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1
Place all the dry ingredients, including the spices and 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds (leave the golden sultanas on one side for now) in a large bowl.
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2
When adding the yeast and salt, place them at opposite sides of the bowl.
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3
Add the olive oil and two-thirds of the water to the flour mixture and begin to mix it all together with your fingers or use a kitchen mixer with a dough hook.
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4
Add more water gradually until all the dry ingredients are picked up and you have a soft dough.
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5
You may not need all of the water.
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6
Tip the mixture out onto a clean surface and knead it for about 10 minutes.
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7
You will work through the initial wet stage and eventually end up with smooth, soft, silky dough.
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8
If you are using a kitchen mixer, knead it for about 6 minutes.
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9
Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in it.
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10
Cover with clingfilm or a shower cap and leave it on one side until doubled in size.
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11
Depending on your room temperature, this can take 1 hour, but its fine to leave it for 2 hours.
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12
Dust your work surface with rice flour or semolina and tip the dough out onto it.
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13
(Using semolina will add a slight crunch to your breadsticks.)
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14
Flatten the dough to a rough rectangle and spread the sultanas over it.
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15
Fold it over on itself several times to distribute them evenly throughout.
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16
Dust your work surface with more rice flour or semolina and roll out the dough to a 28 x 20cm rectangle.
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17
Sprinkle the top of the dough with the remaining sesame seeds and use the rolling pin to gently press them into the dough.
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18
Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 20 strips, 1cm wide, and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
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19
Alternatively, you can make the breadsticks a little more rustic by dividing the dough into 20 equal pieces and rolling them into thin sausage shapes, 28cm long.
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20
Cover them with a tea towel and leave them to prove for about 20 minutes until slightly puffed up.
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21
While the breadsticks prove, preheat the oven to 200C fan/220C/gas mark 7.
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22
Bake each tray of breadsticks separately for about 1012 minutes.
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23
They should be a deep golden colour and crisp.
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24
Place on wire racks to cool.
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25
Best eaten on the day of baking.
