Chewy Pizza Breadsticks

Chewy and spicy breadsticks

We were invited to a dinner party at a friend's home, I knew that bread could be a problem, and I wanted to make that problem disappear in advance. From what I knew of the menu, I felt that a softish and chewy breadstick with lots of flavor would stand on its own either with the meal or immediately before as a warm-up. The most talked about GF soft breadsticks are served at Joseph Pace's Risotteria, in Greenwich Village, and there was a very nice write-up in the New York Times. You can read about Mr. Pace and the restaurant here and see the original recipe here. I knew that there was a problem with the recipe as printed in the paper because I tried it unsuccessfully. The correction (not printed in the New York Times) was to cut the water in half. Even with the adjustment in water, the remaining proportions still seem a bit off. There would have been a lot of oil and vinegar in the breadstick. But in the end I decided to abandon the recipe due to too much uncertainty.

There was a rational non-GF breadstick recipe for Pizza Hut Style Breadsticks on the internet in RecipeZaar - 4-1/2 stars out of 5 - 46 reviewers. Sounded like a good place to start. But I wanted the pizza sauce flavor on the inside of the breadstick. Therefore, I wanted Italian spices and tomato baked into the recipe. As luck had it, the breadsticks were a big hit at the dinner party. People ate them before and during, without butter, olive oil or balsamic vinegar. But you can prepare the breadsticks and serve them with pizza sauce, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The photo above shows the breadsticks along side double concentrated tomato paste. You can use either conventional single concentrated, supermarket canned tomato paste or double concentrated. If you use double concentrated paste in the tube, add 2 additional tablespoons of water. If you use single concentrated tomato sauce, just follow the directions as written below.

• Put the following into a measuring cup: yeast, sugar, 1/4 cup of warm water (110° F). Cover with plastic wrap and put this in your oven, under the light. Turn on the light. The yeast will froth in 10 minutes or less.
• Prepare two half-sheet baking pans by coating the bottom with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with corn meal.
• Meanwhile, put all of the dry ingredients, except the parmesan cheese into the work brown of a stand mixer. Mix gently and thoroughly until all is blended.
• Pour the frothy yeast into the work bowl over the flour and add 1 cup of warm water (110° F). Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Turn off mixer and allow the yeast to ferment with the flour for 5 - 10 minutes.
• Turn the mixer back on and add the cheese, olive oil and tomato sauce. Blend on medium for 2 minutes.
• Oil the countertop and your hands.
• Turn dough out onto the oiled countertop. Pat into a rectangle 1/3" - 1/2" thick X 10" tall X whatever length it comes out.
• Using a plastic bench scraper, cut strips 1/3" - 1/2" wide and transfer to the sheet pan in the 12" direction. The strips will stretch a bit. This is why the rectangle is 10" tall.
• Spray the breadsticks with extra virgin olive oil.
• Proof the breadsticks in a warm location - the proof cycle of your convection oven is a good place - until doubled in diameter.
• About 15 minutes before the breadsticks are doubled, remove the breadsticks from the oven and preheat it to 375° F.
• Spray the breadsticks again with extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake for 10 minutes, and turn the breadsticks over. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until brown but not burned. Turn the breadsticks periodically to ensure even browning.
• When the breadsticks are done baking, cool them completely on wire racks.
• Breadsticks are best served the same day as they are baked. You can re-crisp them by warming them at 350° F for 5 - 10 minutes or until thoroughly warmed through.
• Store the breadsticks in a tightly covered jar. A pasta jar makes a good breadstick container.