Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for baking sheet
2/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish
Preparation
Lightly butter a baking sheet, and line with parchment. Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add milk in a slow, steady stream, and process just until dough forms.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and cover with a kitchen towel. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll a dough ball into a rope, 28 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Repeat 3 times. Place the 4 ropes side by side on a baking sheet, and pinch 1 set of ends together. Braid ropes (pictured, below). Shape braid into a 4 1/2-inch ring, overlapping ends. Tuck ends underneath. Repeat with remaining dough, rolling 4 at a time. Cover breadsticks, and let stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine yolk and cream in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush yolk mixture onto breadsticks, coating completely. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. (If breadsticks do not brown, increase temperature to 375, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.) Let cool on baking sheet on a wire rack. Garnish each wreath with a thyme sprig before serving. Serve breadsticks within 12 hours of baking.
