BAKE

Breadsticks

I love carbs.

And they love me so much they stick around (mainly my hips and bum).

I know I should cut down on them a bit, remove the processed ones from my diet, eat more fruit and vegetables instead. But there is a part of my heart (probably hideously distended from the huge quantity of high G.I. foods I eat) that just loves the comforting feeling of a belly full of carbohydrates.

Is there anything better than a giant bowl of pasta on a day filled with perusing blogs with beautiful photographs like those of Tartlette, Whisk Kid and Always With Butter and feeling completely and utterly untalented to next to them?

I flirt with meat, and have glorious affairs with dishes filled with fresh vegetables; but at the end of the day I am married to the carb. Which is why I fell head over heals for Lorraine Pascale’s Big Fat Salt and Pepper Breadsticks when I saw her make them on Baking Made Easy.

I made them as a starter/pre-dinner nibbles for some friends with the intention of photographing the leftovers the next day, but they were all devoured. Which is not a big deal as this recipe isn’t at all needy; it likes to spend most of it’s time being left to it’s own devices, so I had no problem knocking up a second batch the next day.

Ingredients
makes 12
from Lorraine Pascale’s recipe

450g bread flour (I used wholemeal for these)
7g (1 pack) fast action yeast
1 1/2tsp salt
250-275ml luke warm water
vegetable oil for greasing
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Dust two large baking sheets

Put flour, water and yeast into a mixing bowl and bring together with a wooden spoon. Put in mixer with dough hook for five minutes, or knead by hand for about ten minutes.

Divide the dough into twelve, roll each section into a ‘sausage’ and if twisting, slice in half down the middle and fold each strand over each other to create the twisted effect.

Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for about half an hour or until it’s doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 200C.

When risen brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for about twenty minutes in the top third of the oven until golden brown and firm.

Leave to cool, then enjoy!