Garlic-Chive Semolina Bread Sticks

Boy, what a busy day ... Easter's leftover ham and the bone have been transformed into a huge pot of Pasta Fagioli and I have spent the day cleaning the back porch and washing my pottery. Spring cleaning is beginning a little at a time. I stress a little at a time, as I need frequent breaks from the boredom of household drudgery. So ... I moseyed outside to throw the Frisbee and stick for the dogs, discovered the first spears of daffodils poking up by the front of the house, did some more cleaning on the back porch, and I made breadsticks to have with the simmering soup.

This batch came out really well! I think I'll be making some hummus tomorrow to have with them too! Really crunchy on the ends and they have a nice chewy bite toward the centers. I think the twisting of them when you lay them on the baking sheets lets more air around them and increases the crunch factor. Yum! To boot, I brushed them with good olive oil and sprinkled on Kosher salt after they came out of the oven - we've been knoshing them with glasses of wine.

Now, we're going to get bowls of soup and have them for dippers while we watch the Opening Day of Red Sox Baseball! Hurray! Spring is finally here and the boys are back to play the great American game! GO RED SOX!

'B' is for Boston, baseball, and bread sticks!

Garlic-Chive Semolina Bread Sticks

Makes about 40 bread sticks

Ingredients:

1 c. warm water (109° F)

Pinch sugar

a scant tbsp. yeast

2 ½ c. all purpose flour

½ c. semolina flour

¾ tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. chopped chives

½ to ¾ tsp. garlic powder

¼ c. olive oil

Making the Bread:

1. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into the warm water and set the mixture aside for ten minutes to let the yeast bloom.
2. Whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, and herbs in a deep bread bowl.
3. When the yeast is foamy, pour the mixture and the olive oil over the flour and mix with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
4. Turn the dough and any loose flour out onto a clean, cool kneading surface and knead for a few minutes until a smooth silky dough forms.
5. Clean and oil the bread bowl. Place the dough ball into the bowl and cover it with a damp towel. Let the dough rise for about an hour.
6. Divide the dough into four equal lumps.
7. Roll each lump out to make a long rectangle about ten inches long and about ¼ inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut long strips of dough.
8. Preheat the oven to 450° F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lay the bread sticks close together, but not touching, twisting them like corkscrews.
9. Bake in the center of the oven for 9 minutes or until golden brown and crisy at the ends.
10. Remove them from the sheets onto a large platter. Brush the tops with more olive oil and sprinkle on Kosher salt.
11. Continue with the other lumps of dough until they’re all baked. Store loosely covered.