Seeded Breadsticks (Page 605)

• Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 -- 9pm
• Location: Bloomington, IN
• Kitchen: My Apartment
• Dining Companion: Matty
  
• Recipe Rating: A-
  

I bought the ingredients to make these a couple weeks ago and never did, so I figured I should get on that before I leave for the summer! These breadsticks were quite tasty. I am a sucker for homemade yeast breads and it's hard to go too wrong with breadsticks. When these were fresh out of the oven I stood over the baking sheet and ate more of them that I would care to admit! I would eat one, and then think, "OK, just one more." It went on like that for a bit. They were so tasty though! The outside was a little crunchy, and the interior was soft and chewy. The combination of white and whole wheat flours gave them a good whole grain flavor without compromising the texture. The Book lists a whole bunch of options for types of seeds to top them with. I have too many sesame seeds in my apartment (and sesame seeds go rancid pretty quickly) so I used this opportunity to use up some of those. I also sprinkled generously with kosher salt. Yum! The only negative comment I can make about these is that were perhaps a touch dry. But I loved them, and would happily serve them to anyone.

Here is the recipe.

I couldn't blog yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to make a little shout-out to my special gentleman, whose birthday was yesterday. Happy Birthday to him! I could go on and on about all the things I love about my special gentleman, how much he contributes to my life, etc... but that would probably embarrass him, and would be so sappy that you readers would be rolling your eyes anyway. So I'll skip that. But I do want to say one thing: this project would not be the same without my special gentleman. He is a constant source of enthusiasm for my cooking and this project (for example, read the lovely things he said about my project in the comments here). He doesn't get the same joy out of cooking that I do, but he loves to eat. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I think he loves eating even more than I do. He has a strong palate, and a curiosity and reverence for food which is wonderful to see. A couple friends and I made dinner a few weeks back and after eating with my special gentleman, one of my friends turned to me and said, "No wonder you cook so much. If I had a partner who reacted like that to my cooking, I would cook every day too!" It's true. His enthusiasm is motivating.

Beyond that, he is one of the most flexible and accommodating people I have ever known. When I told him that I needed to make seafood for every meal this coming summer before he moved to the Midwest (far, far, from the sea), he said, without hesitation, "OK." Now that's flexible.

I'll stop gushing now. Happy Birthday to my special gentleman!!!