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.