Homemade grissini breadsticks are thin, crunchy Italian breadsticks made with flour, yeast, olive oil, salt, and a little sugar, rolled by hand and baked until golden all the way through.

They snap cleanly, keep for days, and taste far better than the boxed kind.

They’re great on a charcuterie board, at dinner parties, or as a snack with dips.

I stand them in a tall glass on a grazing table next to cured meats and cheese, and they disappear first.

If you’re planning a snack board or party spread, these are worth bookmarking too:

Ingredients You’ll Need

All-purpose flour gives you crisp, light grissini, while bread flour makes them a little chewier. Use a good olive oil, since it’s one of only a few flavors in the dough.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup (180 ml) warm water (about 105°F)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
Flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds, for topping (optional)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or Italian seasoning (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and fine salt.
Add the warm water and olive oil, then stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
The water should feel warm on your wrist, not hot (hot water kills yeast).
If you only have active dry yeast, stir it into the warm water with the sugar first and wait 5 minutes until foamy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and springy.
It should feel soft and only slightly tacky.
If it’s sticking badly, add flour a tablespoon at a time, but go easy, because a stiff dough is hard to roll thin.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy.
It doesn’t need to fully double like sandwich bread.
In a cool kitchen, set the bowl in the oven with just the light on.
Grissini are meant to be crisp, so a short rise is all you want.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Press the dough into a rectangle about 8 by 10 inches and cut it into 20 to 24 thin strips with a bench scraper or pizza cutter.
Each strip should weigh about 20 grams if you want them all the same.
Roll each strip under your palms, working from the center out, until it’s about 12 inches long and pencil-thin.
If a strip shrinks back, set it aside and come back to it in a minute so the gluten relaxes.
This is the slow part, honestly, and the first few will look uneven (that’s part of their charm).
Lay the sticks on the prepared sheets about 1/2 inch apart.
Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt, sesame seeds, or rosemary.
Press the toppings in gently with your fingertips so they stay put after baking.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, until the grissini are deep golden and sound hollow when tapped.
Pale breadsticks will turn soft as they cool, so bake them fully.
Thinner sticks brown faster, so pull any that finish early.
If your oven has hot spots, swap the pans between racks as well as rotating them.
Let them cool completely on the baking sheet.
They continue to crisp up as they cool, so don’t judge the crunch straight out of the oven.
Serve with cured meats, cheese, or your favorite dip and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Roll them thin. Thickness decides everything. Pencil-thin sticks bake crisp all the way through, while thicker ones stay bready in the middle.
Let the dough rest if it fights you. If the strips keep shrinking, cover the dough for 10 minutes. Relaxed gluten rolls out much more easily.
Bake until truly golden. Underbaked grissini go soft within hours. Look for even golden color from tip to tip.

Wrap with prosciutto after baking. For a classic Italian appetizer, wrap thin slices of prosciutto around the top half of each cooled breadstick. Do it just before serving so the grissini stay crisp.
Use a pizza cutter for even strips. Even strips roll out to an even thickness, which means they all finish baking at the same time.
Try a twisted version. Hold each end of a rolled strip and twist in opposite directions before laying it on the sheet. Twisted grissini hold more seeds and look great on a party table.
Don’t crowd the pans. Leave space between sticks so hot air can move around them. Crowded breadsticks steam each other and bake up pale and bendy.
Storage. Keep fully cooled grissini in an airtight tin or jar at room temperature for up to 1 week. If they soften, crisp them at 350°F for 5 minutes.
Freezing. Freeze baked breadsticks in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh in a warm oven.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

Stand the grissini upright in a tall glass or jar for a party, or lay them across a cheese board.

They pair well with prosciutto, olives, hummus, marinara, or a simple olive oil and balsamic dip. Serve at room temperature.

Storage:

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Avoid the fridge, since it pulls moisture into the dough and they’ll go soft.

A quick 5 minutes in a 350°F oven brings back the snap.

Customization:

Knead 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan into the dough for cheesy breadsticks. Swap some flour for whole wheat for a nuttier flavor, or brush with garlic oil before baking.

Everything bagel seasoning on top works really well too.