The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us

Blog

Taking Time to Live Well

  • All
  • Chalkboard
  • Christmas
  • Competition
  • could do
  • Eating
  • Escape
  • Escaping
  • Fresh
  • Fun
  • gardening
  • Gathered
  • Gathering
  • Growing
  • Haikus
  • Interview
  • Living
  • Looking back
  • Magazine
  • magical creatures
  • Making
  • Miscellany
  • My Neighbourhood
  • Nature
  • Nest
  • Nesting
  • outing
  • playlist
  • Reader event
  • Reader offer
  • Shop
  • Sponsored post
  • Sunday Best
  • Think
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • Wisdom

Recipe | Seeded Grissini

David Parker July 10, 2025

Photography by Kym Grimshaw

Rolling stretchy dough gives a connection to your cooking – really feel the breadsticks take shape under your hands and let go of any idea of perfection. Let them be imperfectly wonky. If you’ve never made breadsticks from scratch before, you’ll be surprised by how easy and delicious they are.

Makes 16-20 breadsticks

250g bread flour

1 tsp instant yeast (or active dry yeast)

1 tsp fine salt

60ml olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

2-3 tbsp seeds (poppy seeds, sesame or chia seeds)

1 Combine the bread flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Pour in 135ml lukewarm water and the olive oil, then mix until you have a dough.

2 On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for two mins, or until it’s smooth, elastic and easy to work with.

3 Place on a 30cm x 20cm baking tray which has been lined with baking paper and flatten the dough into a rectangle that fills the tray.

4 Brush the dough with a little olive oil and sprinkle over the seeds. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour.

5 When ready, preheat the oven to 205C/Fan 185C/Gas 6. Once the dough has risen, use a pizza cutter to slice it lengthways into strips – around 1.5cm wide. You should get about 16-20 breadsticks.

6 Transfer each strip to one of two lined baking sheets, gently stretching each strip until they are a little longer but not too thin.

7 Bake for 15-20 mins, checking they don’t catch or burn, the transfer to a wire rack to cool.

This recipe is from our Kitchen Therapy feature in the June issue of The Simple Things, called ‘Take It Outside’ - a collection of recipes and projects that can all be done (at least partially) en plein air, including Pavlova with Berries & Rose Petal Cream, Blossom Ice Cubes, Lemon Possets, Whipped Feta Dip with Hot Honey & Crudites and Almond Presse. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the photography by Kym Grimshaw.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More homemade snacks…

Featured
Grissini.jpeg
Jul 10, 2025
Recipe | Seeded Grissini
Jul 10, 2025
Jul 10, 2025
Chick peas 2.jpg
Apr 20, 2024
Recipe | Spicy Roast Chickpeas
Apr 20, 2024
Apr 20, 2024
Sloe and nut 3.jpg
Nov 5, 2022
Recipe | Sticky Sloe and Nut Clusters
Nov 5, 2022
Nov 5, 2022

More from our June issue…

Featured
Grissini.jpeg
Jul 10, 2025
Recipe | Seeded Grissini
Jul 10, 2025
Jul 10, 2025
Snorkelling Stackpole Quay.jpeg
Jun 17, 2025
How to | Start Snorkelling
Jun 17, 2025
Jun 17, 2025
KewSalad_Chopped_edit_web_37_hero.jpeg
Jun 14, 2025
Recipe | Chopped Salad
Jun 14, 2025
Jun 14, 2025
In Eating Tags issue 156, snacks, Italian
Comment

Photograph by David Loftus

Cake | Sweet Potato & Chocolate Loaf

Iona Bower September 14, 2024

Otherwise known as Torta Do Patata Dolce e Cioccolato, this simple Italian loaf cake with added veg is great for a teatime snack or for breakfast with a strong coffee

Serves 6-8

1 large sweet potato (approx. 300g)
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
150g butter, melted
225g 00 flour, sifted
16g baking powder (we used a 16g sachet of Paneangeli baking powder)
60g dark chocolate, finely chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.

