Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

There is a certain reward that comes from baking your own bread at home.  Unlike other forms of cooking or baking, working with bread dough forces me to slow down and it calms my soul.  The process is beautiful and there is no substitute for warm crusty bread fresh out of the oven.  Over the past few years I’ve experimented with various bread baking techniques in trying to achieve the crust found on most artisan breads.  For these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I used a steaming method that I once learned from a Zingerman’s bread baking class.  In addition to making a fairly wet dough, a steam tray is placed in the bottom of the oven, helping the bread to develop a golden, crisp, and chewy crust.

With the abundance of rosemary plants at Whole Foods last week, I was reminded of a whole -grain rosemary loaf that I once tried at the farmer’s market.  In these breadsticks, I added kalamata olives with the rosemary and found that those pair quite well in this savory bread.   I used a combination of all-purpose, whole wheat, and rye flours for character and flavor.   This bread does require some planning ahead as it needs to be started the night before, but the dough comes together quickly and no kneading is necessary.  During the overnight resting period, the bread develops an incredibly deep flavor and a great chewy texture.  Lastly,  in the recipe I’ve included measurements by weight and by volume, but using weighted measurements will most accurately help you to achieve the correct flour to water ratio.  It’s hard to believe that such a simple method can lead to such great results, but I hope you will give this a try!