On the weekends, South Africans gather with friends and family to relax and interact, and this calls for plenty of food. South Africans have a penchant for spicing up international cuisines with their own unique flair. The bread sticks are a staple of Italian cuisine, while the tzatziki is a popular spread that combines elements of Greek and Turkish cuisines. South Africans like mushrooms, so this recipe is loaded with them.
Mushroom bread sticks tips
Quick and easy to prepare, this bread dough yields a light and crisp crumb when baked. The mushrooms are mostly for aesthetic purposes but improve both the appearance and flavour. Tzatziki is a fantastic yoghurt dipping sauce, and you’ll often see people piling it over the sticks in place of the mushrooms. Either the sticks or the tzatziki might benefit from a dusting of biltong to give them a more authentically South African flavour.
Try these mushroom bread sticks with mushroom tzatziki if you’re a fan of fusion cuisine and South African flavours.
Mushroom bread sticks with mushroom tzatziki recipe
Course: Snacks
Cuisine: Greek, Turkish, South African
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
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250g baby portabellini / baby button mushrooms, sliced
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500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
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10g salt
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10g instant dry yeast
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400ml warm water
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2 tbsp. olive oil
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100g pitted green olives, drained and roughly chopped
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50g parmesan cheese, grated
- For the mushroom tzatziki
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150g baby portabellini / baby button mushrooms, sliced
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250ml Greek-style full cream yoghurt
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1 Mediterranean cucumber, finely grated and squeezed
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1 clove garlic, finely grated
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1 tsp lemon zest
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2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
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1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
- Extras
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olive oil
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freshly ground black pepper and salt
Method
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the mushrooms on high heat until they have released all their liquid and are golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
- Place flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt and mix it through. Add the yeast and half the warm water. Start mixing on a low speed. As the dough comes together, slowly pour in the remaining water.
- Turn the mixer up to medium speed. Mix for about 7 minutes until stretchy and smooth. Add the olive oil and mix in thoroughly. Add the sautéed mushrooms and olives. Mix until well-distributed.
- Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot to proof for about an hour. The dough should triple in size.
- Preheat the oven to 220˚C. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
- Heavily dust a clean work surface with flour. Tip the dough out. Gently shape and pull it into a puffy rectangle. Do not knock out the air.
- Cut the dough into two pieces to work more easily with the dough. Keep moving it around and stretching it gently so it does not stick.
- Dusting with flour as you work, cut the two rectangles into chunky strips. You want to end up with 18 even dough strips in total.
- Gently move them onto the baking trays. Brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
- Bake the breadsticks for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- For the tzatziki
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan. Sauté the mushrooms until golden brown. Season well.
- Combine the rest of the tzatziki ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Season to taste.
- Fold in most of the mushrooms and scatter some on top.
- Serve the warm breadsticks with the mushroom tzatziki for dipping. Enjoy!