2 Start by cooking the sweet potato. Either bake it whole in its skin in the oven for about 50 mins, or bring a pot of water to the boil and cook it for about 40 mins until tender. Alternatively, for speed, you can peel it, chop it into small chunks and place in a bowl with about a tablespoon of water, then microwave it for about 8 mins until tender. Once cooked, mash the potato, then set aside.

3 Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the mashed sweet potato, the lemon zest and melted butter until well incorporated, then fold in the flour, baking powder and chopped chocolate.

4 Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the oven for about 50 mins, or until well risen and golden on top. Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove, slice and serve.

This recipe featured in our September issue and was taken from Gennaro’s Verdure: Big And Bold Italian Recipes To Pack Your Plate With Veg by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books) Photography: David Loftus

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our September issue…

Featured
Make a zine.JPG
Sep 21, 2024
How To | Launch Your Own Tiny Magazine
Sep 21, 2024
Sep 21, 2024
My Neighbourhood Island.jpg
Sep 17, 2024
10 Reasons | To Live on an Island
Sep 17, 2024
Sep 17, 2024
Hedgerow Fizz.jpg
Sep 7, 2024
Tipple | Hedgerow Fizz
Sep 7, 2024
Sep 7, 2024

More cakes to bake…

Featured
20230609_Every_Last_Bite_Rosie_Sykes_Quadrille_Amazing_Chocolate_Coconut_Squares_017_Patricia_Niven.jpeg
Feb 8, 2025
Cake | Chocolate Coconut Squares
Feb 8, 2025
Feb 8, 2025
Tin Can Pannetone.jpg
Nov 30, 2024
Make | Tin Can Panettone
Nov 30, 2024
Nov 30, 2024
Bedtime Cake.jpg
Nov 16, 2024
Recipe | Bedtime Cake
Nov 16, 2024
Nov 16, 2024
In Eating Tags Issue 147, Loaf cake, cake, cake in the house, Italian
Comment

Photography by Kym Grimshaw

Tipple | Aperol Tonics

Iona Bower March 26, 2023

A more substantial take on the much-loved spritz. Still refreshing, but with added depth.

Makes 1

50ml Aperol
25ml grenadine
1 tbsp lemon juice
125ml tonic water
Ice
Orange slices, to serve

1 Combine the Aperol, grenadine and lemon juice together in a glass and add ice.

2 Top with the tonic water, garnish with orange slices and serve.

Cook’s note: Serve with moreish taralli (traditional Italian nibbles) or breadsticks.

This aperol tonic recipe is just one of the ideas from our April issue for a Sunday Roast with an Italian twist, including Roast Fillet of Beef with Salsa Verde, Crispy Roast Gnocchi and Peperonata, Simple Shaved Asparagus Salad, Roasted Parmesan Cabbage and Lentils and a Traditional Colomba Cake. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the Photography by Kym Grimshaw.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things to do on Sundays…

Featured
Veg PAtch Pantry lamb.jpg
Jun 17, 2023
Recipe | Summer Weekend Roast
Jun 17, 2023
Jun 17, 2023
Aperol tonics.jpg
Mar 26, 2023
Tipple | Aperol Tonics
Mar 26, 2023
Mar 26, 2023
Aug 26, 2015
Sunday Best: Make it a day well spent
Aug 26, 2015
Aug 26, 2015

More from our blog…

Featured
Grissini.jpeg
Jul 10, 2025
Recipe | Seeded Grissini
Jul 10, 2025
Jul 10, 2025
Competition.jpeg
Jul 8, 2025
Writing competition | The Longest Day
Jul 8, 2025
Jul 8, 2025
Lemonade.jpeg
Jul 5, 2025
Recipe | Homemade Lemonade
Jul 5, 2025
Jul 5, 2025
In Eating Tags issue 130, Sunday, Italian, spring recipes, roast
Comment
Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
Join our Newsletter
Name
Email *

We respect your privacy and won't share your data.

email marketing by activecampaign
facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram
  • Subscriber Login
  • Stockists
  • Advertise
  • Contact

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram