various types of salt

You think you know a person, and then you move into her house for a few weeks to keep the lights on and take in the mail while she's gone, and you realize: Salt. This person has a crush on salt. First you find kosher salt, in the big red box. Then a jar of pink-tinged Hawaiian red clay salt next to a white box of flaky English Maldon salt, the kind that Nigella Lawson likes to sprinkle over her soft-boiled Italian egg every morning. On the counter is a vase-shaped bottle of French sel gris, crunchy, chunky crystals with a whiff of seaweed, and a tiny, face-cream-sized jar of saffron salt. Next to the stove, two ceramic dishes stand ready to deliver up a pinch or two to the soup or scrambled eggs.

On the top shelf, there's even a cylinder of good old supermarket Morton's salt, dosed with iodine and still with the little rain-slickered girl on the dark-blue wrapper. (At least the freezer offers the girly reassurance of chocolate-peanut butter ice cream.) In the refrigerator, the crush veers over to umami, the Japanese-named "fifth taste" of mouth-watering savoriness: capers (2 jars), a wedge of real Parmesan, a chunk of smoked Gouda, soy sauce, cornichons, bread-and-butter pickles. In the pantry, canned trout filets and canned sardines, regular and smoked.

Short of licking one's fingers and working up a case-of-beer thirst, what to do with this grand bouffe of briny delights? There’s an old Jewish tradition that a guest always brings bread and salt to bless a new house. So what better way to make a house a home, just for a little while, than chewy breadsticks sparkling with any number of salts? And when the house’s owner comes back, she’ll find a bouquet of the same fresh salted bread waiting to welcome her back home.

Easy Salty Breadsticks

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These are the perfect accompaniment to hearty winter soups and stews. You can also add some of the toppings--like caraway or poppy seeds--into the dough itself for more texture.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons dry yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 cup milk, warmed
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal or rye flour
Glaze:
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Salt, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, and/or poppy seeds

Preparation:
In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Set aside. In a large bowl, pour warm milk over butter, salt, and sugar or honey. Let sit until milk is lukewarm and butter is melted. Add yeast, white flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, and cornmeal or rye flour. Add more whole wheat flour as needed to make a soft, shaggy dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 50 minutes.

Deflate the dough. Divide dough into small egg-shaped balls, stretching or twist into thin ropes. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment. Lay ropes onto prepared baking sheet and let rise in a warm place until gently puffed, about 20 minutes. While breadsticks are rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, brush with glaze. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until set and just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and brush again with glaze. Sprinkle with toppings. Return to the oven and bake an additional 8-10 minutes, until crust is crisp and deep golden brown.

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