Witch's Finger Bread Sticks with Maple Mustard Dip
Spooky and delicious bread sticks shaped like witch fingers, complete with green almond fingernails and red-tinged cuticles. Served with a creamy maple-mustard dipping sauce, these savory breadsticks are perfect for Halloween entertaining.
Ingredients
- •1½ cups warm water
- •1 tablespoon sugar
- •¼ ounce active dry yeast
- •4 cups all-purpose flour
- •1½ teaspoons salt
- •10 drops green food coloring
- •48 pieces sliced almonds or peanut halves
- •8 drops red food coloring
- •1 large egg
- •½ tablespoon pretzel salt or coarse sea salt
- •½ cup mayonnaise
- •½ cup coarse-grain Dijon mustard
- •1 tablespoon maple syrup or mild honey
- •special equipment
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Stir together water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until sugar is dissolved; let stand until yeast bubbles, about 5 minutes.
5 min
- 2.
Beat in 1 cup of flour on low speed until combined.
2 min
- 3.
Clean dough from paddle, then attach dough hook. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 1/2 cups flour to mixture and beat until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 3 minutes. (If dough is too sticky, add enough of 1/2 cup remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is no longer sticky.)
3 min
- 4.
Oil a large bowl and transfer dough to bowl, then turn dough over to coat it with oil. Cover bowl with a dry towel, then let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until it is double in size, about 1 hour.
60 min
- 5.
While dough is rising, place green food coloring in a small bowl, and using a paintbrush, paint one side of the almond slices or the rounded side of the peanut halves.
10 min
- 6.
Heat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
10 min
- 7.
Divide dough into quarters. Work with 1 piece at a time, and keep remaining dough covered.
5 min
- 8.
Roll one quarter into a 12-inch log, then cut it into 12 (1-inch) pieces.
5 min
- 9.
Dust work surface with additional flour, if necessary, to facilitate rolling. Roll and stretch each piece into a craggy 5-inch "finger." Transfer fingers to baking sheets and let stand at warm room temperature, loosely covered with a smooth kitchen towel, until fingers are slightly puffed, 15 minutes.
15 min
- 10.
Pinch top of fingers to look like knuckles, then lightly score each knuckle with a sharp knife.
10 min
- 11.
Brush fingers with egg wash, then press on nails. With cleaned paintbrush, dab a little red color around the cuticles. Sprinkle fingers all over with pretzel or coarse sea salt.
10 min
- 12.
Bake fingers until deep golden, about 15 minutes (form more fingers while first batch is baking). Transfer to a rack to cool.
15 min
- 13.
Repeat forming and baking in batches with remaining dough.
45 min
- 14.
Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, and maple syrup until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5 min
