Puff Pastry Breadsticks

Puff pastry breadsticks are a tasty and very simple appetizer to prepare. Here’s how you can make them.

Ingredients

• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• Flour, as needed to dust the work surface
• 1 egg, for glazing
• Sesame seeds, poppy seeds or grated cheese for garnish (choice)
• Fine salt, a pinch

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Spread some flour on the work surface to prevent the puff pastry from sticking.
3. Gently unroll the puff pastry and cut it into long, narrow strips, about 1 cm in width.
4. If you want to add an Italian touch, sprinkle the strips with a bit of grated cheese, such as Parmesan or Pecorino, or you can opt for sesame or poppy seeds for a crunchy note.
5. Twist each strip on itself to give the typical breadstick shape.
6. Transfer the breadsticks onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, keeping a little space between them.
7. Lightly beat the egg in a bowl and brush the breadsticks carefully to give them a beautiful golden color during baking and to help the seeds or cheese adhere better.
8. Sprinkle the breadsticks with a pinch of fine salt.
9. Bake the breadsticks in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until they are puffy and golden.
10. Remove the breadsticks from the oven and let them cool on a rack before serving.

Curiosity

Breadsticks originate from Piedmont and were created, it seems, in the 17th century for Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy who had digestive problems and needed a particularly light and digestible bread. Since then, these bread sticks have become popular throughout Italy and the world, adapted into different variants such as the one with puff pastry.