Winter Dough Figures

Strong plain white flour 225 g

Salt 5g
Sugar 10 g
Margarine 15 g
Yeast 6g
Warm water 150
Raisins
Egg wash
Sesame and poppy seeds
Method
1. Mix the yeast with the warm water until it is a smooth paste and add the sugar, stir
and leave somewhere warm to start the yeast.
2. Put the flour in the mixing bowl and the salt.
3. Add the margarine and rub into the flour using your finger tips.
4. Add the yeast ferment, stir into the flour mix and combine together using your
hands.
5. Put the dough onto a floured surface.
6. The dough will feel tight and lumpy and you must 'knead' it to make it smooth and
stretchy. Push your hands into the dough, gather it back into a ball, turn it slightly
and then repeat. Do this for about 5 minutes until the dough feels smooth. This is
called kneading.

7. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover with a damp cloth.
Place somewhere warm and leave to rise.

8. Knock the dough back, cut into portions and refrigerate.

9. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into a cigar and
with the side of your hand roll in a neck.
10. Using a knife cut in legs and make cuts/indents to indicate arms.
11. Pull the arms out to produce a triangle.
12. Carefully lift the fingers onto a baking sheet.
13. Taking a small piece of dough roll it out into a long sausage and
cut in to three pieces.
14. Egg-wash the figure and use two of the pieces to simulate the
jacket.
15. Fill the arms and coat with sesame seeds.
16. With the remaining piece of dough make a band for the hat and
boots. Fill the hat and boots with poppy seeds.
17. Finally use currants to make buttons on the coat and to give the
dough figure eyes.
18. Allow the figures to rise.
19. Set the oven to 230°C
20. When the dough shape has about doubled in size (after about 15-30
minutes), place the tray in the centre of the oven.
21. Bake the dough for 15-25 minutes. It should be golden brown and
sound hollow when tapped underneath.
22. Put the figures on a wire rack to cool.

Note to make the man more authentic give him a rosemary brush.