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Seabourn Breadsticks

Aboard the luxury ships of the Seabourn Cruise Line (winner for Best Cruise Line in the 2014 Saveur Culinary Travel Awards) foie gras, caviar, and free-flowing bubbly abound. But the most sought-after treats are these buttery breadsticks. To keep up with passenger demand, bakers onboard use a pasta machine to slice the dough into foot-long breadsticks by the thousand. From: Saveur MAKES ABOUT 5 DOZEN

3½ cups flour
14 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
¾ oz. fresh yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 cup ice-cold water
1 egg, mixed with 1 tbsp. water
Coarse salt, for sprinkling

Pulse flour, butter, yeast, sugar, and salt in a food processor into pea-sized crumbles. With the motor running, slowly add water until dough forms. Divide dough into 3 balls and wrap in plastic wrap; set in a warm place for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, and working with 1 ball of dough at a time, roll dough until ⅓" thick; trim sides to make a 6"x12" rectangle. Slice lengthwise into ⅓"-thick breadsticks and transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheets; gather and reuse scraps. Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt; bake until golden and crisp, 10–12 minutes.

Hand-Pulled Breadsticks (Grissini Stirati)

From http://food52.com/recipes/34220-hand-pulled-breadsticks-grissini-stirati
Makes about 25 breadsticks

1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (12 grams fresh yeast)
1/2 tablespoon malt syrup or sugar
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
3 3/4 cups (500 grams) bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (85 grams) semolina, for dusting and rolling

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, malt syrup, and water. Let sit for about 10 minutes, until the yeast dissolves and becomes foamy. Stir in the olive oil, then add the flour and combine until it comes together into a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes if doing this by hand (3 minutes if in a mixer). Add in the salt towards the end.

Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 14 inches (35 centimeters) long, then fold into thirds for a width of about 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 centimeters). Place, seam down, on a well floured surface. Lightly brush or spray the top with olive oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let rise (in a warm spot, if possible) until doubled, about 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 450º F (230º C) and lightly oil a baking sheet. To shape the grissini, with a sharp knife, cut the loaf crosswise into pieces that are 3 to 4 inches long and about the width of a finger (a bit more than 1/3 inch or about 1 centimeter wide). Place the semolina on a plate or wide, shallow bowl and roll the dough gently in the semolina to lightly coat. Without disturbing the side of the dough that has just been cut, using your thumbs and forefingers, gently pull the piece of dough from both ends. Stretch to the width or length of your baking sheet. Place on the prepared baking sheet and continue with the rest of the dough.

Bake until the breadsticks are golden, about 11 to 15 minutes, depending on how thick or thin your breadsticks are. Remove from the oven and cool on baking racks.