Kalamata Olive and Sea Salt Grissini
These Kalamata Olive and Sea Salt Grissini (i.e. breadsticks)
are the perfect pre-dinner appetizer!
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“A bottle of white, a bottle of red, perhaps a bottle of rose instead…” Have I ever mentioned that I love me some Billy Joel? I mean it takes a special artist to have top hits in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Think about that for a second. The music of each of those decades couldn’t be any more different, yet Billy dominated throughout. That’s quite a feat! The song above (“Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”) is one of my favorites, and for me it cues up the visual image of a small Italian cafe. You know the kind. Red and white checkered table cloths. A bottle of house wine on the table. And of course Italian bread and grissini (i.e. thin breadsticks) on the table. I’m fairly certain I could eat my weight in bread and grissini before the meal ever arrives!
Raise your hand if you have a pasta machine. Now raise your other hand if you actually use it. I feel like folks pick up pasta machines with the best intention to make homemade pasta, but it never happens. Then those pasta machines end up in a garage sale 10 years later. (If you don’t have a pasta machine, then keep an eye out for them at local garage sales. Seriously. You can pick up good brands for a steal!) Homemade pasta takes time. I get it. But the taste is so incredible! But this post isn’t about homemade pasta. It’s about grissini. Did you know that your pasta machine is the perfect tool to make those thin, crispy breadsticks that are served in restaurants? Yup, and talk about a good way to impress family or your dinner guests!
Somewhat similar to crackers, grissini are very thin, crispy breadsticks that are typically served as an appetizer. You can also sometimes find them pre-packaged in specialty stores. But here’s the thing…they are pretty easy (and fun!) to make at home. One batch makes a lot of grissini, and they’d probably freeze pretty well once baked. My wife and I have a strange obsession for grissini, so we don’t typically have the problem of leftovers.
For this batch, I minced up some Kalamata olives and threw them into the dough. A quick sprinkle of sea salt before going into the oven, and these Kalamata Olive and Sea Salt Grissini were born. And let me tell ya, I almost made an entire dinner out of these breadsticks. Seriously. I happened to pull them out of the oven right before dinner, and it was all I could do to stop eating them. “Sir, put your hands up and step away from the grissini.”
If you don’t happen to own a pasta machine, you can absolutely still make these grissini! Just use a rolling pin to roll the dough out and then use a pizza cutter to cut thin strips. So pop open a bottle of white…or red…or rose…and serve up a batch of homemade grissini. I can promise you that your guests will be impressed! And I can also promise that you won’t be able to eat just one. Salute!
Kalamata Olive and Sea Salt Grissini
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups bread flour
- 1½ tsp instant dry yeast
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp malt syrup or honey
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives very finely minced
- olive oil for finishing
- sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Using a countertop mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour, yeast, milk, softened butter, olive oil, salt, malt syrup (or honey) and minced Kalamata olives. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes, or until dough begins to come together. Increase speed to medium, and mix for 3 more minutes.
- Cover dough and let rest for 45 minutes.
- Divide dough into smaller pieces. Roll dough through the pasta rollers until it is approximately ¼” thick and about 10-12" long. If it's too long, just cut off the end of the dough and use it with the next piece. (See note below.)
- Run rolled dough through the fettuccine cutter on the pasta machine.
- Place strips of dough on a parchment-lined sheet pan. (Tip: Make sure strips do not touch. The grissini will not expand much in the oven, so you can place the strips very close together.)
- Spray or brush strips with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover lightly and place in a warm location (85°F) for 30 minutes.
- Bake at 400°F for 9-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. (Tip: The grissini are thin, so they can burn quickly. Watch them closely!)
- Allow grissini to cool and then store in an air-tight container for 2-3 days.
Notes
Looking for more breadstick recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks with Queso
Bacon Jalapeno Cheesy Breadsticks
I love homemade pasta, but totally agree I don’t actually use my pasta maker that much! It’s a shame since it tastes so much better than store bought. Your grissini might just be the perfect reason for me to break it out, though! I just gave a pasta maker to my best friend for her wedding and she was so excited, maybe I should give her recipes like yours to keep her motivated!
You totally should share this recipe with your best friend! I agree that it takes a bit of effort to pull out the pasta maker, but it’s really not that bad once you get started. I actually kind the whole process kinda fun!! Thanks for commenting, Kelly. 🙂
“You can speak your mind but not on my time…” Love Billy Joel! My dad played his greatest hits CDs non-stop in the car for the 3 years we lived in Hong Kong. I probably know every song by heart.
Did you feel kind of like an Italian bad-ass making breadsticks? That’s how I imagine I would feel if I tried them! These look delicious and addictive!
Dude, you lived in Hong Kong? You are becoming more and more mysterious by the day! But yeah, throw on some Billy Joel and pour a glass of Italian wine…that’s pretty much my heaven right there. It sounds like your pops and I would get along quite well…Billy Joel’s greatest hits CDs make frequent appearances on road trips around here.
Breadsticks out of a pasta machine??? David – why that’s BRILLIANT! And malt syrup and kalamata olives – yup, my mind is blown! Hey so when your wife comes to Atlanta you could send her that bunch in that last picture – cos I know you made another batch – just to send to your blogger-fans – right? 🙂
I meant you could send that bunch in that last photo down to Atlanta- with her!
Hahaha…you think that if I sent that bunch of grissini with her on the plane that it would actually make it there? Yeah, right! Grissini knock the socks off of airplane peanuts. I think her trip got delayed, too…which means I have more time to whip up some awesome treats for my ATL blogger friends!
You guys are birds of a feather! I bet your Grissini knocks ” the socks off of airplane peanuts” – does your wife not like chocolate?? I need to know so I can tempt her…. 🙂
Haha! Oh, she loves chocolate…and those chocolate manicotti you posted look absolutely droolworthy. I can’t show her a picture of those. 🙂
Dude, making grissini with a pasta machine has to be greatest idea ever. That’s how the wolfpack rolls!
#WolfpackEats
Thanks, Mike! My wife has this thing about uni-taskers in the kitchen, so if I can use my pasta machine to roll grissini dough, then it’s a win for everyone! But making these grissini totally made me want to make some homemade pasta soon. #FoodBloggerProblems
I’m not raising any hands over here… *sniffle* I don’t own a pasta machine, and sadly, that means I don’t get to use one. *insert sad face*
I really want to save up and get the pasta maker attachment for my Kitchen stand mixer, because these breadsticks sound amazing!
Oh man, these breadsticks are so much fun to make, Becca! They’re thin and crispy…and you could eat like a million of ’em. Haha! And if I might offer a bit of unsolicited advice…go with a real pasta machine and not the Kitchen Aid attachment. Automatic is nice, but real pasta machines are so much more versatile. Ok, getting off my soap box now. 🙂
I have a pasta machine and I do actually use it. Honestly, I can’t taste much of a difference, but I really enjoy using it.
Yay! Another homemade pasta maker! I don’t make homemade pasta that often because the boxed stuff is just so much easier. But every time I do, I notice a huge difference in flavor. Plus, you can add all sorts of fun ingredients to homemade pasta that you just can’t get in the store. Now I want to go make pasta!
Great blog post thank you for sharing. James M
Thanks, James!
I had no idea about this lol. Pretty interesting subject for sure though.
Thanks so much! Yes, grissini are a fun and unique recipe to make at home…and they’re the perfect afternoon snack with friends! 🙂