Grissini Torinesi all’Olio Extravergine (Italian Turin Extra Virgin Olive Oil Breadsticks)
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 21 hours ago
The Story of the Dish
Grissini are one of Turin’s defining breads: long, slender breadsticks developed in Piedmont and valued for their dry, crisp texture and clean wheat flavor. This extra virgin olive oil version keeps the essential Turin character while replacing heavier fats with good olive oil, which gives fragrance, tenderness at the bite, and a delicate golden finish without making the dough greasy.
The goal is not a soft breadstick or a miniature baguette. A proper grissino should feel light in the hand, snap cleanly from end to end, and remain crisp after cooling. The key controls are moderate hydration, complete gluten development, a proper rest before stretching, and enough baking time to dry the center completely.
Yield and Timing
Yield: about 36 to 40 long grissini. Preparation: 30 minutes. First fermentation: 60 to 75 minutes. Bench rest: 20 minutes. Shaping: 20 minutes. Baking: 14 to 18 minutes per tray, plus optional drying time. Total time: about 2 hours 45 minutes.
Ingredients
4 cups bread flour (500 g)
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (295 g / 295 ml), about 75–80°F (24–27°C)
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast (5 g)
2 tsp barley malt syrup or mild honey (10 g)
1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt (10 g)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (40 g), plus a little more for the surface
1/3 cup fine semolina or durum flour (50 g), for dusting
Preparation
1. Mix the dough. Combine the water, yeast, and barley malt or honey. Add the bread flour and mix until no dry flour remains. Add the salt, then drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while mixing. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by hand or 6 to 7 minutes on low to medium speed in a mixer, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not wet.
2. First fermentation. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 60 to 75 minutes, until noticeably expanded but not necessarily doubled. Overproofing makes the strips fragile and difficult to stretch evenly.
3. Form the slab. Dust the work surface lightly with semolina. Turn out the dough without punching it down aggressively. Press it gently into a rectangle about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Brush the top very lightly with extra virgin olive oil and dust with a thin layer of semolina.
4. Rest before stretching. Cover the dough loosely and let it rest for 20 minutes. This is essential: the gluten must relax so the strips can lengthen without snapping back.
5. Cut the grissini. With a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut strips about 1/3 inch (8 mm) wide across the short side of the rectangle. Do not roll the strips into ropes; traditional hand-stretched grissini get their irregular, artisanal shape from pulling rather than rolling.
6. Stretch. Pick up one strip by both ends and gently pull it outward, letting gravity help until it reaches roughly 15 to 18 inches (38 to 45 cm), or the length of your baking sheet. If the strip becomes too thin in one place, support that section rather than pulling harder.
7. Arrange. Place the stretched strips on parchment-lined baking sheets with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between them. Keep the thickness as even as possible from one end to the other so the entire grissino dries at the same rate.
8. Bake. Bake in a fully preheated 400°F (205°C) conventional oven, or 375°F (190°C) convection oven, for 14 to 18 minutes, rotating the tray once, until the grissini are evenly golden and feel dry and light.
9. Dry if necessary. If the grissini are well colored but still slightly soft in the center, lower the oven to 275°F (135°C) and continue drying for 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and leave them inside for another 5 minutes.
10. Cool completely. Transfer the grissini to a wire rack and let them cool completely before serving or storing. Crispness develops fully as residual steam escapes.
Professional Technique
Use the dough as the control point. It should be strong enough to stretch cleanly but relaxed enough to lengthen under its own weight. Too much flour on the bench tightens the dough and gives a hard, dense breadstick. Too much olive oil weakens structure and makes the grissini friable rather than crisp. The final bake is as much about drying as browning: a pale but dry grissino is preferable to a dark exterior with a soft center.
Chef Tips
Use a balanced, fruity extra virgin olive oil rather than an aggressively bitter oil, because baking concentrates its flavor. Keep the strips narrow and reasonably uniform. Work in batches so the cut dough does not sit exposed and develop a skin. If the kitchen is warm, shorten fermentation slightly; if it is cool, allow more time rather than adding extra yeast.
Common Mistakes
Do not roll the strips like breadsticks from a commercial bakery; stretching is what gives Turin-style grissini their characteristic shape. Do not add excessive bench flour, do not skip the relaxation rest, and do not package them while warm. A sealed container traps steam and can soften an otherwise perfect batch within minutes.
How to Serve
Serve these grissini with classic Piedmontese antipasti such as vitello tonnato, carne cruda all’Albese, roasted peppers with anchovies, salame piemontese, Robiola, Toma Piemontese, or Castelmagno. They also work well beside a simple aperitivo because their olive oil aroma and dry texture cleanse the palate without competing with the food.
Wine Pairing
For a light aperitivo, choose Roero Arneis or Erbaluce di Caluso. With richer cured meats and cheeses, Barbera d’Asti provides enough acidity to refresh the palate. Gavi is another clean, mineral option when the grissini accompany seafood-based antipasti or fresh cheeses.
Storage and Reheating
Store completely cooled grissini in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Do not refrigerate. If they lose crispness, place them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, then cool completely on a rack before returning them to the container.
Nutrition per Serving
Approximate nutrition per 2 grissini: 105 calories; 3 g protein; 17 g carbohydrates; 3 g fat; less than 0.5 g saturated fat; 1 g fiber; less than 1 g sugar; about 150 mg sodium. Values vary with final size and the amount of oil absorbed during shaping.
Chef Gianluca’s Selection ★★★★★
The finished grissino should be long, irregular, crisp all the way through, and fragrant with toasted wheat and extra virgin olive oil. The test is simple: it should snap cleanly, not bend, and should leave no soft crumb in the center.
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