The Sicilian sesame seed grissini, like the Mafalde Siciliane, are a great classic of Sicilian cuisine and grandmother’s recipes, typical throughout Sicily, from Palermo to Catania. Crispy, flaky and very aromatic, like the rosemary olive oil grissini, they are still made today following simple and ancient gestures, using genuine ingredients and home techniques handed down over time. In Sicily, sesame is the star of many preparations, for example in the cubaita, which is a crunchy sweet, or in Biscotti reginella, which are dunking cookies completely covered in sesame. Sesame gives an intense and unmistakable aroma to grissini and to every recipe that uses it. In this recipe I show you how to make true Sicilian sesame grissini with lard, just like the bakery ones and as good as those made in the old days. The use of lard, typical of Sicilian bakery tradition, makes the grissini flakier, tastier and naturally crunchy, without needing modern fats or industrial processes.
These homemade sesame grissini are perfect to serve as an appetizer, to accompany cured meats and cheeses, or in place of bread, like the tomato-flavored grissini. The recipe is explained step by step, with real photos showing every stage of the dough, from the initial mixing to the final baking.
If you’re looking for a simple, traditional and reliable recipe, designed to obtain crispy and fragrant grissini like those from a Sicilian bakery, you are in the right place. Let’s go to the kitchen and prepare them together, but first I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 3 Hours
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 5 servings
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make Sicilian sesame grissini

Here’s what you will need to make sesame grissini:

4 1/4 cups type 0 (all-purpose) flour
10 tbsp lard (strutto)
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
3 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp active dry yeast (or 12 g fresh yeast)
to taste sesame seeds

Tools

Stand mixer
Baking sheet
Ovens

Preparation of traditional sesame grissini

I kneaded the grissini with a stand mixer to speed things up, but you can also easily knead by hand.

Pour lukewarm water into the bowl of the stand mixer, add the dry active yeast (or crumbled fresh yeast) and the sugar. Add the flour and the lard, mix briefly and let rest for a few minutes. Add the salt and begin kneading until you obtain a homogeneous and elastic dough that pulls away from the bowl.
Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.
The time is indicative: about 2–3 hours, depending on room temperature.
Once risen, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
Work it briefly with your hands to deflate it and make it smooth and compact again.
Divide the dough into portions and shape thin rolls, stretching them with your hands.
They do not have to be perfect: irregularity is typical of artisanal Sicilian grissini; I cut the dough into strips with a pizza cutter.
Quickly dip each thin roll in water, only to wet the surface,
then immediately roll them in sesame seeds, pressing so the seeds adhere along the entire length.
Place the grissini on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, well spaced apart.
Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 392°F for 15–20 minutes, until golden, but leave them in the oven until it has completely cooled; that way they will dry out well and become very crispy and flaky.
Remove from the oven and enjoy.