Julia Child's 100th birthday, featuring grissini (Italian breadsticks)!

Today would be Julia Child’s 100th birthday. I knew I would have to celebrate somehow, ideally with something edible!

Well, when I came across an episode of In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs where Carol Field and Julia make Grissini (see video here), I knew I found my recipe!

Grissini are Italian breadsticks that can be found either on the tables of an Italian restaurant or purchased commercially in grocery stores. It had never occurred to me to make my own! (I love when that happens; I get excited.)

They are absolutely delicious and dangerously addictive! They’re also pretty quick to prepare, as these things go, and store well.

Since I couldn’t find the recipe in text form online, I took some notes from the video in case anyone would like to make these. I’ll certainly be making them again!

Carol Field & Julia Child’s Grissini
(With my own slight changes, needless to say. For the 100% authentic recipe, the pros in the video are probably a better bet! )

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for brushing
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I only used about 3 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (I used 1 tsp table salt)

1. Pour warm water in a bowl and add yeast, stirring to combine. Let sit 5 mins until creamy.

2. Add olive oil, salt and 1 cup of flour. Stir until no lumps remain before adding the rest of the flour and salt. (I always reserve some of the flour since it’s easier to add more later if needed than to deal with too-stiff dough!) Move dough to a clean surface and knead until dough comes together, is stretchy, etc.

3. Brush a surface, at least 16×10 inches, with olive oil and stretch/roll the dough into a 16×10 rectangle on it. Brush the top of the rectangle with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour 45 minutes-ish.

4. Once risen, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with oil.

5. Cut down the center of the dough rectangle lengthwise with a pizza cutter (forming 2 long skinny rectangles), then cut crosswise into finger-width slices. Pick up each piece of dough and stretch to the width of your baking sheet (small dimension). Place on the baking sheet. They can be very close to each other, as long as they don’t touch.

6. Place baking sheet on top of pizza stone in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden. (Check extra-thin pieces around 15 mins)

Makes 4 dozen 12-inch grissini.

I’m thankful to Julia for (crunch crunch!) exposing us to such great recipes!

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