Instructions: Dissolve yeast in small bowl - 15 minutes. Place flour in large bowl, stir in salt and add yeast, cool water and biga. Mix.

Knead while turning bowl. Fold from side of bowl to center vigorously. Slap dough back into bowl. and knead until dough comes away from sides cleanly. Knead on surface about 20 minutes on and off. Return to bowl. Form well in center and break butter into small pieces adding it to well along with olive oil. Gently knead until thoroughly incorporated. Dough will come apart, but will come together again. Shape into ball. Place in oiled covered bowl and let rise. about 1 hour.

Turn onto well floured surface. With fingertips press out most of air while forming into 9" x 6" rectangle. Fold about 1/2" of farthest edge toward you like wrapping silverware in napkin. Introduce some tension so that roll is tight and try not to extend length. It will be a fat roll - about 6" in diameter - when done. When you reach edge nearest you, seal edge with heel of hand.

Rub olive oil on section of work area about 1 1/2 times the size of the roll. Place roll here, cover and let rise about one hour. Preheat oven 425.

Have 2 baking sheets ready. Uncover dough roll and brush it all over with oil.

Measure one cup poppy seeds and drop generous handfull alog length of roll and then spread them all along with finger. As you cut dough, pull remaining pieces through seeds.

Using sharp serated knife, cut dough crosswise into 1/4" wide pieces, pulling each piece gently away from roll as you cut it. Cut several pieces at a time and then form them into bread sticks. With one hand, grasp top and other the bottom of each piece. Pick it up and gently move hands outward and parallel. The dough will begin to stretch easily once it is lifted from surface. Stretch to about 12" in length and place crosswise on baking sheet. Mist generously, and place in oven. Bake 5 minutes and then mist again. Bake about 20-25 minutes.

NOTES : Tried this the first time for Thanksgiving and they were excellent. They were even better two days later when they were overheated in the oven and developed a great hard crust and a nice chewy interior.

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