Garlic fingers (French: Doigts à l’ail), also known as garlic cheese fingers, are an iconic Atlantic Canadian dish. This recipe tastes as good as you’ll get from Pizza Corner in Halifax.
One of the biggest things I miss from my time living on the East Coast of Canada is the garlic fingers.
You could order these at any pizza shop (the best, I recall, being available at Pizza Corner in Halifax, Nova Scotia!) with donair sauce to dip.
Alas, such a delectable morsel has not made its way across the pond, so I have to make my own.
I found this fabulous recipe (modified slightly) from ChowTown, which, in my opinion, tastes just as good as I remember!
What are garlic fingers?
Garlic fingers (French: Doigts à l’ail) known also as garlic cheese fingers are an iconic Atlantic Canadian dish. They are similar to a pizza in shape and size and made with the same type of dough, infused with plenty of garlic. It’s basically a garlic pizza, but instead of being cut in triangular slices, garlic fingers are cut into thin strips, or “fingers”.
Ingredients for East Coast garlic fingers
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp fast-action yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic powder or granules
- 2 1/2 cups strong bread flour
- 2 heads of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dried parsley
How to make homemade East Coast garlic fingers
Mix flour, yeast, salt, pepper, sugar and garlic together in a bowl with a whisk. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm water. Stir with a spoon until just combined. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and leave, covered, in a warm place, for half an hour to rise.
Meanwhile, finely chop your garlic and grate your cheeses. Preheat oven to 220 C/ 425 F.
Punch down dough, knead briefly and press into a large baking tray. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with the garlic, the mozzarella, the Parmesan, and finish with a light sprinkling of parsley.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Cut into fingers and serve with plenty of donair sauce to dip.
How to make homemade donair sauce
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/3 cup white vinegar
To prepare the donair sauce, stir the milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Leave to sit for a few minutes, and then give it another whisk. Stir in the garlic granules. Get a good movement on with the liquid and pour in the vinegar all at once. Stir once or twice (that’s it!) so it thickens, and then put it in the fridge until you need it. Stir before serving. Do not over stir it, or it’ll separate!
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
East Coast Garlic Fingers Recipe
Ingredients
for the base
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic granules or garlic powder
- 2.5 cups strong white bread flour
for the garlic fingers topping
- 2 bulbs garlic finely chopped
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese grated
- 0.25 cups Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp dried parsley
for the donair sauce
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 0.5 tsp garlic granules
- 0.3 cups white vinegar
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Instructions
- Mix2.5 cups strong white bread flour, 1 tbsp fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp garlic granules together in a bowl with a whisk.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in 1 cup warm water. Stir with a spoon until just combined.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and leave, covered, in a warm place, for half an hour to rise.
- Meanwhile, finely chop 2 bulbs garlic and grate 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese and 0.25 cups Parmesan cheese. Preheat oven to 220 C/ 425 F.
- To prepare the donair sauce, stir 1 can evaporated milk and 1 cup caster sugar together until the sugar dissolved. Leave to sit for a few minutes and then give it another whisk.
- Stir in 0.5 tsp garlic granules. Get a good movement on with the liquid and pour in 0.3 cups white vinegar all at once. Stir once or twice (that’s it!) just so it thickens, and then put it in the fridge until you need it. Stir before serving. Do not overstir it or it’ll separate!
- Punch down dough, knead briefly and press into a large baking tray. Brush with 2 tbsp butter, melted.
- Sprinkle with the garlic, the mozzarella, the Parmesan, and finish with 1 tsp dried parsley.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden on top. Cut into fingers and serve with plenty of donair sauce to dip.
Kransekake: a Norwegian Celebration Cake
The donair sauce must be good with it. Heaven food.
Thanks for sharing!
Glad you like the recipe.
It certainly is a fantastic recipe. I haven’t made it in quite some time though – I think I should remedy that!
I’ve gone into Dream Land! OMG Have to try this one! Thanks!