Alligator Bread (aka Nomsters)

Every party (Superbowl and otherwise) ought to have some kind of bread  - and it's a bonus if the bread looks particularly vicious. Using store-bought bread dough (or homemade if you prefer), you can quickly and easily make awesome bread shaped like alligators (or other delicious creatures like Turtle Biscuits).

Step 1: You'll Need. . .

Software:

• Store-bought refrigerated French bread dough (or homemade dough if you prefer) - you'll need one tube of dough per every two alligators you'd like to make
• Raisins or dried cranberries (one per every alligator)
• Egg beaten with a little water (optional - for egg wash, if using)

Hardware:

• Sheetpan
• Scissors
• Sharp knife

Step 2: Pop and Form

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Pop open and unwrap dough
3. Divide dough in half and cut two slices off of each half
4. Form each of the halves of dough into a rope approximately 12 inches long. One end should be slightly blunt, the other should taper to a point
5. Form each of the slices into a thin rope approximately 5 inches long

Step 3: Getting Scaley

1. Place each of the longer "body" ropes on your baking sheet, curving the tapered end up slightly into a "J" shape
2. Gently lift the body and place the legs underneath so that there are two legs on each side
3. Using scissors, make small cuts all along the top of the body to form small points
4. Cut a raisin or dried cranberry in half and press into the head portion to form eyes
5. Bake approximately 22 minutes or until lightly browned (note: if you'd like, you can brush an egg beaten with a little water over your breads before baking to give them a nice shine)
6. Enjoy!

Comments

[spark master]

paint them with water and food color green and pink or whatever, or roll in black sesame seedsbefore sniping.

But those things are kinda guilding the lily they look great!

[susanchen2011]

Good idea.

[shesparticular]

Thanks!

[Arbitror]

I love the crunchy scales!

[shesparticular]

They're my favorite part too! I keep meaning to try making a slightly smaller version to use as a roll to make a sandwich.

[mikeasaurus]

give me an alligator sandwich and make it snappy!

[AlpineButterfly]

i love how they got fat & super cute in the oven!

[shesparticular]

They do get really cute, don't they? :)

[AlpineButterfly]

This is awesome!!

[shesparticular]

Thanks so much!

[Happy Turtle]

Very cute. I'll bet this will be a big hit at the Univ of FL (home of the gators).

[shesparticular]

Thanks so much!

[krashok2010]

i can't find the difference between the table and the food... lol

[shesparticular]

Sorry about the color of the dough and my cutting board being a bit close in some of the pictures - hopefully it's not too hard to follow.

[instruct39]

thats pretty cool!

[shesparticular]

Thanks!

[instruct39]

your welcome, no prob!

[dreamexplorer]

This is really awesome; I love baking breads. I haven't though about creatively shaping them until I read your instructable, but I've been exploring stenciling with flour. The technique in the following link looks better than what I've improvised myself (it uses a wet surface and sifted flour):
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/14829/need-advice-stencil#comment-93246

Thanks for the great idea!

[shesparticular]

Wow that's really beautiful, thanks so much for sharing it! I made these brownies a few years ago for Valentine's day and made/used a stencil, but I never thought of doing it on bread. Also, I didn't use any water so the powdered sugar didn't stick well - for sure something to consider next time I make them. Thanks again!

[kdave04]

This is awesome! The scales/spikes turned out really well. Way to go!