I had another great evening of cooking some firsts! They turned out great. Brent and I have some good friends moving away in about a week, so we had them over for probably one last meal. Although I will still see them several times in the next few days, they need to pack. Getting out them of the house might become difficult now. That is why I choose to go over there and give them a break from packing. Tonights meal consisted of two new recipes. The first being Cast Iron Breadsticks and the second being Stuffed Orange Peppers, which I will put up here in the next day or two. These breadsticks were easy and I definitely suggest them if you have about an hour and a half to prepare. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cornmeal
4 tablespoons melted butter
Olive Oil
Topping:
Butter
Parmesan Cheese
Cornmeal
Dissolve the yeast, sugar and salt in warm water. Let set for about 5 minutes until foamy. This will ensure that your yeast is still good. With a wooden spoon, mix in the flour, cornmeal and melted butter. Put onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until soft and smooth. Lightly grease a bowl. Put your dough in the bowl and turn to coat all sides of the dough. Set in a warm spot and let it rise until doubled in size, about one hour. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. On the stove, warm up a cast iron pan. Pour in some olive oil. Swirl it around to grease the sides. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Fold each half into about 3-4 layers. Roll out each half until it fits the size of pan you are using. Plan inside the pan. Slice the bread into breadsticks, spread with butter and top with parmesan cheese and cornmeal. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy!
I made my first batch with lightly topping the breadsticks, but they would be great with lots of cheese and more cornmeal. That is probably how I am going to make them the next time. I would also suggest try to put butter or something else in between the layers for a unique flavor. Maybe some herbs?
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