CRITTERS
your favorite sweet yeast dough recipe [ideally one that doesn’t rise too much - I used this one]
black food coloring
1 egg white
_ prepare your yeast dough according to the recipe
_ split away about 1/5 of the dough and knead in black food coloring
[it will take a while for the colour to be spread evenly - add more food colouring if needed to make it a saturated black]
_ roll out black dough on a lightly floured surface [about 2mm thick]
_ cut into thin strips [about 5mm wide]
_ grab a piece of dough [depending on desired critter size - I opted for about squash ball sized]
_ roll into a smooth ball and then twirl to make one side thin and pointy [elongated water drop shape]
_ carefully wrap 1 strip of black dough around the body of the caterpillar and pinch in the thin tail end [if it doesn’t stick well you can brush a little water onto the strip first]
_ place the critter onto a baking paper lined baking tray in a crescent shape [try to place it in a way so the black strip ends are underneath the body]
_ place two small pieces of round, flattened out dough onto the head for eyes
_ add another two tiny, white dough balls for irises
_ repeat the same way with the remaining dough
_ cover with a kitchen cloth and leave to rise
[this is important! - if the dough is rising too fast in the oven the stripes will rip - having them rise slowly beforehand can help that - but don’t worry if they break in the oven, just call them zombi critters ;) ]
_ preheat oven to 350°F [180°C]
_ brush caterpillars with lightly beaten egg white [you don’t want to get the egg white bubbly - just break the strings]
_ bake for 20-25 minutes [this depends a little on the size you chose - check for them to get a nice golden brown]
_ if you want to go for a slimy look you can brush them with butter once they get out of the oven
KLEINE RAUPEN
Lieblingsrezept für süßen Hefeteig [idealerweise eines, das nicht zu sehr aufgeht - ich habe dieses verwendet]
schwarze Lebensmittelfarbe
1 Eiweiß
