Picos

spanish bread sticks

I made these Spanish bread sticks while watching a French movie.  Um, yeah, it’s not easy to work and read subtitles at the same time but luckily there is  a lot of waiting when it comes to making breads.

These delicious little “bread sticks” turned out great….(taste just like my pretzel recipe so you could really call them little soft pretzels.)  Now that they are finished, I hope to finish watching my French movie, A Very Long Engagement. I just finished the book so now I get to enjoy the movie….my only complaint is that Jodi Foster is in it….I love Jodi…but not in a French movie.  I like foreign movies because of the new faces…

To make these You’ll need:

7/8 cup water

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cups unbleached white bread flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon yeast

for the toppings:

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Step One: Dough. So you’ll mix the dough ingredients together in the same way you would for making any other dough (google instructions if you’re unsure how they should be combined and remember that you handle different types of yeast different ways…also, the amount used may vary depending on the type….I use active dry yeast).  Let rise.

***IF you are using a bread machine, put the ingredients in according to the order specified for your machine.  Mine requires putting wet ingredients in first, then the flour, then salt and sugar in separate corners then yeast then hit the dough cycle.  Though I make a lot of breads by the good ole fashioned method, I do LOVE using my bread machine as well.  IF you are afraid of the bread making process but love the smell and taste of homemade breads, please do yourself a favor and invest in one of these machines….they are SUPER EASY to use and you get perfect results every time!

Step Two: Punch it. When the dough has doubled in size (after about two hours), punch it down gently on a floured surface.  Roll it out into a 12×9 inch rectangle.  Cut length wise into three strips, then cut each strip into 1 inch pieces.  Roll each piece into a little snake and loosely tie into a knot.

Step Three: Rise again. Lightly oil two baking sheets.  Place the knots on the sheets, giving them a bit of elbow room.  Cover them with oiled plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise for about 15 minutes.  Uncover.

Step Four: Brush.  Brush each picos with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds or salt…or both…or leave plain.

Step Five: Bake. 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden.