Amazing Italian Bread Sticks | Raw | Gluten-Free | Oil-Free
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These breadsticks turned out so incredibly delicious, not to mention that the shape alone made them fun to eat. Today, my mom tried these along with a raw Basil Pesto noodle dish and just loved it. She was amazed at how these sticks looked felt and tasted. The texture was simply remarkable! There is no doubt I will be making these again and again. Our friend, Craiger, (who still furrows his brow at some of the foods I make) said that these would easily fool anyone. You can not tell they are raw. :)
Update (11/01/14). I made a few revisions to the recipe that I had initially posted in May of 2011. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of Irish moss and no additional water. Since Irish moss is difficult to find for most and I tend not to use it anymore, I made this recipe with psyllium husks instead. I ended up adding 1 1/2 cups of water, but I suggest starting with just 1 cup and only adding more if needed. The moisture left in the almond pulp will determine this. Oh, and I also added the garlic powder.
Whenever I use the almond pulp in a recipe, many people ask if they can use ground almonds in place of it. My answer is that I don’t recommend it. I spend a reasonable amount of time developing my recipes, aiming for the right flavor and texture. Almond pulp is much lighter in weight and texture then ground almonds.
That’s not to say that you can’t use ground almonds or other flours, such as adding more of the oat flour… BUT it will change the overall texture and in some cases, the flavor. I always suggest that you make the recipe as written before you start to make changes. That way, you can understand what I created and how the ingredients work. Below I have shared how to dehydrate the breadsticks and how to bake them in the oven. I have many readers who don’t own dehydrators and enjoy cooked foods, so I did this for you. :)
Ingredients:
20 (5″) breadsticks
Dry ingredients:
Wet ingredients:
- 2 cups (400 g) packed, moist almond pulp
- 1 cup (200 g) water
- 1/4 cup (70 g) date paste
- 1 Tbsp (14 g) lemon juice
- 2 tsp (11 g) maple syrup
Coating:
- Sesame seeds (for rolling the breadsticks in)
- Coarse sea salt
Preparation:
- In a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, combine the oats, flax, psyllium, coconut flour, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Pulse together until well mixed.
- Oats are naturally gluten-free, but depending on the manufacturing facility, they can be cross-contaminated. If you are sensitive to gluten, be sure to purchase oats that state “Gluten-Free” on the packaging.
- Add the almond pulp, 1 cup of water, date paste, lemon juice, and sweetener. Blend till everything is well incorporated.
- Depending on how moist your almond pulp is, you may need to add more water, so the dough sticks together nicely. If you do, do this by adding 1 Tbsp at a time after adding the cup of water.
- Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes before using so the flax and psyllium start their binding process in the dough.
- With a 1/4 cup (50 g) measuring cup, level off the cup with the dough. Roll the dough together in the palm of your hands, shaping it into a ball. Repeat this until all the dough is used up.
- To achieve uniformed sized breadsticks, I used a 1/4 cup sized cookie scoop, making sure to level off the top.
- Clean the countertop and then start to roll the dough into a breadstick shape. I rolled mine to 5″ long.
- Use the flats of palms as you gently roll it back and forth towards yourself, slowly stretching it into shape.
- If the dough isn’t sticking together, you need to add a bit more water (this is an indicator that your almond pulp was a bit on the dryer side.
- Pour the sesame seeds on the countertop or cutting board and gently mix the two colors together. Roll the sticks back and forth, coating them.
- Dehydrator method:
- Place the breadstick on the mesh sheet that comes with the dehydrator and dehydrate at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour. This will create a crispy crust on the outside.
- Decrease the temperature to 115 degrees (F) and continue to dehydrate for about 6 hours.
- As an indicator, if it is dry enough, touch the center of the bread slices.
- You don’t want it to be doughy, but you also don’t want the bread to dry out too much.
- You decide on how dry you want the end result to be.
- Oven method: (not raw)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Place the breadsticks on a cookie sheet and slide into the oven for about 40 minutes. All ovens run a bit differently, so start checking it at 30 minutes. It won’t get brown, so don’t let the color fool you.
