Alligator Animal Italian Bread

Name: Alligator Animal Italian Bread
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 33
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Italian, European
Ingredients: 1 egg; 710 milliliters all-purpose flour; 3 teaspoons instant yeast; 2 raisins; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten (optional); 237 milliliters warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C); 1 Tbsp water

Alligator Animal Italian Bread might be just the bread you are searching for. This recipe makes 33 servings with 47 calories, 2g of protein, and 0g of fat each. This recipe covers 3% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. 30 people found this recipe to be scrumptious and satisfying. It is a good option if you're following a dairy free and vegetarian diet. This recipe is typical of Mediterranean cuisine. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 2 hours. If you have water, flour, warm water, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it.

Instructions

Combine the water, flour, gluten (if using), salt, and yeast in your bread machine and mix using the machine's dough cycle. The dough should pull away from the sides nicely; add more flour or water if necessary during the mixing cycle so the dough doesn't end up too sticky or dry. When the first rising cycle ends, punch the dough down and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.

Ingredients you will need

Bread

Dough

All Purpose Flour

Punch

Water

Yeast

Salt

Equipment you will use

Bread Machine

Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Equipment you will use

Baking Paper

Baking Sheet

Roll out the dough into a square about 3/4-inch thick and divide it into four pieces.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Roll

Roll up three of the pieces jelly-roll style, and line them up seam-side down on the baking sheet to form the head, body, and tail. The ends of the connected pieces should just slightly touch. (Remember that everything will get bigger as the dough rises, so try to keep proportions in mind.)

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Jelly

Roll

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Lightly grease your hands and shape the dough like you're working with clay: elongate the tail to a slender curved tip, and then slightly elongate the nose end. Slice into the nose horizontally at the tip to form the alligator's mouth; hold the mouth open with a wedge of greased aluminum foil.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

From the remaining quarter of dough, trim off a tiny piece to use for the eyes. Slice the remainder into four "logs" for legs, flattening one end of each leg and inserting it under the alligator's body. Shape the legs into slight bends when positioning them on the baking sheet.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Cut short slices into the other end of the leg to make claws. Use scissors to snip shallow cuts over the surface of the dough (this will form the alligator's spiky skin).

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Equipment you will use

Kitchen Scissors

Roll the reserved dough into little balls for the eyes, stuffing each with a raisin.

Ingredients you will need

Stuffing

Raisins

Dough

Roll

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of warm water in a small bowl.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Egg

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Oven

Let the alligator rise in a warm place until fully proofed, about thirty minutes (poke your index and middle fingers into the sides of the dough; the indentation should remain. If the dough springs back, it needs to rise longer). Gently brush the dough with the egg wash and bake it in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Egg

Equipment you will use

Oven

Remove the alligator from the baking sheet with a spatula and transfer it to a wire rack.

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Wire Rack