breadsticks

Generality

The breadsticks belong to the third group of foods, which includes cereals and their derivatives but also tubers (bread, wheat, breadsticks, rusks, crackers, pasta, rice, barley, oats, tapioca, potatoes ...). Very similar to bread, breadsticks are a typical product of the whole Italian territory, despite their discovery and aging they date back to the Turin bakers of the 17th century AD.

It is not by chance, therefore, that the robatà (the oldest and most traditional form of breadstick) in the Chieri area (just south of Turin) have been recognized as a traditional Italian food product, provided by the "Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies ".

The term "breadstick" was chosen for the strong similarity of the product with the typical bread of the Piedmontese capital: la ghersa . There is also a variety of breadstick (however officially recognized) which, instead of being worked EXCLUSIVELY "by hand" for rolling and crushing, is "pulled" lengthwise even by machine; thus we obtain the ironed breadsticks, which are more suitable for industrial production.

The main ingredients of the breadsticks are: flour (from Triticum aestivum ), water, yeast, source of fat (oil or lard) and salt. The water percentage of the finished product is very limited, the edible portion is 100% and energy nutrients are mainly complex carbohydrates and lipids; all this gives breadsticks a considerable calorific value and a rather high glycemic index.

Preparation of traditional breadsticks

The classic Piedmontese breadsticks, the smooth ones for instance, are based on:

Soft wheat flour type 00: 480g
Water: 220ml
Extra virgin olive oil: 75ml
Brewer's yeast: 15g
Malt (alternatively honey): 12g
Salt up: 10g
Caster sugar: 3g
Durum wheat semolina: QB.

The procedure is quite elementary, but this does not guarantee the success of the breadsticks; it is essential first of all to have a room / room with a good humidity, a pastry board or a wooden table and, possibly, a minimum of "manual" in preparing the leavened dough. In the order:

Nutritional composition of breadsticks - Reference values of the INRAN Food Composition Tables

Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)

Edible part		100, 0g
water		8.5g
Protein		12, 3g
Lipids TOT		13, 9g
	Saturated fatty acids	- g
	Monounsaturated fatty acids	- g
	Polyunsaturated fatty acids	- g
	Cholesterol	- mg
TOT Carbohydrates		68, 4g
	Starch	60, 2g
	Soluble sugars	2.2 g
Dietary fiber		3.5g
Power		431, 0kcal
Sodium		- mg
Potassium		- mg
Iron		2, 3mg
Football		13, 0mg
Phosphorus		162, 0mg
Thiamine		0, 12mg
Riboflavin		0, 08mg
Niacin		0, 9mg
Vitamin A		0, 0μg
C vitamin		0, 0mg
Vitamin E		- mg

Dissolve the yeast with warm water and oil; form a fountain with flour, malt, sugar and salt, then knead together with water with yeast and oil (or use a mixer for 10 minutes); when the mixture is smooth, sprinkle the table or pastry board with semolina and place the dough to divide it into 3; with each piece, form a long and narrow strand, about 15cm high; polish with oil and leave to rise for 40 'at a temperature higher than 22 ° C but lower than 40 ° C; Then cut the loins into long, thin sticks, a maximum of half a centimeter wide; with both hands, take each stick and pull the ends to the desired length; the future breadsticks will then be placed on a perforated oven plate (or with non-stick paper) and baked in a preheated oven at 190 ° C for 10 '; remove from the oven and leave to cool. Do not store breadsticks for more than 2 days.

Nutritional characteristics

As anticipated, breadsticks are foods with high energy value, rich in complex carbohydrates, poor in water and containing a good intake of lipids. These characteristics make them unsuitable for the diet for the control / reduction of overweight and for the hypoglycemic diet used in the treatment of diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia.

Using vegetable oil rather than lard it is possible to feed on products containing unsaturated fats and cholesterol-free, therefore suitable - with due moderation - to the diet of those suffering from hypercholesterolemia. To increase the proportion of proteins and good polyunsaturated fats, it is possible to cover the breadsticks with vegetable seeds, such as those of sesame or poppy, which nevertheless also enhance their energy intake

The proteins are contained in discrete quantities and have a medium biological value.

The dietary fiber content varies depending on the type of flour used, but the bread sticks always contain a satisfactory concentration.

WARNING! The breadsticks purchased may contain lower quality lipids than extra virgin olive oil. Hydrogenated fats or those of tropical origin are frequently used; the latter, when rich in fatty acids that tend to be saturated or hydrogenated, are metabolically less healthy due to the negative effect they have on bad cholesterol levels (LDL).

It is likely that the bread sticks contain excessive amounts of sodium, a disadvantage in the case of high blood pressure.