It has been a little while since my last post, and I think these grissini are the perfect way to break the drought. This recipe is from Made in Italy: Food and Stories, the quite lovely book by Giorgio Locatelli. For me, Italian breadsticks are a promise of something more... an introduction to a leisurely meal in the shade on a sunny day, happy days with a cold glass of beer and an idle nibble on a grissini or two or three. It's not really a serious entree, just something to do while you unwind and wait for the real food to come along. And just as appealing is the impressive spectacle that these 40cm long, hand made beauties create. Knobbly, twisted golden brown sticks with a rustic untamed appearance that cannot fail to impress. A glass filled with these grissini in the centre of the table is indeed a beautiful sight and for this reason alone it is worth firing up the Thermomix and to start baking. Parmesan GrissiniIngredients75g ungrated parmesan cheese50g unsalted butter200g whole milk1 Packet of dried yeast375g bakers flour10g sea salt

MethodChop the parmesan into walnut sized cubes, place into the Thermomix bowl and grate on speed 10 for 4 secondsTransfer the grated parmesan into a bowl and set asideRinse out the Thermomix bowl and dry
Place the butter in the Thermomix bowl and chop on speed 5 for 2 seconds.Melt the chopped butter at 90 degrees on speed 1 for 2 minutesAdd 200g of whole milk and your Thermomix bowl temp should be registering 37 degreesAdd your pack...