Caraway Breadsticks – First, Second and Third Attempt

As promised in my last post on Swabian Souls, I will share my experiences with various recipes and comment on their (perceived) authenticity.

So far, I have tried one yeast-only recipe, and two sourdough-and-yeast versions, one of which using a baking mix. Sadly (for my baker ego at least), the recipe using a flour mix from Mehlstübchen Berlin has, so far, yielded the best results. Yet, topped with enough coarse salt and caraway, they all tasted pretty good already. So here goes.

No.1 Yeast-Only

The advantage of the yeast-only recipe is that it can be done within a day. The dough needs to rest for about 2 hours only, so if you don’t have a lot of time (or patience), use this one.

Ingredients:

400g bread flour (wheat, type 550 or 812)

3g dried yeast (or about 12g fresh yeast)

8g salt

240ml water

oil, coarse salt, a pinch of sugar and caraway seeds

Directions:

Dissolve yeast and sugar in (lukewarm) water, add flour and salt and knead into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Let rest for approx. 1 hour or until it has doubled in volume.

Preheat oven to 240 deg C.

Place dough onto a lightly oiled surface, then divide into 3-5 pieces, depending on how large you want your breadsticks to be. Pull the pieces into lengthy bars , about 4cm wide and 25cm long and place them onto a lightly oiled baking parchment. They do not need to look particularly well-shaped, the beauty of these breadsticks lies in their somewhat unshapely imperfection.

Place baking sheet on baking tray. Sprinkle dough bars with coarse salt and caraway seed, then spray with water (repeat the spraying throughout the baking process for an even crispier crust).

Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the breadsticks turn golden brown.

No.2 Yeast, Sourdough and Beer, the hearty version

The poolish for this recipe will need to rest overnight and the dough needs a 3-4 hour second rise the next day, so baking these Seelen will require a bit more time and planning. The addition of beer gives them a nice twinge and makes them extra-flavoursome.

Ingredients:

For the poolish:

75g wheat flour

75ml water

2g fresh yeast

For the main dough:

370g bread flour (wheat)

30g spelt flour

30g rye flour

150ml cold, dark beer

12g salt

30g active sourdough starter

2g fresh yeast

oil, coarse salt, caraway seeds

Directions:

Day 1:

Step 1:

75g flour, 75ml water, 2g yeast

For the poolish, mix flour, yeast and water, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge overnight.

Day 2

Step 1:

125ml cold water,370g bread flour, 30g spelt flour, 30g rye flour, 150ml beer, 12g salt, 30g sourdough starter, 2g yeast

Knead all ingredients into a smooth and slightly sticky dough. Pour into a well-oiled tin or bowl, cover with clingfilm and let rest for 3-4 hours.

Step 2:

Preheat oven to 240 deg C.

Step 3:

Wet worktop with a bit of water, then place dough onto it. Pull the dough apart into 6 sticky pieces with wet or oiled hands. Pull the pieces into lengthy bars , about 4cm wide and 25cm long and place them onto a lightly oiled baking parchment. This is a somewhat messy and sticky affair, and the bars will not look very even, but that is fine, as the beauty of these breadsticks lies in their somewhat unshapely imperfection.

Step 4:

Place baking sheet on baking tray. Sprinkle dough bars with coarse salt and caraway seed, then spray with water (repeat the spraying throughout the baking process for an even crispier crust).

Step 5:

Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the breadsticks turn golden brown. Best enjoyed whilst still warm and fresh!

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No.3 is the recipe given on the packaging for the “Seelenmischung” bread mix by Mehlstübchen Berlin.