My hand is still (a bit) sore and my levains are still asleep, so I am not back in baking mode yet but I have been meaning to share my hazelnut version of Martha Rose Shulman’s whole wheat and walnut breadstick recipe for a while. Now is as good a time as any, especially since it is hazelnut season and maybe you are lucky enough to have hazelnut trees in your garden.
I have tried it with levain instead of yeast (not as crisp) or with rye and spelt replacing some of the whole wheat (too assertive). I have also made it with walnuts as originally intended but as long as we have hazelnuts on hand, I always came back to this one which is our favorite.
I like to make it before traveling as the sticks’ elongated shape makes them ideal for the side pockets of our backpacks and with some cheese (even plain cheese sticks) and an apple or a handful of dried apricots, they make a wholesome snack on the go.
They are very good both with regular whole wheat and with white whole wheat.
Ingredients (for 24 breadsticks):
- 425 g whole wheat flour (white or regular) (I use freshly milled)
- 200 g unbleached all-purpose flour
- 52 g finely ground hazelnuts (or hazelnut meal) (if using whole hazelnuts, roast them for 10 minutes in a 350°F/177°C oven, let them cool down a bit, then rub them in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the skins as possible before grinding)
- 50 g hazelnut oil (a mild olive oil can be used instead)
- 13 g sea salt
- 3 g instant dry yeast
- 314 g lukewarm water
- 5 g honey or maple syrup (optional)
Method:
Please refer to the original recipe as I have followed it to the letter with excellent results.
These Whole Wheat & Hazelnut Breadsticks are going to Susan’s Wild Yeast for this week’s issue of Yeastspotting.
Hello MC,
Wishing you the best and hope your hand is all better as soon as possible!
Your hazelnut version of Ms. Shulman's breadsticks is beautiful, and so perfect for this time of year. Your post has made me pull out my copy of Ms. Shulman's book 'Great Breads', purchased a few months ago. I haven't baked any of her recipes yet…thanks to you I will not wait any longer.
:^) from breadsong
Thank you, breadsong! I love Martha Shulman's approach to cooking and baking. Let me know which bread you bake from the book…
Oooooooo….these sound wonderful!
Hi MC,
I love hazelnut in anything especially with chocolates. I think I will use your breadstick recipe soon to bake a batch of them for my friend’s kids in the coming November. I’m excited to be able to meet you soon and I hope your hand is fine now.
Kimmy
wow, these look great!
@Janet Marie, thank you for stopping by! Let me know how you like the breadsticks if you decide to make them…
@Kimmy, I can't wait either! The class should be so much fun…
@Francis-Olive, thank you!
What a great idea for the basket of fresh basket of hazelnuts gathered….MC I am sure living in France…you might know…if i roast them with the shells on…will it crack the shell? Wishful thinking…
Wishful thinking all right, Jude! The shells are like wood. My guess is that you'd get a fragrant fire going… But if it works, let us know! 😉
Just wanted to add that hazelnuts are indeed a bit of a pain to shell but you know what, when I was a child, we always had pocketfuls of them when at my grandparents' in the country and we cracked them open all day long with our teeth… I don't think I would do it today though.
Wow, strong teeth MC! Or cracked ones…. great post and beautiful photos as always. It is such a pleasure to visit your blog…
Hi Teresa! You crack me up! No teeth issues with these breadsticks. They stay astonishingly crisp for weeks (in a ziploc bag) but they are not hard. They actually crumble nicely in the mouth. Email me your address and I'll send you some next time I bake a batch!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am traveling and don't have much time for websurfing but I know you have a post out on autolyse and it is on my reading list for as soon as I get home and have a minute!