- Shelf life and storage: My recommendation would be to store this bread in an air-tight container, in the fridge, for 3-5 days.
- The more moisture that is left in your bread, the shorter the shelf life. Therefore, shelf life will vary with your drying technique. Whenever I make this bread, it never lasts very long enough to spoil.
- Keep in mind, the whole purpose of eating a raw diet is to eat foods at their peak of freshness, so don’t expect this bread to have an extended expiration date.
The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™
- To learn more about maple syrup by clicking (here).
- What is Himalayan pink salt, and does it matter? Click (here) to read more about it.
- Are oats gluten-free? Yes, read more about that (here).
- Are oats raw? Yes, they can be found. Click (here) to learn more.
- Do I need to soak and dehydrate oats? Not required but recommended. Click (here) to see why.
- Learn how to grind your own flaxseeds for ultimate freshness and nutrition. Click (here).
- How does psyllium work in a recipe? Learn more (here).
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients, it is essential to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do, however, honestly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Oil-Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Hi. Thank you for the recipes. I have trouble digesting flax seeds – would chia work as a substitute?
Hello Sue, yes you can do an equal substitution across the board with Chia seeds. :) amie sue
Hello Amie-Sue,
Oh how I do love your site and your recipies! The raison bread turned out amazing, the hamburger buns are FUNctional and next will be these bread sticks.
I am just wondering why you use coconut flour? I am having trouble seeing the function or taste to the use of. I used it in the raison bread and although it is amazing I am wondering if the small bit of flour taste is from the coconut flour. I left it out of the buns and it seems better. Both of them were made without Irish Moss (i didn’t have any) so perhaps the batch of bread sticks I make today will loose the floury taste altogether….
Thoughts and words of wisdom, please? :)
Good evening Robyn,
The raisin bread is my favorite, I think, haha… I love them all. The coconut flour is more for the texture than the flavor. If you like the recipe without it, then so be it…as long as it comes out in the end is all that matters. :) It’s all about experimenting. This form of cooking isn’t found in Betty Crocker cookbooks from 40 years ago…we have to create our own!!
Excellent recipe!
I wondered if you could make this nut free-sans almonds
Barb, can you clarify by what you mean,”nut free-sans almonds”?
how to make this nut-free??
Hello Ari,
Almond pulp really gives this breadstick a great texture. You can always play around with oat flour, buckwheat flour and / or perhaps sunflower seeds. Merry Christmas, amie sue :)
Yeah, a use for my raw coconut flour!
when a recipe call for just Irish Moss, like this one, I am assuming I can use the Irish Moss Paste I have in the freezer?
Yes Sharon, just thaw it first. :) amie sue
Could I use buckwheat flour in place of the most flour?
Sorry, that was supposed to say oat flour.
Yes Gwyneth, buckwheat will substitute just fine and dandy :) Let me know if you try the recipe. Have a wonderful day, amie sue
Amie-Sue, I have to say yours is truly a wonderful and mouth-watering site!! I am curious if the Irish moss can be substituted with agar-agar power instead? I’ve been using agar-agar for a thickening agent for years and I’m curious if you have tried it. Irish moss is not available here and I do not purchase online (too many mishaps). Thanks in advance! :)
Hello Charmaine,
Thank you very much for the kind words. I am quite passionate about food.. healthy food! hehe
To be honest, I haven’t tried agar in the bread recipes. These days I don’t use Irish moss much, only because I get too lazy to order it. hehe You can omit the Irish moss and use 1-2 Tbsp of psyllium husks that have been powdered in its place. That will give it the spongy bread feel. Can you get that? Have a great day, amie sue
Thank you for replying!! Psyllium husks are available here. I’ll give it a try. Again, your information and recipes are absolutely wonderful. :)
My pleasure Charmaine, I hope you enjoy them. Keep me posted and have a blessed day! amie sue
I came back to this recipe (again!) and I see you’ve made changes to avoid the Irish Moss. I still have Irish Moss to use, so could you please remind me how much? Thanks- I love these!
