Salt and rosemary dough sticks

Did I mention that I got the best birthday present ever?? My lovely other half bought me the most gorgeous shiny raspberry pink KitchenAid. After so very long dreaming of owning a a kitchenaid and there is now a beautiful one sitting in my kitchen – I can’t believe my luck! The annoying thing is that the last few weeks have been so crazily busy that I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. So I had to make amends and her first outing was to make some gorgeous silky dough to make dough sticks. These go down an absolute treat either alone or dunked into a dip or balsamic vinegar. Perfect nibble food for when guests pop over. To be honest these dough stick can just as easily be whipped up by hand, but there’s nothing like trying out a new toy, and I have to confess that kneading dough gets tiresome and I often cut corners hoping no one will notice that the dough could have been kneaded for a little longer. Well, no more! My new little kitchen assistant can do the grind for me 🙂

Salt and Rosemary Dough Sticks (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

• 450g strong white bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsps fast action yeast
• 1 1/2 tsps salt
• 250-270 ml warm water
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for brushing
• 1 tsp salt crystals

– Pour the water and oil into a well made in the centre of the dry ingredients, bring together to a soft dough – Knead for 5-10 minutes (use your stand mixer with a dough hook if your lucky enough to have one!) until the dough is silky and springs back when pressed.

– Cut into 12 equal pieces

– Roll out to long thick sausage shapes, split in 2 lengthwise (not quite to the end) and twist

– Place on a floured baking sheet, cover with cling film and leave to rise for about half an hour

– Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade/gas mark 6 – Remove the cling film, brush with a little more oil and scatter over some salt crystals

– Bake for 20 minutes until golden and cooked through.