Breadstick Bones
There's nothing better than a basket of warm breadsticks on a chilly evening. Especially when they are potato breadsticks with a hint of garlic, shaped like bones, and topped with cheese. An added bonus is that the garlic will keep vampires away. Dip these in marinara sauce for an extra creepy garnish. You can bake some ahead of time and reheat them later. Bone appetit!
Yield: makes 18 breadsticks
Things you'll need
Ingredients- 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm whole milk
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup mashed potatoes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for coating the bowl and dough
Topping
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup asiago cheese
- Stand mixer fitted with the dough hook
Let's get started!
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, milk, water, and sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Once foamy, stir in the mashed potatoes, melted butter, and egg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, and garlic powder.
- Stir ½ cup of the flour mixture into the yeast mixture until a thick paste forms.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the salt and the remaining flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time. Mix until the dough is soft and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 3 to 5 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for an additional minute. Then form into a large ball. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour as needed.
- Grease a large bowl with the olive oil and place the dough inside. Roll the dough in the oil to completely coat. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let rest at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 18 portions and shape each portion into a ball. Keep the dough covered with a clean cloth to prevent a skin from forming.
- Roll the balls into 4-inch ropes with a bulge at each end. Place on the baking sheets.
- Cut the ends of the breadsticks to create bone details.
- Cover the breadsticks with a clean cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Bake the bones until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Make the topping: In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter and garlic powder.
- Brush the garlic butter onto the warm breadsticks and sprinkle with the Asiago.
Written By Rosanna Pansino
