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5 from 1 vote

Halloween Black Spider Bread Bowl

This is the ultimate Halloween party bread bowl, you can serve any dip in this Black Spider Bread Bowl to spook and delight your friends and family! This recipe is a simple recipe that anyone can make, and it won't even dye your teeth black because it features activated charcoal powder which gives the bread it’s gorgeous black color.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Additional Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 221kcal
Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

Bread

  • 3 ½ cups bread flour
  • 1 ¾ cups warm water
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 3 Tablespoons food grade activated charcoal powder
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Candy eyes for decoration (optional)

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon milk or water
  • 2 teaspoons powdered Parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer pour in the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom. 
  • Once the yeast looks foamy, add in the salt, charcoal powder, olive oil, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix until fully combined 
  • Slowly add in the remaining flour and knead for 3-4 minutes using the dough hook. 
  • Remove the dough from the bowl, lightly grease the bowl, then shape the dough into a ball and place back into the greased bowl. 
  • Cover the bowl with a towel and leave in a warm area to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size. 
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. 
  • Tip the dough out onto a lightly greased surface. Using a bench scraper or a butter knife, gently cut about ⅓ or a little more of the dough off. Shape this piece into a ball, it will be the body of your spider. From the remainder of the dough cut another piece off for the head of the spider, it should be smaller than the body. The dough that is left can be cut to make 8 legs, 4 should be long and 4 should be shorter. Shape the head into a ball and the legs into skinny logs. Any remaining dough can be made into sticks that you can call “legs” or little balls that you can call “spider eggs”. 
  • Assemble all the pieces of dough onto your prepared pan, start with the body of the spider, then drape the long legs and short legs, and lastly place the head into position (Tip: have the head and body of the spider sit on top of the legs to hide any seams.) 
  • Let the dough rest in the spider shape for 10 minutes. While the dough is resting mix all of the egg wash ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • When the dough has finished resting, brush all sides of your spider with the egg wash.
  • Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes, until the top is golden and bread is cooked through.
  • Let the bread cool. Once cooled you can cut a hole out of the top of the body piece, and pull out as much bread as you need to fit the dip you want to put in it.
  • If you would like to add eyes, you can cut spaces for them on the face and insert the candy eyes.
  • Carefully transfer to a serving platter, serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • If you want to avoid soggy bread, find a small clear bowl that will fit inside the hole you made for the sauce, then insert the bowl and fill the bowl with the sauce!)
  • The charcoal is easy to purchase and work with! It has no flavor so this bread is just a wonderful chewy breadstick with hints of garlic and herbs from the egg wash.
  • Make-ahead: While best when served the day it is made, you can prep the bread bowl a day in advance and keep covered with plastic wrap on the counter until ready to serve. Don't fill it with dip until just before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg