Snakewich with Venom Sauce


Ingredients

  • 2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or poppy seeds
  • 3/4 cup roasted sweet red peppers, drained
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pepperoncini
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound sliced deli smoked turkey
  • 1 pound sliced deli ham
  • 3/4 pound sliced provolone cheese
  • 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
  • 2 pretzel sticks or toothpicks
  • 2 pickle slices
  • 2 ripe olive slices

Directions

  1. Thaw dough according to package directions. Roll dough from each loaf into a 2-in.-thick log, shaping one end of one log to resemble a snake head and one end of the second log to resemble a rattle.
  2. Transfer to greased baking sheets, curving slightly to resemble a snake. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°.
  3. Brush dough with melted butter; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
  4. Cut a roasted pepper into a 3-in.-long strip to make a snake tongue; set aside. Finely chop remaining peppers and place in a bowl; stir in mayonnaise, pepperoncini and garlic.
  5. On a large cutting board, trim off the plain end of each loaf, leaving head and rattle ends intact. Cut each loaf horizontally in half. Connect bottom halves to make a snake; layer with meat, cheese, tomatoes and 4 cups sliced lettuce. Spread top halves with 1 cup sauce; place over lettuce. Insert snake tongue.
  6. For grass, arrange remaining lettuce around sandwich. Insert pretzel sticks to attach pickle slices and olives for eyes. Using a serrated knife, cut sandwich into 20 slices; serve with remaining sauce.