Swirled Halloween Bread Recipe

Course: bread

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 35

Rise: 1 30

Total Time: 2 35

Servings: people

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes

Homemade sandwich bread just got a spooky makeover! This Halloween bread is sure to get you into the festivities with it's vibrant colors of purple, yellow and green!

Print Recipe

Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
Baking Sheet
9x5-inch Loaf Pan
Rolling Pin
Instant Read Thermometer (optional)

Ingredients

1⅔ cups milk 378 grams, lukewarm (110°F)
3 tablespoons sugar 38 grams
2½ teaspoons instant yeast 7 grams (1 envelope)
4 cups all-purpose flour 480 grams
1½ teaspoons kosher salt 5 grams
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 42 grams, melted
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses 43 grams
Yellow food coloring
Green food coloring
Purple food coloring
Black food coloring

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 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.
Yellow food coloring, Green food coloring, Purple food coloring, Black 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 9x5-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 9x9-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

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.
This beautifully colored, spooky bread is incredibly soft and bouncy. It has a very slight hint of molasses flavor which lends itself to either something sweet like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a savory ham sandwich.

Storage: Store swirled Halloween bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition