Cornmeal Sweet Potato Breadsticks

Crunchy and slightly sweet, pairing two indigenous American staples. This is based on a Cornmeal-Cayenne Grissini recipe from Gourmet magazine.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1  cup warm water
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons  yeast (1 package)
• 2  cups flour
• 1 1⁄4 cups cornmeal
• 1  cup sweet potato, grated
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup  vegetable oil

Directions

1. Sprinkle to yeast over the warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Knead 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. (Compared to traditional breadstick dough, this may feel oily, and won't develop such obvious gluten strands.).
4. Cover and let rise about an hour, until doubled in bulk.
5. Preheat over to 350°F.
6. Roll dough into 8-10-inch-long sticks and place on a greased baking sheet. Thinner sticks (pencil-sized) will be crunchier and have more of a caramelized taste. Thicker sticks (finger-sized) will have distinct crust and bread textures.
7. Bake about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.