Italian Grisini

I spent the whole day making these yesterday.  They are not difficult but they do take time.  Of course, if you are only making one recipe they don't take nearly as long as it took me.  I made hundreds of these.

 For one recipe:

2-1/4 tsp. rapid rise yeast
2 cups water
1-1/2 tablespoon honey
5 tablespoons olive oil
5-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons of kosher salt.
Mix this into a ball and knead until you have a smooth dough.  You can flavor these any way you like.  I used caraway in some and nigella seed in the rest.  Add the seeds when you add the flour.  Place the dough in a bowl brushed with olive oil, cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

 Divide the dough into 4 parts.  Roll each part out and cut it into 16 pieces.  Roll each piece into a long thin rope.  You don't need to flour the surface because the oil in the dough prevents these from sticking.  Place each stick on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Brush with olive oil.  Let them sit for about 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with sea salt just before baking.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  I turn them over half way through the cooking period.

 The more rustic looking the better.  I make mine look like staffs so that they fit on the cookie sheets.

 Wrap the tops with thin sheets of prosciutto just before serving.

 It took me 6 hours to make these and I am betting they will be gone in 10 minutes at Saturday's event.  They are very addictive.