This Halloween bread is my favorite way to jazz up my kids’ school lunches during spooky season. It’s a simple bread recipe made fun with food coloring and an easy layering technique that creates an eye-popping swirl! This bread always gets my boys excited for Halloween!
If you are looking for a tasty Halloween treat that isn’t candy, you can’t go wrong with this swirled Halloween bread! It’s super simple to make with just 8 ingredients, and it’s such a fun surprise to sneak into lunchboxes. A little bit of molasses adds just the right amount of sweetness so this bread pairs well with everything from PB&J to ham sandwiches.
What’s in This Halloween Bread Recipe?
- Milk: Makes the bread moist and tender. Any milk will work, but I like whole milk for the richest flavor.
- Sugar: A touch of granulated sugar feeds the yeast so the bread can rise to become light and fluffy.
- Yeast: Instant yeast works quickly to help this bread rise.
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the bread structure.
- Salt: Kosher salt enhances the flavor of the bread.
- Butter: Unsalted butter makes the bread rich and tender.
- Molasses: Unsulphured molasses adds a hint of warm sweetness to the bread.
- Food Coloring: Yellow, green, purple, and black food coloring create the beautiful Halloween swirl. I highly recommend using gel food coloring for the most vibrant results. Water-based food coloring will produce a more pastel result.
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How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Halloween bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Tips for Success
- Blooming your yeast in too hot of milk will kill the yeast. If your yeast does not bloom, try again with slightly cooler milk.
- Adding food coloring to each ball of dough may take several minutes to fully incorporate. If you use a stand mixer, it will go faster. I added color in increments and kneaded well for a few minutes before adding more.
- Do not get impatient with adding color, it takes quite a bit of kneading before all of the dough is fully saturated evenly. The dough may become stiff after kneading for a while. This is normal and totally fine. It will soften up during the second rise.
Halloween Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups milk lukewarm (110°F)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2½ teaspoons instant yeast (1 envelope)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- Food coloring yellow, green, purple, and black
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Baking Sheet
- 9×5-inch Loaf Pan
- Rolling Pin
- Instant Read Thermometer (optional)
Instructions
- Bloom the yeast by whisking together the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 5 moments to bloom. If the yeast mixture does not become frothy after 5 minutes, your yeast may be dead, in which case you need to start over.1⅔ cups milk, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2½ teaspoons instant yeast
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.4 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Once the yeast has bloomed, add it to the flour mixture along with the butter and molasses. Whisk briefly to bring together slightly before kneading to bring it together completely. Once the dough is smooth, divide into 4 equal balls.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- One by one, add food coloring into each ball of dough, kneading well to fully incorporate. It took me about 5 minutes of kneading to incorporate the amount of color necessary.Food coloring
- Once all of the balls are sufficiently colored, place them onto a baking sheet to rise. Leave at least 6 inches of space between them to allow them to rise. Cover with a damp towel and let them rise for about 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Once the dough balls have risen, roll them out. Begin by placing the yellow ball onto a well-floured surface. Roll out into a rough 9×9-inch square.
- Next, roll out the green in the same manner. Place on top of the yellow sheet of dough. Follow with the purple dough and then the black. Flip the layered dough squares over so that the yellow is on top and the black is on the bottom. Use a rolling pin to roll the squares out together into a rectangle about 9 inches wide and 13 inches long.
- Starting from the short side, roll the dough into a log like cinnamon rolls.
- Place the dough into the prepared loaf pan. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F while dough rises.
- Place the risen dough into the oven to bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (internal temperature should be 190°F). Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool. Slice and serve.
Notes
How to Make Halloween Bread Step-by-Step
Bloom the Yeast: Whisk together 1⅔ cups of warm milk, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and 2½ teaspoons of instant yeast. Let stand for 5 moments to bloom. If the yeast mixture does not become frothy after 5 minutes, your yeast may be dead, in which case you need to start over.
Mix the Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt. Once the yeast has bloomed, add it to the flour mixture along with 3 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of unsulphured molasses. Whisk briefly to bring together slightly before kneading to bring it together completely. Once the dough is smooth, divide into 4 equal balls.
Color the Dough: One by one, add food coloring into each ball of dough, kneading well to fully incorporate. It took me about 5 minutes of kneading to incorporate the amount of color necessary.
Proof the Dough: Once all of the balls are sufficiently colored, place them onto a baking sheet to rise. Leave at least 6 inches of space between them to allow them to rise. Cover with a damp towel and let them rise for about 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. While the dough rises, spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
Roll the Dough: Once the dough balls have risen, roll them out. Begin by placing the yellow ball onto a well-floured surface. Roll out into a rough 9×9-inch square.
Layer the Dough: Next, roll out the green in the same manner. Place on top of the yellow sheet of dough. Follow with the purple dough and then the black. Flip the layered dough squares over so that the yellow is on top and the black is on the bottom. Use a rolling pin to roll the squares out together into a rectangle about 9 inches wide and 13 inches long.
Create a Log: Starting from the short side, roll the dough into a log like cinnamon rolls.
Proof the Loaf: Place the dough into the prepared loaf pan. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F while dough rises.
Bake the Loaf: Place the risen dough into the oven to bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (internal temperature should be 190°F). Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool. Slice and serve.
I really want to try this! About how much food coloring did it take to get those bright colors? I would think you’d use gel coloring. Looks like great fun!