks on a parchment-lined sheet, transfer to a bag, and bake from frozen adding 2-3 extra minutes.
- Thickness matters: Roll them thinner than you think you should. Pencil-width gives you the best crunch. Anything thicker will be bready in the center.
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