Sluttishly Savoury: Smoky Paprika Breadsticks

Some things are roughly a million times easier to buy in the supermarket than make at home, and my immediate inclination on seeing a recipe for them is 'why bother?' Breadsticks have always fallen into this category. They're about 80p, for goodness' sake, and what could I possibly add to them to make them worth baking from scratch?

The answer turns out to be 'lots of herbs and spices', along with an incredibly easy recipe. These breadstsicks started life in a friend's hands with thin slices of chorizo sprinkled into the mix, which I've substituted for smoked paprika to make them veggie-friendly.

They're quite salty, so go well with a few cold beers. Try them with hummous or salsa.

Smoky Paprika Breadsticks (makes about 24 long breadsticks)

You will need:

• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (use the ordinary kind if you can't find the smoky version)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 100g unsalted butter, softened and cubed
• 100ml cold water

Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 3.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then add the sugar, salt, chilli powder, smoked paprika and oregano. 
3. Rub in the butter, then gradually add the water and form into a soft dough. Knead gently, then roll out to about 1cm thick and leave to rest for five minutes. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper and grease with a little extra butter while you wait.
4. Cut strips about 1cm wide and gently roll out to about 5mm thick. Get them nice and thin or they'll be doughy in the middle.
5. Lay them out on the prepared trays and bake for around 30 minutes. Try to wait til they cool to eat them.