我是拉克罗斯塔（La Crosta）的爱好者 - 地壳。即使小时候，当我的父母带我去餐厅时，我也会忙于撕裂面包篮的内容。我只会吞噬烤面包，耐嚼的外壳，留下苍白，柔软的内脏，被肮脏的盘子扫除。我的餐桌举止有所改善，但是我对泥土，强劲的味道和硬皮面包的质地的热爱并没有消失。

现在，我是专业的面包师，几乎全是外壳的手工面包棒已经成为我的标志性食谱之一。在我烘烤的餐厅里，每顿饭都从一篮子这些高大，脆脆的面包棒开始。

Olive oil and seasonings set these breadsticks apart

Besides the obvious superiority of home-baked vs. factory-produced, there are two important differences between my breadsticks and the pallid, dusty ones you find wrapped in paper sleeves and served at some restaurants: olive oil and zesty seasonings.

While olive oil is added to many breadstick recipes, I like to add more than what is typically called for. This liberal use of olive oil gives the sticks a more savory flavor and crisper crunch. Besides adding olive oil to the dough, I also sprinkle a bit—along with a little salt—on the finished breadsticks as they come out of the oven. The fruitier the flavor of the oil, the better, so a coldpressed, extra-virgin olive oil is my first choice.

Keep the flavors strong and simple.TheMaster Recipe for Breadsticks包括三种餐厅中最喜欢的变体 - 淡草药，辣奶酪和摩洛哥香料 - 但我一直在玩新的风味组合。通过多年的实验，我发现通常更少的是更多，而我最成功的食谱通常只需要在基本食谱中添加一些成分。通常，我坚持一个风味主题，只添加合适的调味料。例如，在制作摩洛哥面包棒时，烘烤后，我将烤芝麻油（代替橄榄油）撒在棍棒上，以增强面团中的芝麻风味。我还喜欢玩棍子的形状，以利用不同的香料或草药斑点面团的方式，例如黑芝麻或切碎的绿色草药。

Chilling the dough means a flexible baking schedule

制作真正酥脆的面包棒的关键是将面团稀薄地铺开1/4英寸厚。如果您尝试用新鲜升起的面团做到这一点，最终您会以弹性，有弹性的质量来搏斗，每次滚动或拉伸时都会收缩。您需要至少提前一天制作面团，然后将其抬起，然后将其撞倒，然后将其放在冰箱中过夜（或最多四天），然后再塑造和烘烤棍子。面筋（首先使面团弹性）在冰箱中亮相，因此面团更柔软和柔韧。此外，在面团中加入的任何调味料的口味都会在静止的情况下融合在一起。

Since this dough will last in the refrigerator for up to four days, at home I often shape and bake breadsticks a handful at a time. This way I can have fresh ones for an afternoon snack or as an hors d’oeuvre a few times during the week without having to make the dough each time. Save any leftover dough rolled in a ball and covered with plastic to shape and bake within a few days. After four days the dough will start to ferment and begin to taste overly sour. If you want to keep the dough for longer than four days, simply freeze it. Just thaw to room temperature and proceed with the recipe. I haven’t had good experience cutting and shaping the sticks in advance and freezing them. They seem to rise poorly this way.

Shape the breadsticks to match your mood

The service staff at the restaurant say that they can tell my mood by how I shape the breadsticks for the day. Sometimes I leave them even and straight while other days I twist and knot them into all sorts of whimsical shapes. It’s really up to you, and it depends on how creative you feel when it comes time to roll out the dough. Whatever you decide, begin by rolling the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Then, after cutting the dough into thin strips with a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, give each a little pull and perhaps a few twists. The idea is to stretch the sticks to almost twice their original length, leaving thin strips that will bake up evenly crisp and brown.

Monitor the sticks as they bake.No matter how you roll and shape the breadsticks, there will always be some variation in baking times. Toward the end of the 20- to 25-minute baking time, check the bread-sticks and pull out any that are done. The best test is to gently pinch the sticks. If they feel firm, they’re done. If they’re still soft, give them a few more minutes. If you’ve tied the sticks in pretzel-like shapes, expect the thicker parts to remain somewhat soft even when fully baked.