Garlic "Fingers" (Halloween Themed)

This week's recipe is Halloween themed!  Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I have always loved dressing in costume and watching horror movies.  Also with my birthday really near to Halloween, I always had themed parties, which sometimes included themed food.  So, wearing my Halloween socks and earrings, I was ready to embark on the journey of making Garlic Fingers (garlicky bread sticks for the Halloween enthusiast).

Also, a couple of weekends ago I visited some friends in New York City to go to see Clara C in concert (who was SO much fun to watch live, and was the artist who's music I was listening to while baking the fingers).  While I was there, I stopped by the Union Square Farmers Market, and looked for some garlic.  I mean, what else am I going to go shopping for while visiting New York, right?

I purchased White Russian Garlic from Cayuga Pure Organics.  From what I tasted, it wasn't as spicy of a garlic as some of the others I've tried (like Asian Tempest Fire).  With it being milder, it was a great all purpose garlic, and worked wonderfully with this week's recipe!

Ingredients for this recipe:

• 1 Packet Yeast
• 1 Cup Warm Water (around 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 3-3 1/2 Cups Flour
• Olive Oil
• Oregano
• Basil
• Paprika
• 4 Cloves of Garlic (White Russian)
• Marinara Sauce

First, add the yeast to the water with 1 Tbsp of sugar, and stir.  Let sit for about five minutes until it starts to foam (which means the yeast is activated).  You can pass the time by saying fun things to the yeast like, "You all seem like pretty fungis!" or "You seem to be bubbling with excitement!  Or...CO2..."  Or you can pass the time by looking into how cool yeast really is!!!  Or if Microbiology doesn't excite you as much as me...5 minutes really isn't that long a time.

After the yeast has been activated, in a large bowl add one more Tbsp of sugar and the salt to the yeast mix.  Then, slowly add your flour into the mixture until it is no longer sticky.  This is the part that will get messy when you can no longer stir with a whisk and have to use your hands to work in the flour.

Once the dough is no longer sticky, collect in a ball and put in a bowl coated with olive oil, cover with a damp towel, and leave to rise in a warm place.  Since my house is really cold most of the time, I had set my oven to the lowest I could (about 180 degrees Fahrenheit).  Let your bread rise for about 45 minutes.  After the time has passed, and the dough seems to have doubled, punch down and let it rise for another 15 minutes.

When the dough is rising, it is time to make the "fingernails".  Since the cloves of this garlic were quite large, I only needed to use one for the number I needed (16 bread sticks).  I first sliced the clove, and then cut each of these slices in half.  Mince the rest of the cloves.  Measure half a cup of olive oil, and add the minced garlic to it.

After the dough is done rising, flour a surface to work with the dough.  Knead the dough until it is smooth.  Divide it into 16 pieces, and roll each of these into the shape of a bread stick (or finger).  Now is also a good time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now comes the fun part, making it look like a finger.  At the top of each finger, take one of your garlic "nails" and press into the dough.  Take a knife, and in the center of the bread stick, mark some lines to make it look like a knuckle.  With a brush, paint on the olive oil with minced garlic.  Season with the oregano, basil, paprika, and salt to your liking.

 

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.

Either prepare your own marinara sauce, or heat up some that is store-bought (I am guilty of that this time).  With this, you can have some fun making your own "gory" but tasty scene.

Bone appetit!