Halloween Bread (Roti Sosis)

Get into the spooky spirit with this delicious Halloween Bread recipe! This pumpkin-shaped bread has a sausage and tomato sauce filling making it perfect for Halloween parties.

Is the spooky season upon us again? As a horror movie buff, Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year. I love all the costumes, the spooky imagery, and all the Halloween-esque attractions that open up across the city.

You know what there isn’t enough of though? Halloween recipes. This Halloween bread is a simple variation of roti sosis, Indonesia’s take on a sausage roll…except, it looks like a pumpkin. Because, halloween bread needs to be Halloween-themed.

What is Halloween Bread

This recipe makes a number of individual-sized Halloween sausage breads – each one is shaped to look like an adorably small pumpkin. These “Halloween pumpkin” breads are stuffed with chopped sausage and a little tomato sauce.

What is roti sosis

Roti Sosis is Indonesia’s take on the sausage roll, involving small rolls of bread stuffed with sausages and occasionally some other fillings. I’ve kept it simple in this recipe, filling the Halloween roti sosis with chopped sausages and tomato sauce, but check the variations section below for some other ideas.

Ingredients

• Bread flour
• All purpose flour
• Granulated white sugar
• Milk powder
• Active dry yeast
• Egg yolk
• Milk
• Cold water
• Butter, softened
• Salt

For the filling:

• Beef sausages, chopped
• Ketchup (or your preferred tomato sauce)
• Italian seasoning

For brushing (optional)

• Melted Butter
• Egg wash (any type is fine)

How to make Halloween Bread

Start with a large mixing bowl – mix the two flours (yes, unfortunately this recipe works best using both flours in combination), sugar, milk powder, and yeast. Whisk until incorporated. Next add the egg yolk, milk, and cold water. Using an electric hand or stand mixer with the hook attachment, stir the dough until well-combined, about five minutes.

Add the butter and salt, and mix again until a completely smooth dough forms, about ten minutes. Cover the dough (a kitchen towel is fine, but a tightly-fitted lid is best), set it aside in a warm place and let the dough rest, about 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, you’ll be able to see some rise in your dough. Push it down on a flat, lightly-floured surface, and divide into 12 equal pieces of dough. Gently roll out each dough ball into a five-inch circle. 

Add some chopped sausages, a little ketchup, and a pinch of Italian seasoning to the center of each dough circle, and then fold the dough over itself to trap the fillings into the center. Pinch the dough’s edges to seal it shut. 

Using a thread soaked in oil, tie around the dough balls in a crosswise patten that resembles a pumpkin. Cover once more, and let rise for an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Brush the tops and sides of the risen pumpkin bread with an egg wash. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. I use little pieces of clove to mimic the stem of a pumpkin. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Tips

• While a damp towel to cover the dough is fine (I basically always do this because it’s convenient and because I’m lazy), for best results cover your dough in a non-porous, tightly-fitted cover (like a lid, or cling film). 
• I use small cloves to act as the tip of the pumpkin bread. It doesn’t add anything to the flavor. It’s a completely optional addition for the sake of aesthetics. 
• I like using simple beef sausages from the supermarket for this recipe. I don’t think it’s worth using an any fancy sausages as they’re chopped into small portions and covered in tomato sauce!  

Variation ideas

Change up the fillings

There are plenty of easy changes to the fillings. Here are a few easy ideas:

• Swap the beef sausage for a spicy sausage like merguez, and use hot sauce or marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce. 
• Mozzarella cheese in the center is always a hit! Who doesn’t love cheesy bread? 
• Go all in on the pumpkin theme with a pumpkin filling.

More decorations

Carving pumpkins is a classic Halloween activity. Try carving faces into this Halloween sausage bread too! You can use small pieces of black olives for the eyes (much like I do when making Halloween pizza).

Add a little crunch

Sprinkle a small amount of sesame seeds over the tops of the halloween bread. It looks a little less like a pumpkin, but the extra crunch is lovely.

Other celebrations

Get creative! Maybe you can use this recipe for other celebrations. Can you think of a way to use it during Christmas? Maybe adding a little food coloring, lose the thread (creating small balls of bread instead of the pumpkin shape) and add more decorations to create ornaments!

Storage suggestions

Store this halloween roti sosis in an airtight container, and in the refrigerator, for up to two days. If making ahead, it can be frozen for up to one month. Be sure to thaw completely before serving.

Final thoughts

That’s it. That’s everything you need to know to make this delicious Halloween bread. It’s a perfectly festive Halloween snack that’s not at all scary, meaning it’s appropriate for just about every type of Halloween party. Comment below and let me know what you think of it.