Hello Cheyenne, I made note of this in the second paragraph just in case someone still wanted to use Irish Moss. :)
“Update (11/01/14). I made a few revisions to the recipe that I had originally posted on May of 2011. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of irish moss and no additional water. Since irish moss is difficult to find for most and I tend not to use it anymore, I made this recipe with psyllium husks instead. I ended up adding 1 1/2 cups of water but I suggest starting with just 1 cup and only adding more if needed. The moisture left in the almond pulp will determine this. Oh, and I also added the garlic powder.”
Enjoy and have a wonderful up and coming week! amie sue
So you did! Boy do I feel silly. Thanks! :)
No need to feel silly :) Have a great evening, amie sue
Hi! I would love to try making these yummy sounding breadsticks. I have an almond allergy however. Do you think it is possible to replace that ingredient with something else? Suggestions??
Thanks a bunch!
Gabrielle
Hello Gabrielle,
Sorry that it took me a few days to get back to you. I am sorry to hear that you have an almond allergy. Can you enjoy cashews? That would be a good replacement. You could use about any nut but they will all impart a different flavor. Outside of nuts, you could try buckwheat or oats… or a combination of the two. I hope this helps. amie sue
Made these last night. Wow! So delicious! Thank you for sharing your creative skills. It’s a blessing to many. Your talents never cease to amaze me ;) You think this would work as a pizza cruse also?
Good evening Kelly,
So thrilled to hear that you are enjoying the recipe. It’s my pleasure to share. Thank you for trying it. :) And gosh, yes, it would be perfect for a pizza crust. That’s the true beauty of raw recipes. You can take this batter and create a bread loaf, bread sticks, crackers, crust… you name it. Have a blessed weekend, amie sue
Hello
Does coconut flour here refer to ground coconut flakes, ground dried coconut pulp, or the light dry powdery defatted coconut flour now appearing in the stores!?
Many thanks
Hx
Good morning Helen,
I used a raw coconut flour by Coconut Secrets. I provided a link in the ingredient list for you. :) Have a blessed weekend! amie sue
Not sure how far I want to go with the dehydration on these babies. Setting them on low for another three hours or so…Live and learn! I made 8 inch long slender stinks perfectly straight which came to 10 of them. Fun to make and easy. If one of the balls got a little hard to roll I just added a bit more water. The only change I would make next time is to include a little more coarse salt with the sesame seed mixture for a bit more pizzazz.
For Thanksgiving (which as far as I’m concerned is every day with Nouveauraw) my house smelled so homey as i’m making onion bread and corn bread so the white onions were in the dehydrator). And today the cute little musubi sushi mold for making bars came in the mail! I want to make something chocolatey very soon…
Good morning Judy,
Yes, I have learned with raw breads that you can really tailor the texture to your liking through the drying process. You can go from soft and moist to dry and crunchy and every where in between. :)
Isn’t it amazing the wonderful aromas that omit from the dehydrator? When I first started raw I went 100% for a year without owning a dehydrator. I always joked with Bob and that I was going to make room fresheners that smelled like foods because I missed the air filling up with mouth watering smells. But once I go a dehydrator, everything changed. :) So I can completely envision and smell what you were experiencing. hehe Thanks so much for sharing this.
I hope you have fun with the bar shaper. I use mine all the time now. Have a blessed and wonderful day, amie sue
Hi Amie-Sue,
Another great recipe,you’re a champion at having great recipes.But you have a sweeter tooth than me, so for this recipe a put a bit less date paste and half the maple syrup and it’s still a bit to sweet for us (my husband and I ). So I wondering if I could skip the maple syrup or does it has a specific use in the recipe.
Thanks a million
Have a great day.😀
Hello Jacinte. Thank you for the kind words. :) You could skip the sweetener if you feel the need to. It’s added to balance the flavors. Thanks for the feedback and great question. blessings, amie sue
Hola querida amiesue saludos desde Venezuela GRS por compartir tus conocimientos quería saber por q puedo reemplazar la avena ya q aquí no se consigue libre de gluten
Good afternoon Christopher,
I haven’t tested it, but I were to try something else, I would try raw buckwheat kernels. Do you have access to those? blessings, amie sue