Tri-Coloured Breadsticks

These breadstkcks are made with 3 variations on the same dough - one with butterfly pea flower water, one using the same water with a touch of lemon juice (which transforms it into a beautiful purple) and one using pumpkin in place of some of the water. My niece was in charge of knocking back, rolling out strands are braiding them!

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There's nothing quite like the excitement of getting your hands dirty and creating something delicious from scratch, especially when you're using unique and vibrant ingredients - and you have a couple helpers in the kitchen! These breadsticks were the result of an abundance of pumpkin puree, a lack of fresh bread, and the urge to play with the Selefina Spices butterfly pea flower powder I had. The powder is more than just a way to add a slight floral note to the finished bread - according to my niece it's a magical potion ingredient! Butterfly pea flower powder has amazing color-changing properties when mixed with acid like lemon juice, resulting in a stunning indigo-violet hue. After making "magic" purple lemonade with the 5 and 2 year olds, we decided to make something that was filled with colour.

To set off the blue and violet colours, I grabbed a couple "pucks" of pumpkin that I had frozen from the Cinderella squash I roasted and used it to partially replace some of the water in that third of the dough. Not only did it provide a beautiful colour, but added a little extra nutrition in the form of beta carotene - which sparked a storytime about how I once at so much pumpkin I turned slightly orange because of it (I was an undiagnosed celiac with fat malabsorption and a lot of my "safe foods" contained it).

One of the best parts of having two extra sets of hands on deck - with inquisitive minds controlling them - is that it's an excellent opportunity to help them develop their skills in measurement, fine motor control and counting. Having a background in teaching home economics, I walked them through the process, step-by-step instructions for measuring and combining ingredients, answering their questions (like why we need yeast, how yeast works, and why we need to wait for the dough to rise). My mom took over for the braiding part, but my niece picked up the process quickly and insisted on doing all of them. 

We opted to make 8 long braids, and the leftover dough got the loaf treatment, transforming into this funky, multi-hued bread. It tastes just as good as it looks, and turns everyday sandwiches into something fun! 

 

Tri-Coloured Breadsticks

Serves 18 - though YMMV depending on braid size

 

Blue Dough

7 oz lukewarm water

1 1/2 tsp Selefina Spices Butterfly Pea Flower Powder
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1 oz canola oil
1/3 tsp salt

Purple Dough

7 oz lukewarm water

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp Selefina Spices Butterfly Pea Flower Powder
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1 oz canola oil
1/3 tsp salt

Orange Dough

5 oz pumpkin puree

2 oz water

1 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp ground flax seed
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1 oz canola oil
1/3 tsp salt

For blue and purple doughs, separately (I did one at a time in my stand mixer and tossed the dough in the fridge as I went):

1. Combine the water, pea flower powder, lemon juice (for purple dough) and sugar in a stand mixer, whisking to combine.
2. Add the egg, mixing well.
3. Add the flour and yeast, mixing to combine into a shaggy dough. 
4. Let stand 5 minutes.
5. Add the canola oil and salt and mix with the dough hook until a smooth dough forms. At this point I let the kids "knead" it for about a minute, but the machine did the bulk of the work
6. Cover and let rise for one hour.

 

For orange dough:

1. Combine the pumpkin, water, sugar and flaxseed in a stand mixer, whisking to combine.
2. Add the flour and yeast, mixing to combine into a shaggy dough. 
3. Let stand 5 minutes.
4. Add the canola oil and salt and mix with the dough hook until a smooth dough forms. At this point I let the kids "knead" it for about a minute, but the machine did the bulk of the work
5. Cover and let rise for one hour.

 

Assembly:

1. Divide each colour of dough into 18 pieces.
2. Roll each piece out into a long rope - we aimed for 12" each.
3. Pinch the tops of three different-coloured ropes together and braid, leaving it a little loose so it can expand.
4. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough, making sure to leave at leave 2" of space between braids on the sheet.
5. Cover and let rise 15 minutes, or until the oven is at temperature.
6. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375F.
7. Bake the breadsticks for 18-20 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before enjoying!

*If you want to make a loaf like the one above, roll out portions of each colour and stack them, then roll up and place into a loaf pan. Let rise 40 minutes, then bake at 375 for 50 minutes.