Sourdough Garlic Grissini (Crunchy Breadsticks)
These crunchy Garlic Grissini utilize sourdough starter discard and a bit of yeast to create a light, crispy breadstick. Full of roasted garlic and sprinkled with garlic powder, serve these with your favorite olive oil for dipping and assorted cheeses for a stand-out appetizer or snack.
What do you do with leftover sourdough discard?
I’d like to set the record straight about sourdough discard: the name “discard” is in fact a bit of a misnomer because most of the time, you definitely don’t need to throw it away. If you are just starting to create your own sourdough starter, you’ll need to toss the discard from the first few days of feeding because it contains some bacteria we don’t necessarily want in our finished baked goods. But after that initial establishment period of seven(ish) days, any discard you accumulate during your regular feeding and baking process can be stored in the refrigerator for later use, adding the benefits and flavor of some fermented flour into your traditionally non-sourdough baked goods.
These Roasted Garlic Grissini use 100 grams of old sourdough starter and a standard packet amount of yeast to get the desired rise. Your discarded starter can be leftover from a recent feeding, or up to a couple of weeks old stored in your fridge. Keep in mind that the longer you store discard, the more sour and pungent it becomes. Any liquid that has accumulated on the top of your discarded starter should be poured off before starting the recipe to avoid unwanted sourness.
In the photo of the dough below, you can see flecks of wheat. My sourdough starter is created with 100% whole wheat flour, but an all-purpose flour starter, rye starter, or bread flour starter would work just as well in this recipe.
Incorporating big garlic flavor
In order to get the best garlic flavor both within the breadstick and on top, this recipe uses garlic in two forms. The first is either roasted garlic or garlic confit—instructions for both are included at the bottom of the recipe—and the second is a sprinkling of garlic powder and salt on top. Using roasted garlic or garlic confit will add a bit of olive oil to the recipe which creates a softer dough that is very easy to handle and roll.
Rise, roll, bake.
This recipe is very easy to throw together, with all ingredients being dumped in a stand mixer and kneaded with a dough hook until a smooth dough forms. No kneading by hand or stretching-and-folding is necessary here, unless you don’t have a mixer. In that case, you’ll need to knead the dough for up to 30 minutes by hand to develop the dough. Just as in a traditional sourdough bread recipe, you’ll want to develop the dough to the windowpane phase.
After a quick rise—thanks yeast!—the dough gets gently pressed into a rectangle and divided into strips. To shape this dough, I like to cut the rectangle of dough into about 20 1/2 inch-thick strips, then cut those each in half and roll them until they are about 1/4 inch in diameter to create 40 grissini. Embrace the lumpiness when rolling them—the different thicknesses create toasty and crispy spots, which I find delightful. Just be careful not to roll the dough too thin, or you may have sections that burn.
Cool and serve!
After removing the grissini from the oven, they need to cool completely to maintain their crispy texture. Some may break during baking—no worries, their roughness gives them character. And in case you aren’t quite sure how to serve them, here are some ways I’ve enjoyed my homemade crunchy breadsticks in the past:
Dipped in my favorite olive oil (linked at the bottom of the recipe) and served with cheese and fruit
Served as an accompaniment to a big bowl of Smoky Cauliflower Lentil Soup
By themselves, by the handful, all the time
So next time you have a bit of discard to contend with, toss it in these Sourdough Garlic Grissini instead of in the trash! You’ll have a new favorite snack in no time.
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Sourdough Discard Garlic Grissini (Crunchy Breadsticks)
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes:
Either of the following preparations will work for this recipe:
To make roasted garlic:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Take a head of garlic and cut off the top, exposing the cloves within the papery skin. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, then wrap the whole thing (minus the top) in foil. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the garlic is brown and soft all the way through. Cool, then squeeze cloves out of their papers. Store for 3-4 days.
To make garlic confit:
Separate and peel one head of garlic. Place 1 cup of olive oil in a small pan over low heat, then add garlic. Heat until barely simmering and continue to cook over low for about 1 hour, or until garlic is browned and soft. Store the garlic in its oil in the fridge (oil will solidify but this is fine) for up to 2 weeks.
