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Halloween Brimstone Bread adds a cool spooky vibe to your fall get-togethers or family meals. Bright red dough balls peek out from under a cracked black crust that looks like bubbling brimstone. It’s fun, eye-catching, and soft enough to enjoy right out of the oven.
I whipped this up last Halloween trying to impress my friends and now it’s a yearly favorite. The mix of colors and textures makes it a fun and cozy loaf everyone digs.
Ingredients
- Active dry yeast: helps the dough puff up look for fresh packets for best results
- Instant bread mix: an easy and reliable base pick a good brand so it turns out right
- Vegetable oil: keeps bread moist and soft choose a neutral oil flavor so it doesn’t take over
- Warm water: wakes up the yeast keep between 105°F and 115°F for best rising
- Red food coloring: makes the dough bright and dramatic gel colors work deeper
- Sugar: feeds yeast and adds gentle sweetness opt for plain white sugar
- Salt: balances taste and keeps yeast in check fine sea salt mixes well
- Rice flour: gives the black topping its special texture use finely ground for smoothness
- Black food coloring or activated charcoal: picks the spooky black shade to your liking
- Extra water: adjusts the topping so it spreads just right warm water works best
Instructions
- Get The Red Dough Ready
- Mix the instant bread mix with 2 tablespoons active dry yeast, 1 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and half a teaspoon salt in a big bowl. Stir until smooth following your bread mix directions.
- Add The Color
- Pour enough red food coloring into the dough to get a deep, dark blood red color. Mix well so the color’s spread evenly all through.
- Make Dough Balls
- Cut the red dough into 12 equal parts and roll them gently into balls to keep them smooth. Space them evenly on a baking sheet so they have room to rise.
- First Rise
- Cover the dough balls with a damp cloth and let them rise until doubled in size or as your bread mix says. This step makes the bread light and fluffy.
- Mix The Black Topping Base
- In another bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons active dry yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, half a teaspoon salt, and 1 and a half cups rice flour until it’s mixed evenly for the topping dry parts.
- Color And Blend The Black Topping
- In a small bowl, combine black food coloring or activated charcoal with enough warm water to make a thick dark liquid. Slowly add it to the dry mix, stirring until you get a sticky but spreadable black topping. Adjust color till you like it.
- Let The Black Topping Rest
- Cover and leave the black topping at room temperature for 15 minutes so the yeast and ingredients blend and thicken for better stickiness.
- Spread The Black Topping
- When dough balls have risen, use clean hands or a spatula to spread the black topping over the top and sides of each red dough ball creating that cracked brimstone look.
- Final Rest Before Baking
- Leave the topped balls open and let them sit for another 15 minutes so the topping sets and the dough rises a bit more.
- Bake
- Put the dough balls on the oven's middle rack and bake according to the bread mix instructions, usually around 20 minutes until golden and fully cooked.
I love how the soft red bread below contrasts with the sharp black crust on top. It always reminds me of Halloween baking with my kids, messy fingers, and big laughs over the spooky look.
Storage Tips
Keep leftovers in an airtight box at room temp for up to two days to keep it soft. Warm it up gently in the oven before enjoying again.
Ingredient Swaps
If you don’t have instant bread mix, no worries make the dough from scratch using all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt. Just adjust the water as needed.
Serving Ideas
Try it warm with soft butter or a bit of honey to balance the slightly tangy black crust.
Fresh yeast really helps make the dough rise well.
Frequently Asked Cooking Questions
- → How does the dough get its red color?
The red shade comes from food coloring mixed in evenly with the dough, giving it a bold, vibrant look.
- → What’s in the black topping?
It’s a thick mix of rice flour combined with black food coloring or activated charcoal and water, made to spread easily and crackle when baked.
- → Can I swap fresh yeast for dry yeast?
Yep, fresh yeast works fine but you’ll want to change the amount since it’s stronger or weaker than dry yeast.
- → Why do the dough balls need to rest after the black topping goes on?
Resting helps the topping stick well and get that cool crackled texture while baking, making the bread look and taste better.
- → How do I keep the bread from burning in the oven?
Keep an eye on it while it bakes and adjust your oven heat or time if the topping looks like it’s getting too dark.
- → Can I change how bright the colors are?
Definitely. Just add more or less food coloring or charcoal until you get the shade you want.