Breadsticks

I am on a quest to make the perfect breadstick. Growing up in SA, we had these wonderful crisp sesame breadsticks that I just loved. My first effort was miserable, so I refined the recipe and it’s a little closer. It will get better. More work to do!

Ingredients

• 500 g bread flour (or all-purpose)
• 275 g water (55% hydration)
• 8 g salt
• 5 g instant yeast
• 35-40 g olive oil
• 80–100 g sesame seeds

The secret is to not overwork the dough. The process is:

The Mix

• Combine everything except the sesame seeds.
• Knead until smooth (about 6–8 minutes).
• You want a tight dough, not super elastic like pizza dough.

First rise

• Cover and rise 60–75 minutes until slightly puffy.
• Not doubled — just relaxed.

Roll the sheet

Roll dough into a rectangle about:

• ½ inch thick
• lightly dusted with flour

Sesame coating trick (important)

• Brush the surface lightly with water or egg white.
• Then press sesame seeds firmly into the dough.
• This ensures they stick and toast beautifully instead of falling off.

Cut breadsticks

• Cut strips about:
• thinner than thumb thickness
• 10–12 inches long
• Place them on parchment.
• One more important trick (almost nobody mentions):
• After cutting the sticks, roll them lightly on the counter once with your palm.
• This:
• compresses large air pockets
• evens thickness
• gives a more delicate snap
• Without that, you get dense cores that feel hard.

Short rest

• Rest 10–15 minutes only.
• You want very little rise.

Bake

Stage 1 — structure

• 425°F
• Bake 12–14 minutes
• They should be lightly golden

Stage 2 — drying (the crunch step)

• Lower oven to 275°F
• Bake another 15–20 minutes.
• This removes moisture and creates the magic crunch.

Final drying trick

• Turn the oven off, crack the door slightly, and leave them inside 10–15 minutes.
• This step is what gives the bakery snap.