For me, two of the greatest joys in life are warm homemade bread and a fire that brings together friends and family. The good news is homemade bread cooked on sticks over a fire (literally breadsticks) are a lot easier to make than they sound.
Light your fire and let it burn down until you have hot coals, not open flames. Place the flour in a large bowl or on a clean surface and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the yeast and 1 cup of warm water and mix until combined (if not all the flour is combined, add a little more water). Coarsely chop the rosemary and sprinkle in.
Knead the dough until it is well combined and a smooth ball has formed. Cover with a tea towel and place near the fire for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (not too close – you don’t want to start baking the bread yet!)
While waiting for the dough to rise, find sticks for wrapping the bread dough around. The trick is to find a marvellously average stick. Too thin and the stick won’t be able to hold the weight of the bread. Too thick and it will cook unevenly. I aim for sticks that are about two finger’s width (keep in mind I have small fingers).
Once you have an armful of sticks, use a pocket knife to shave off the outer layer of the bark from the top 6 inches of the stick.
Sprinkle flour on your work surface, and remove golf-ball sized portions of dough from the main ball of dough. Roll out these portions into a snake or sausage shape, then wrap the dough around the stick, and gently pinch each end to secure.
Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt over the bread stick.
Place the sticks in the ground around the fire or hand them to your guest and roast them like a marshmallow. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, rotating regularly to make sure the breadsticks are evenly cooked.
You will know the bread is cooked thoroughly when you can easily slide it off the stick. If the bread is not ready, the dough will attach to the stick making it hard to slide. You want the bread to be dry and fluffy. To help remove the dough, rotate a small section until it breaks and pulls off.
Serve while warm. Dip your bread in some extra virgin olive oil or butter and enjoy.
INGREDIENTS
3 ⅓ cups of bread flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup of water
2 sprigs of rosemary
Olive oil (I prefer Carapelli)
Butter
TOOLS
Sticks
Pocket knife
DIRECTIONS
1.) Light your fire and let it burn down until you have hot coals, not open flames.
2.) Place the flour in a large bowl or on a clean surface and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the yeast and 1 cup of warm water and mix until combined (if not all the flour is combined, add a little more water). Coarsely chop the rosemary and sprinkle in.
3.) Knead the dough until it is well combined and a smooth ball has formed. Cover with a tea towel and place near the fire for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (not too close – you don’t want to start baking the bread yet!)
4.) While waiting for the dough to rise, find sticks for wrapping the bread dough around. The trick is to find a marvellously average stick. Too thin and the stick won’t be able to hold the weight of the bread. Too thick and it will cook unevenly. I aim for sticks that are about two finger’s width (keep in mind I have small fingers). Once you have an armful of sticks, use a pocket knife to shave off the outer layer of the bark from the top 6 inches of the stick.
5.) Sprinkle flour on your work surface, and remove golf-ball sized portions of dough from the main ball of dough. Roll out these portions into a snake or sausage shape, then wrap the dough around the stick, and gently pinch each end to secure. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt over the bread stick.
6.) Place the sticks in the ground around the fire or hand them to your guest and roast them like a marshmallow. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, rotating regularly to make sure the breadsticks are evenly cooked.
7.) You will know the bread is cooked thoroughly when you can easily slide it off the stick. If the bread is not ready, the dough will attach to the stick making it hard to slide. You want the bread to be dry and fluffy. To help remove the dough, rotate a small section until it breaks and pulls off.
8.) Serve while warm. Dip your bread in some extra virgin olive oil or butter and enjoy.
Edited by Eliana Arian
Wander Wisely,
Sofía